How to Draw a Theory Diagram
A theory model shows how the elements of a situation
fit together and explain how it behaves. The arrows show how the elements influence each other
by showing how an increase in one element is expected to result in an increase or
decrease in another element. When you see an arrow in a theory diagram, you know the
arrow is
saying “Other things being equal, an increase in the first element will
be associated with an increase (or decrease) in the second element.” The expected
increase or decrease is shown by a + or - sign.
When an increase in the first element causes an increase in the second (+), they
move in the same direction, meaning that a decrease in the first will be followed
by a decrease in the second. Similarly, when an increase in the first results in
a decrease in the second (-), they move in the opposite direction, so that a decrease
in the first results in an increase in the second. It is easiest to read a theory
by remembering that a (+) on the arrow means “moves the same way” and a (-) means
“moves in the opposite way. An example is shown below. As the hours of studying
increases, grades increase. But as the time spent studying increases, the amount
of stress increases and the ability to study decreases.
A theory diagram is your idea about how
some aspect of the world around you works
- it answer the question :what causes things to happen the way they do? It is a complex argument about the
way things are - or a kind of essay in visual form. The types of questions that are best suited
for a theory diagram are such things as: “What explains the recent rise or fall in teen
pregnancy?”, or “How does CO2 emission affect the ecology?”, or “How does stress
affect me?”.
MindDraw™’s ability to replay a drawing is especially useful
When constructing a theory diagram.When someone is in the process of constructing a theory, they can set it aside for
a while, and then return to it later and begin by replaying their drawing of the theory diagram and its thought
process. When one person sends a theory diagram to another person, the recipient can
replay the theory and get a better sense of the logical progression that the drawer
was using as she constructed it. In a sense, it lets the reader of the drawing follow
along with the thinking of the theory maker.
MindDraw™ has a unique way of using color that is especially useful for theory diagram.
You can select colors for each element and relation in a theory as a way of showing
your feelings about them. You are then able to show your logical analysis
of a situation as well as your emotional reaction to each aspect of it. Both logic
and emotion are important aspects of your thinking. Combining logic and emotion
in one drawing is a more complete form of thinking for you, as well as a more complete
form of communication with others.
A good theory diagram will always have loops or cycles in it. A cycle is when the
chain of relations from one element to another forms a closed loop. This is also
called a feedback loop. For instance, if a sports team is winning, it will have
more confidence. If it has more confidence, it will be better able to take advantage
of “breaks” in a game. If it takes better advantage of those opportunities, it is
more likely to win. If it wins again, the team will become more confident, and a
feedback cycle is created. Anything in the social or biological world that endures
over time has cycles within it. Cycles keep it in existence by reinforcing certain
behaviors and penalizing others. Understanding the cycles of feedback relations
in a theory diagram will give you a good insight into the dynamics of a situation,
including how it is changing and how an action you take can have unexpected outcomes.
An example of a theory diagram by a Physician is shown below. In it, he explores what
causes quality in health care. This is his private theory, which may or may not be true.
To see if it is true,he can share it and discuss it with others who are concerned with quality in health
care, or he can arrange test it by gathering his theory. By carefully collecting data on the elements
in his theory, he can test to see if the relations he has drawn actually occur in a typical healthcare setting.
The Physician’s Theory shows that pressure to cut costs by reducing the time spent
with patients may reduce the quality of health care. But it may also increase the
cost of health care, as patients trust the physician less and “migrate” to other
health care centers, seeking additional, unneeded second and third opinions. This
kind
of paradoxical result often occurs in complex social and technical systems.
Drawing Theory diagrams is a helpful way to uncover these kinds of unintended consequences from feedback
loops within a complex system.
These examples have been very simple. Your own MindDraw™ drawing will be more complex,
and MindDraw™ has features to help deal with the more complex ideas that you will
develop. The arrow showing a relationship can be drawn as a broken arrow, to denote
that the causal influence is delayed. Also, for each element in drawing, you can
identify its current value and think through the implications of the other factors
influencing it, showing what you expect the future trend of the element will be,
in both short and long term.