The Ladder of Inference

The Ladder of Inference

If, after resolving a misunderstanding, you've ever found yourself saying, "Oh, that's not what I thought was going on", there's a good chance that you climbed the Ladder of Inference and acted on flawed thinking. Ladders work both ways; learn to climb down and avoid misunderstandings.

What you will learn

There are times when our own thinking gets in the way of our commitment to support others, with some unconscious thought processes having the potential to generate inaccurate conclusions and beliefs about others; we may then act on those misleading thoughts.

This model offers insight into:

• unconscious and self-reinforcing thought processes which can undermine our ability to support others.
• the steps to recognise those processes that contribute to this unhelpful thinking and strategies to overturn it.

Related Resources

• 6.-The-Ladder-of-Inference_User-Guide.pdf(PDF • 148 kb)
• Supporting-Others_Action-Learning-Guide.pdf(PDF • 148 kb)
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