Chunking · Pattern 10 of 13
Structure of Intuition
Chunk up to find connections and relationships, then chunk back down to relate the connection to the current situation.
Recover: A pattern, then its application here
What it is
MANUAL MODEL. Intuition as a two-move sequence. Up until this situation resembles other situations; notice the relationship; then back down to the only question that pays — how does that connection relate to what is in front of me now? The return trip is what separates insight from drift.
Recognition / tip-offs
What has been distorted, generalised or deleted
- Situations share structures
- Structures transfer
- Transfer must be cashed out concretely
Client-language use
Clients often produce the connection themselves once you take them up. Your job is often just to bring them back down.
How to challenge it
Always ask the return question: how does this connection relate to your situation?
- “What do these have in common?”
- “What is the relationship underneath all three?”
- “How does that connection relate to the current situation, specifically?”
Practitioner judgement: challenge what is useful, not every pattern you can hear.
What to recover
Use it before advising. The pattern earns the advice.
Client autonomy first — offer language the client can verify and decline.
Examples
“A stalled book, a stalled fitness plan and a stalled house move → all wait for a perfect starting condition → so: what is the imperfect first step this week?”
Missing Up to connect, down to apply.
Common confusion and overlap
- Stopping at the pattern
- Applying a pattern that does not actually fit this case
- Calling vague abstraction intuition
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