The Dominance Factor

1. Dominance Profiles: Understanding Your Brain's Unique Wiring

Dominance Profiles are applicable and give us important information for understanding ourselves and others in educational situations, in our relationships (with partners, families, parents and children), in working situations and in creative endeavors.

Dominance Profiles reveal our innate learning styles. These profiles are determined by the lateral dominance of our brain hemispheres, eyes, ears, hands, and feet. There are 32 possible profiles, each representing a unique combination of dominant functions. Understanding your Dominance Profile can provide insights into:

• How you best take in and process information
• Your preferred learning methods and environments
• Your typical reactions under stress or when faced with new learning situations
• Your strengths and potential challenges in various areas of life

Dominance Profiles are not meant to label or limit individuals, but rather to provide a framework for understanding and optimizing learning and communication. By recognizing these patterns, we can develop strategies to enhance our strengths and compensate for potential limitations.

2. The Logic and Gestalt Hemispheres: Two Distinct Processing Styles

The logic hemisphere (usually on the left side) deals with details, the parts and processes of language and linear analysis. By contrast, the gestalt — meaning whole-processing or global as compared to linear — hemisphere (usually the right side) deals with images, rhythm, emotion and intuition.

The brain's hemispheres have specialized functions. Understanding these differences is crucial for recognizing how individuals process information:

Logic Hemisphere (typically left):

• Focuses on details and linear analysis
• Excels in language processing and verbal communication
• Prefers structured, sequential learning
• Deals with mathematical and logical reasoning

Gestalt Hemisphere (typically right):

• Processes information holistically
• Specializes in spatial relationships and pattern recognition
• Emphasizes emotional and intuitive understanding
• Excels in creative and imaginative tasks

While most people have a dominant hemisphere, optimal learning and problem-solving occur when both hemispheres work together harmoniously. Recognizing your dominant hemisphere can help you leverage your strengths and develop strategies to engage your non-dominant hemisphere more effectively.

3. Eye, Ear, Hand, and Foot Dominance: Impact on Learning and Behavior

We all recognize the vast diversity of human beings — the diversity that makes each individual unique, interesting, bothersome, a delight, frustrating and a mystery to our own particular nature.

Sensory and motor dominance influences learning preferences. The dominant eye, ear, hand, and foot play crucial roles in how we perceive and interact with the world:

Eye dominance:

• Affects reading ease and visual information processing
• Left-eye dominant individuals may struggle with left-to-right reading languages

Ear dominance:

• Influences auditory learning and listening preferences
• Can impact memory for verbal information

Hand dominance:

• Affects writing, gesturing, and manual tasks
• May influence communication style under stress

Foot dominance:

• Impacts balance, movement, and physical activities
• Can affect stress responses and decision-making

Understanding these dominance patterns can help individuals and educators tailor learning experiences to maximize comprehension and retention. It also explains why some people may struggle with certain tasks or learning methods that come easily to others.

4. Stress and Learning: How Dominance Profiles Affect Performance

Because survival is our most primary need, these functions become hardwired in the brain and determine how we will respond during a life threatening or stressful situation to protect ourselves.

Stress triggers reliance on dominant functions. When faced with stress or new learning situations, individuals tend to revert to their basal Dominance Profile:

• The non-dominant hemisphere's function decreases significantly
• Access to non-dominant sensory and motor functions becomes limited
• Communication and learning abilities may be impaired

This stress response can lead to:

• Difficulty processing information through non-dominant senses
• Challenges in expressing thoughts or ideas
• Reduced ability to see the "big picture" or focus on details, depending on hemisphere dominance

Recognizing these stress-induced limitations is crucial for:

• Developing effective coping strategies
• Creating supportive learning environments
• Improving communication in high-stress situations

By understanding how stress affects our Dominance Profile, we can work to create more integrated, whole-brain responses and maintain access to our full range of abilities even under pressure.

5. Assessing Dominance Profiles: Self-Assessment and Muscle Checking

The correct attitude of the facilitator and subject is to accurately get a muscle indicator response without concern for the outcome of the procedure. The subject and facilitator should have a sense of self-discovery — and let go all preconceived notions they might have about the subject's Dominance Profile.

Two primary methods exist for determining Dominance Profiles. These approaches help individuals discover their innate learning preferences:

1. Self-Assessment Method:

   • Quick and accessible
   • Involves simple tasks and observations
   • May reflect current adaptive strategies rather than basal profile

2. Muscle Checking Method:

   • More accurate for determining basal profile
   • Requires practice and a trained facilitator
   • Taps into subconscious bodily information

The muscle checking method utilizes the body's intricate neuromuscular feedback system to access information about dominance patterns. This technique requires:

• Setting clear intentions
• Proper positioning and pressure
• Attention to subtle muscle responses

While self-assessment can provide valuable insights, muscle checking often reveals deeper, innate patterns that may be obscured by learned adaptive strategies. Both methods contribute to a fuller understanding of an individual's learning style and preferences.

6. Educational Implications: Rethinking Labels and Teaching Methods

We have tended to label people without taking into consideration their normal, underlying profiles.

Traditional education often favors specific Dominance Profiles. This bias can lead to misclassification and undervaluation of certain learning styles:

• Logic hemisphere dominant learners are often labeled as "Gifted and Talented"
• Gestalt hemisphere dominant learners frequently end up in Special Education programs
• Current teaching methods primarily cater to auditory and visual learners

Research findings:

• 89% of Special Education students were Gestalt dominant
• Only 22% of Gifted and Talented students were Gestalt dominant
• Approximately 52% of students were auditory limited, yet lecturing remains the primary teaching method

These discrepancies highlight the need for:

• Diverse teaching approaches that cater to all Dominance Profiles
• Reassessment of educational labels and testing methods
• Integration of kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning techniques
• Recognition and nurturing of diverse intelligences and learning styles

By acknowledging and accommodating various Dominance Profiles, educators can create more inclusive and effective learning environments that allow all students to thrive.

7. Integration Strategies: Enhancing Whole-Brain Learning and Relationships

When we learn and perform in whole-brained, integrated ways we achieve more, developing more varied skills and competencies.

Fostering whole-brain integration enhances learning and relationships. Strategies for promoting integration include:

Physical activities:

• Cross-lateral movements (e.g., Brain Gym exercises)
• Tai Chi, Yoga, and other mind-body practices
• Regular physical exercise and play

Cognitive exercises:

• Alternating between logic and gestalt hemisphere tasks
• Practicing visualization and verbalization techniques
• Engaging in creative pursuits that combine analytical and intuitive thinking

Stress reduction techniques:

• Mindfulness and meditation practices
• Conscious breathing exercises
• Regular breaks and quiet reflection time

By incorporating these strategies, individuals can:

• Improve communication between brain hemispheres
• Enhance access to non-dominant functions
• Reduce stress-induced limitations
• Develop more flexible and adaptive learning styles

Ultimately, promoting whole-brain integration leads to more balanced, creative, and effective problem-solving, learning, and relationship-building in all areas of life.

Last updated: October 8, 2024