Hodges' Model: Welcome to the QUAD: maths

Hodges' model is a conceptual framework to support reflection and critical thinking. Situated, the model can help integrate all disciplines (academic and professional). Amid news items, are posts that illustrate the scope and application of the model. A bibliography and A4 template are provided in the sidebar. Welcome to the QUAD ...

Showing posts with label maths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maths. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 06, 2026

ERCIM News 146 Special Theme: "Quantum Technology"

ERCIM News 146 Cover

Dear ERCIM News reader,

Quantum technology is increasingly becoming part of real-world systems. 

This issue looks at quantum algorithms, secure communication, hybrid computing, software and sensing, highlighting recent advances and the challenges of putting them into practice. The Special Theme was guest edited by Miroslav Dobsicek (RISE), Sebastian Raubitzek (SBA Research) and Filippo Vella (CNR-ICAR).

Introduction

by Miroslav Dobsicek (RISE),  Sebastian Raubitzek (SBA Research) and Filippo Vella (CNR-ICAR)

In recent years, major advances in quantum hardware, algorithms and software have created great  opportunities for scientific discovery and industrial innovation. What can be observed is that quantum technology is entering a new phase where systems are becoming the central focus. Progress is no longer defined only by better qubits, individual algorithms or isolated demonstrations, but increasingly by whether quantum components can be integrated with classical computing, software, networks, sensing platforms and real applications. This transition, from quantum components to quantum systems, is changing both the research questions and the criteria by which progress should be judged
Read more ...

Includes:

Quantum Retina: A Quantum Eye on the Brain and Other Things, pp.43-44. (brain imaging, Parkinson's disease)

Read the October 2026 Issue

This issue in PDF

Next Issue

No. 147 — January 2027
Special Theme: Data Spaces
Call for Contributions

See also:

https://www.ercim.eu/events (AI - ethics, ...)

My source with thanks: peter.kunz AT ercim.eu

Friday, September 18, 2026

Euclidean or Projective Care?

How many dimensions does a written - narrative record have?

Sketching out some ideas, I asked the question on Google and as usual an AI Overview response followed - snippet:
AI Overview

A physical written record has two primary spatial dimensions (length and breadth/width) as a flat document, or three dimensions (including thickness or depth/height) when considering its physical form or binding. [1, 2]

In archival and Records Continuum theory, a written record exists dynamically across four conceptual dimensions: [1, 2].

I put the question to the Records Management list with the above snippet and received several useful suggestions and sources. Perhaps I can share that at a future point? 

Acutely aware of not pursuing maths and category theory for its own sake, the query was driven by an attempt to look at Hodges' model in mathematical terms. Starting, rather obviously with the models structure and axes. When the model is assembled, as per many posts, the vertical axis:

INDIVIDUAL
|
GROUP

- shouts out the issue of parity and the distinction between mind and body. It does this at the individual and collective level. If we were to draw a silo, a cylinder springs to mind, and there are specific reasons for silos adopting this shape. Descartes gives us the perfect excuse, in the ongoing legacy. 

     Mathematical Visions

The question above came up from Joan L. Richards book 'Mathematical Visions' (c/o Lancaster Univ. library). Euclidean and the emergence of projective geometry is described. There is an interplay between 2D and 3D representation, that made me think about the health record and its dimensions. Not in a dataset sense (multi-dimensional), more generally and concretely(?). A patient's record on paper has physical dimensions (A4), there is a flow. An EHR has its virtual dimensions (discuss!). Abstractly the content is a time machine. At some point in a health encounter it is a literal 'history', the level of detail in accord with the context. The record might present the problem, premorbid situation, diagnosis, current state, observations and prognosis and much more.

I can revisit this, Richards provides a series of figures. We progress from two distinct circles (my silos) through to examples with a discussion of continuity and projection that sees the circles touching, then intersecting. This is a radical axis.

Richards, Joan L. (1988), Mathematical Visions: The Pursuit of Geometry in Victorian England, Boston: Academic Press, ISBN0-12-587445

Book cover: Amazon.

Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Blueprints ...

individual
|
INTERPERSONAL
: SCIENCES             
humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   
|
group







Du Sautoy, M. (2024). Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity. Glasgow: 4th Estate.
https://www.4thestate.co.uk/products/blueprints-how-mathematics-shapes-creativity-marcus-du-sautoy-9780008685034/

Burgis, B., Bhaskar Sunkara, B., and Beggs, M. (2026 - 26th Sept) The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World. London: Verso.
https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2843-the-blueprint/

Book covers c/o Waterstones (Du Sautoy) and Verso Books. 

My source https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy/philos-l/ (Beggs et al.) and various.

Previously: 'creativity' : 'socialism' : 'politics'

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Medicine - Mathematics & History

'We now come to the input of mathematics into medical history, and to the related questions of arithmetic and quantification, ratio and proportion, geometrical argument and diagrams, and probability. Mathematics (consisting in arithmetic, geometry, astrology and music) had an established place in the quadrivium of the medieval arts course; its application to medicine is demonstrated in such textbooks as the Articella, which include treatises on weights and measures, and in studies of proportion and ratio such as those of the medieval Oxford calculators which Italian doctors among others caused to be revived at the beginning of our period. In the sixteenth century, it was a vigorously debated subject; there is a well-documented discussion of the certainty of mathematics, concerning its status in respect to the logical adequacy of its proofs, in which some natural philosophers and doctors (notably Cardano) take part. It will come therefore as no surprise that it was prescribed for doctors by most Renaissance pedagogical writers;  this prescription is often specifically linked to Galen's geometrical (axiomatic) method whose operations are the constitution of objects from elements, the comparison of existing objects and their reduction into their constitutive elements.

Associated with mathematics are diagrams, that is, abstract quantified spatial representations. There is a modern debate about the contribution of technical innovations in illustration in the Renaissance (most notably perspective) to the scientific revolution: this is only relevant here insofar as some participants in this debate argue for the importance of diagrammatic symbolisation of mental abstractions above those, like perspective, which are still representations of the real world, and see the former as a step on the path to full algebraic notation of geometry. Not all Renaissance thinkers were persuaded of their usefulness: Argenterio describes the diagrams of Manardo and Akakia reproduced below as 'vain and false tables and figures'; but I shall argue here that they were related to the uptake of doctors from the arts course insofar as well-known logical diagrams reproduced above (4.3:3) were adapted by them for their own purposes.' pp.171-172.

Maclean, Ian. 2002. Chapter 5, Beyond logic: geometry, proportion, quantity. In Logic, Signs, and Nature in the Renaissance: The Case of Learned Medicine. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.

Related to ongoing reading, Maclean provides two (among several) historical illustrations (with apologies for the quality) on pp.174-175, the first is from the Wellcome Collection:

Dubois, Jacques, 1478-1555 (Boe͏̈, Jacques, Bois, J. d., Boë, J., del, Boë, J., Del Boë, J., DelBoe͏̈, J., . . . Sylvius/de Bois). (1548). Methodus sex librorum galeni in differentiis et causis morborum et symptomatum in tabellas sex ordine suo conjecta paulo fusius ne brevitas obscura lectorem remoretur & fallat. de signis omnibus medicis, hoc est salubribus, insalubribus, & neutris, commentarius / ... per jacobum sylvium ..Paris: Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/books/methodus-sex-librorum-galeni-differentiis-et/docview/2090356749/se-2

Jacobus Sylvius, 1539

Which Maclean then translates / interprets (p.174):

Maclean. Figure 5.1, p.174.

'Manardo goes further, and causes and symptoms adapts the square of contraries to represent not only all the possible combinations of temperaments (combinations of cold and hot and wet and dry are cleverly excluded) but also inserts a mediate point to represent the absolutely temperate body: see fig. 5.2.
This adaptation of the square of contraries (which has precedents in the medieval period) shows the appropriation for their own use by doctors of the logical instruments at their disposal.

As we have seen, it is a feature of medical thinking to take into account many circumstantiae or variables, and, over time, the numbers of variables taken into consideration increases.' p.174-175.

Figure 5.2 Giovanni Manardo, p.175.

individual
|
INTERPERSONAL
: SCIENCES             
humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   
|
group

quality

logic

quantity
past - present - future
diagrams

symptoms - signs


subjective

objective

Previously: 'medicine' : 'history' : 'diagram'

Thursday, August 20, 2026

"Hey Jonesy: Where's the book?"

This prompt from yesterday is far from new. There are outlines for papers on W2tQ.

Seriously though, what would a book outline look like - now?

The introduction is probably already written, it just needs to be pulled-together. But, in truth it (desperately) needs a new perspective. The question of how to update the explanation - short of running a workshop? The model's original purposes 1-4 are a statement of fact. The intro figures that invariably show how the axes 'create' the model's care, or knowledge domains? What if...? Could we also present the inverse? That would be a new slant. Does the model still 'work'? 

Details aside, here is a quick outline:

Part 1

Introduction and Background 

1.1 Brian E. Hodges and Post-Registration Nurse Education

1.2 Peter Jones - Primed to mind-map

1.3 Web presence: Initial website 1998-2015 - Blog 'Welcome to the QUAD' 2006 ...

1.4 Brian's original lecture notes

1.5 Looking back and forward: Models of care for the 21st Century

1.6 Confessions: So, where is the new site / platform? 

Part 2

 The Four (Five) Care Domains 

2.1 Science

2.2 Interpersonal (& Intrapersonal)

2.3 Sociology

2.4 Political

2.5 Spiritual

Part 3

Hodges' model in Practice - Applications

3.1 Self care

3.2 Clinical

3.3 Social Care - Community 

3.4 Management

3.5 Informatics

3.6 Policy 

3.7 Education

3.8 Workforce: Local - Global 

Part 4

The Legacies (still) in Our Midst

4.1 Person-centredness

4.2 Integrated Care

4.3 Holistic Care

4.4 Parity of Esteem

4.5 The Theory-Practice Gap

4.6 Change - Transformation: When? Disease to Prevention

Part 5

It's Tomorrow Now

5.1 Health Promotion

5.2 Public (Mental) Health & Protection

5.3 Citizenship

5.4 Global Health

5.5 Planetary Health

Part 6

Research

6.1 Hodges' model as a Research Tool

6.2 Climate change

6.3 Planetary Health

6.4 Beyond the Bio-Psycho-Social Model: The Political Domain

6.5 The Literacies 

6.6 InterDisciplinary, Multi- and Transdisciplinary

6.7 Hodges' model as a Mathematical Object?

Part 7

Philosophy
 
7.1 Revisiting the Original Purposes
 
7.2 AI - The Elephant in Mind
 
7.3 Value & Values  

...?

Much to add, revise ... 'Education as Part X'. Political and Literacy too - a specific part - and with AI (in every part!)?

STOP!!

OK. It's a minefield. Even a proposal is a 'non-trivial' task.

Who's writing this? Not me! Not all of it, and for me; not AI either.

It would be marvellous to be one of several editors: one day? 

Clearly, a great project for students and early career researchers and current practitioners. 

An inoculation to help new cohorts deal with the realities, ravages and rewards of 'care' in its entirety*. 

P.S. With the start of a title right there? PJ

Monday, August 10, 2026

Reading group: Kantian Justice - KantianDESERT

Dear all,

The KantianDESERT project's reading group will return on Tuesday 11th August, from 12-1:30 UK time. We will be starting to read Joseph de la Torre Dwyer's 2020 book 'Chance, Merit, and Economic Inequality'. The first session will focus on the Introduction and chapter 2.

The reading group will take place both in-person in Liverpool, and online via Teams. All are welcome. Please email: erc.kantiandesert.ukri AT liverpool.ac.uk if you'd like to attend and we can send you the room details/invite/reading.

My source: Kantian DESERT list and Philos-L "The Liverpool List". Messages to the Philos-L are archived at 
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/philos-l.html. Follow the list on Twitter @PhilosL. Follow the Department of Philosophy @LiverpoolPhilos

[n.b. With apologies for short-notice. PJ ].

Saturday, August 08, 2026

Mathematical terms: domain, plane, 'field' ...

individual
|
INTERPERSONAL
: SCIENCES             
humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   
|
group


Such is the innocence of youth, of all children, that should they be ensnared by the new-age 'scrolls' ...


... they will miss out on the life-affirming experience of the playing field.


This is a great shame, a tragedy no less, of missed opportunities to learn social and life-skills, to know joy, and make friends, who might just be lifelong ...

... as they prepare to make their way in the [un-] level playing field.


Thursday, August 06, 2026

Writing - next project - parts 1 & 2 in search of titles

Currently, I'm pulling together what have become two drafts, that consider Hodges' model as a mathematical object. Part 1, put-down in the new year, and picked-up now; a good start as there is more than I thought. There's a cost of that, of course? Part 2 is a gathering of tatters. Well, it is an effort.

As I don't work in academia where connections may more readily follow, can I claim that Hodges' model also does work? That the model can help in finding potential collaborators and co-authors? Once the fundamentals are understood, and again - it's not rocket science - for some people thankfully, something clicks. It clicks absolutely where it is should.

The model can be quite addictive in a positive way, as one of many among the vast array of assessment, evaluation and other tools. It is complementary.

So, with much needed support to follow, including from previous publication (please see the bibliography in the sidebar), plus April's WCCS26 conference, I'm working away to share them in 12 days or so. Then the work really begins as I benefit from collegial input, new perspectives, views, critique and the reward of constructive debate, experience and knowledge of others. I hope the drafts reward the curiosity that's been displayed. It is still quite exciting. Hoping too that students and early career researchers might pick this up ...

Wednesday, August 05, 2026

"It's an equation Jim, but not as we know it!"

Silver (2013) in “The Signal and the Noise” refers to Drake’s equation, which has fascinated me since my teens. It is a formula that provides a framework for predicting the number of intelligent extraterrestrial species in the galaxy. Due to the high number of parameters and uncertainties that make up Drake's equation, Silver describes how the extreme range of results depend on the initial ‘inputs’. Given the variables presented they are estimates. I made a connection to Drake's work through BBC BASIC programming:

'The Nursing Process'
'Computer-Aided Patient Assessment'
'Blood Groups'
'Shades of Grey'

As time went on the simplicity of 'The NP' gave way to DIM arrays, which can provide data structures, and DEF PROC and DEF FN with parameters. 

The evidence for the elements of Drake's equation has made great strides since the 1990s. Despite the remaining uncertainties, Silver notes that Drake's equation has provided a useful lens for astronomers, plus - philosophers and the lay-person to think about life, the universe and everything.

Is there an implicit theory – an equation – in Hodges’ model?

See also: BBC BASIC

Previously: 'Sagan' : 'SETI' ; 'math' : 'Publication list (2024)'

Nate Silver (2013). “The Signal and the Noise”, Notes 89, London: Penguin. p.488.

Title Ack. the original is often misattributed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCARADb9asE

Sunday, July 26, 2026

The Line(s)

Foresight, hindsight, sight itself and that illusory association with the line of time is a fascination for us all. No doubt, as a result of the hardwired analogue found in the lifeline and our ultimate fate. Hodges' model acknowledges all these lines; concrete and abstract. The work and health careers, an individual's education career (where accessible / permitted) now lifelong learning.

Abstract things seem tenuous, indistinct, maybe lost somewhere in theory. Concrete on the other hand, is physical, tangible. 

Hodges' model can cover paper with lines, two of them ideally. The model can then be applied in practice.

There is then an interplay between abstract and concrete; between which data, information and knowledge flows, uncertainty reduced. Scope and scale become clearer once assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation are concurrent.

This applies to all lines, if they are not destined to be covered in sand.

My source:  
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled, FTWeekend: 
https://ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-line/
 
See also: 'design' : 'architecture' : 'line'

Saturday, July 25, 2026

vi WCCS26: World Conference on Complex Systems 20-22nd April

April and WCCS26 seems an age ago, but the motivational impetus provided by this experience has been ongoing.

Luis Comolli - Best Paper Award 
for Emergence in Designed Agroecosystems:
Collective Dynamics in a Perennial Multi-Species 
Agroforestry Network

At the closing ceremony there was an award for the best paper which was awarded to Luis Comolli for:

Emergence in Designed Agroecosystems: 
Collective Dynamics in a Perennial Multi-Species Agroforestry Network

Sat by Luis, I offered to take his photo to which he agreed - so better late than never! And: Well done Luis!

My presentation on the 21st April was part of:

Parallel Session 2
Track 1 - Agent-Based and Social Complexity
Session chair: Helena Knyazeva

    ▪ Peter Jones
Presenting a Universal and Simple Conceptual Workbench to Situate and Encompass Complexity

    ▪ Nisrine Jarmoune and Bouchra Lebzar
The Ontology of Behavior: Formalizing the Institutional Project as a Complex System
    
    ▪ Lionel Scotto d’Apollonia, Florian Charvolin, Lise Verlaet, Deborah Nourrit, Dominique Deveaux, Elisabeth Sénégas and Nourdine Bara
Participatory Action Research with and for Society: The Case of “Oasis of Fraternity”

▪ Harvey Spencer Sánchez-Restrepo, Jorge Louçã, Martha Belén Carmona-Soto and Sofialeticia Morales-Garza
Topological Patterns of Academic Success: Insights from Complex Network Analysis

To be clear there was a great deal in all the sessions (see below!). I noticed in Nisrine Jarmoune's presentation, however, more specific conceptual overlap in terms of the individual, collective - groups, behaviour and institutions, with reference to ontology and philosophy. Several mathematical concepts also arose and since April online discussion has proved very interesting. In the near future I hope to report on how ideas develop and may be taken further, both for Nisrine's PhD studies and my work on Hodges' model.

We are considering, especially with the options to participate available -

https://www.measuringbehavior.org/
'The next Measuring Behavior conference will take place from 28 to 30 April, 2027, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Düsseldorf is in a region with a high concentration of behavioral research across a variety of fields both in universities and industry. It is easy to reach by international trains and flights. It is a city combining innovative modern architecture with a historic city centre. The conference will take place in the Clayton Hotel, which is in the Little Tokyo region of Düsseldorf, with its distinctive Japanese flavor. We will be hosted by the Heinrich Heine Medical University and the location is within easy walking distance of the central station.'
https://www.measuringbehavior.org/call-for-symposia-mb2027-2/

Going back to the Monday, the closing Keynote Speaker: Abdelmajid Ibenrissoul 

Public Decision-Making and Complexity: What Rationality for Evaluation?

- provided fascinating insights and economic history:

Abdelmajid Ibenrissoul - Public Decision-Making and Complexity: What Rationality for Evaluation?

There remains much to follow up, seek understanding and see how this relates to Hodges' model.

More details to follow.

I have noticed the main website for WCCS appears to be unavailable? I will check.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Where is the Centeredness of Care?

In trying to see Hodges' model anew, which is quite a challenge after four decades; what of the model's structure?

It is easy to get carried away with mathematical terminology:

One line, add another, and they intersect, at a 90 degree right angle. So is centeredness to be found at the intersection point? 

If I'm tying myself up in knots well there's another possibility! 😉 

As a whole it appears the axes of the model are a manifold and not - in the center?

What do you think?


See also: 'What Is a Manifold?'

https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-a-manifold-20251103/

Saturday, June 20, 2026

ii Thoughts re. Ecosia's AI Chat 'answer'

The previous post has been updated, to the prompt is added:

 'Please provide sources and references.

[If you are new here, and too Hodges' model please see the bibliography in the sidebar.] 

A 'human' reading (still) makes me wonder if the 'answer' is what I want to hear (as a user)? Is it worrying that the first provides a 'Conclusion' the latest does not. The table is helpful as I believe that Hodges' model has a role across research (and political!) -isms through methodologies and methods. The model can also encompass ('eat'!) aspects of scale, or level.

The reply still gives me quadraphonic joy (if read out-loud). Not only are the domains recognised, but the LLM/agent ai takes the intrapersonal / interpersonal in its stride (from the blog?). Subjects related to each of the domains are given in brackets. 

There is of course a bias (several) in the prompt, as the care domains were never intended to be comparable. It is positive that each domain is seen as having its own specific scope and function. Over twenty years notes were started on a paper on Hodges' model and its role/function in helping to define 'scope of practice'. Significantly, in the UK the rise of associate positions across disciplines has provoked much debate, vitriol (on X and union and lobbying) and soul searching in certain professional groups. Given the increasing importance of the global health and social care workforce this trend is reflected globally. A situation set to be extended with uncertainties and tensions exacerbated by artificial intelligence in practice.

Before 'explaining' the asymmetries (in points 1-4) it seems the domains are complementary (for all their differences), and provide a holistic underpinning for the model as a whole (my reading).

1. Scope and Focus 

Interesting, how the science and sociology domains are described as broad. Perhaps I am underestimating the depth/density of sociology, after all folk theory is found there? Unfortunately, we can also add a myriad of conspiracy theories? Sociology can also lay claim to quite a few constructions of its own. Including aesthetics as a bridge to architecture and design(?).

On 'X', Hodges' model has been described negatively as inviting / fostering generalism. So, this is a bad thing? Is it not strange then that your Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Consultant doctors (all specialities) and students cross-curricula can all use Hodges' model? The fact that my own responses were never engaged has helped train my thought. Here the relevance of the model to students and continued professional development is made through generalizable knowledge.

The response to the political domain is supportive, acknowledging resource allocation and the distinction between individual and collective (see for example):

S. Bettiol, P. Jones, H. A. Onyedikachi, and W. G. Kernohan, (2026) Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model, Journal of Public Health Dentistry. 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.70034.  

I've seen tweets today regards IQ reductions in younger people. This is one reason for support of the top-left mental domain being designated as 'Intrapersonal – Interpersonal'. Our interpersonal skills and awareness are surely dependent upon our achieving a given level of inner mental life? Encouraging to see how subjectivity and objectivity is assigned too. Although, I think I'm in an echo chamber!

2. Epistemological Differences

In arguing for a model of health and social care that goes beyond:

  • medical model;
  • bio-medical model;
  • bio-psycho-social model.

Reading 1-2 from the perspective of the Intrapersonal – Interpersonal domain you see how limiting this is, if an individual in a mental health/illness/mental capacity context can only point to sciences and sociological domains. Indeed, they may be relying guardians and advocates as they are unable to does this and raise the political matter of their rights. Without the POLITICAL domain (or as a result of it - neglect, structural racism) there is no law enshrining independent advocacy...

3. Practical Application in Care

To care is to act. Think about triage and emergency response.

Now in the 21st century 'care' must include self-care, health and social care, and (delayed or not you decide?) planetary care.

This necessitates a change of mindset at an individual and collective level. Consider the literacies that (again) young people must master to be effective, productive and happy citizens tomorrow?

So the following is a gift (in my eyes): 

"This means the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain is not just another 'content area' but a lens through which all other domains are experienced and integrated."

4. Hierarchy of Integration

'While the domains are conceptually equal in Hodges’ model' ..

This is interesting in itself.

[There does seem a emphasis upon the Intrapersonal – Interpersonal domain in this answer?]

This is quite a step, as the idea of a nexus and integration are picked up; and pointing to what are the determinants of health:

'For example:

  • A scientific understanding of depression (e.g., serotonin levels) must be interpreted through the intrapersonal experience of the individual.
  • A sociological analysis of healthcare disparities must be understood through the political structures that enable or inhibit change.
  • A political decision about resource allocation must be filtered through intrapersonal values and priorities.'

I'm pleased I did this, as long as I'm not being trapped in an epistemological cocoon: otherwise known as a circle. Apart from a few occasions, I have not used AI/LLMs, perhaps it is time to explore more? I'd like to preserve my naivety, especially were maths is concerned. I'm not sure of what baggage I may pick up and lack the knowledge to interpret?

Previous post:  https://hodges-model.blogspot.com/2026/06/h2cm-domains-symmetry.html

Friday, June 19, 2026

[Updated] AI Chat: Are the domains of Hodges' model comparable?

In drafting a future post: 'The Sciences: points, lines, angles and perspectives on domains', I thought I would ask Ecosia's AI Chat a related question, here is the (quick) prompt and reply:

PROMPT: 
In Hodges' model there are four care, or knowledge domains. The four domains are the sciences, sociology, political, and intrapersonal – interpersonal domain. In terms of potential content are these domains comparable, or is there an essential asymmetry? Please provide sources and references.

(I have saved the prompt for future reference and refinement.)

RESPONSE: [updated 21st June 2026]


Hodges’ model (also known as the Health Career Model or h2cm) is a conceptual framework that organizes knowledge and care into four quadrants, each representing a distinct domain of human experience and knowledge. These domains are:

  1. Sciences (empirical, biological, and physical sciences)
  2. Sociology (social structures, relationships, and community)
  3. Political (power, policy, governance, and resource allocation)
  4. Intrapersonal – Interpersonal (psychological, emotional, and relational aspects of the self and others)

Are the Four Domains Comparable or Asymmetrical?

The four domains in Hodges’ model are not strictly symmetrical in terms of their content, scope, or application. While they are presented as equal in structure (each occupying one quadrant of the model), their potential content, theoretical foundations, and practical implications can vary significantly. Here’s why:

1. Differences in Scope and Focus

  • Sciences (Quadrant 1):
    This quadrant focuses on empirical, measurable, and biological aspects of health and care, such as anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Its content is often highly specialized, technical, and evidence-based, rooted in natural sciences like biology and chemistry.

    • Example: The role of hormones in stress response or the pathophysiology of diabetes.
  • Sociology (Quadrant 2):
    This quadrant addresses social structures, culture, and community dynamics. Its content is broader and more interpretive, drawing from sociology, anthropology, and social psychology.

    • Example: The impact of socioeconomic status on health outcomes or the role of family support in recovery.
  • Political (Quadrant 3):
    This quadrant examines power, policy, governance, and resource distribution. Its content is highly contextual and often contested, influenced by political science, economics, and public policy.

    • Example: The effect of healthcare policies on access to services or the role of advocacy in shaping health priorities.
  • Intrapersonal – Interpersonal (Quadrant 4):
    This quadrant focuses on individual psychology, emotions, and relationships. Its content is highly subjective and variable, drawing from psychology, psychotherapy, and ethics.

    • Example: A patient’s personal beliefs about illness or the dynamics of a therapeutic relationship.

2. Differences in Methodology

  • Sciences and Political domains often rely on quantitative methods (e.g., experiments, statistical analysis, policy evaluations).
  • Sociology and Intrapersonal domains frequently use qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, case studies, ethnography).
  • This methodological diversity can create asymmetry in how knowledge is generated, validated, and applied.

3. Differences in Practical Application

  • Sciences and Political domains  are often system-level and influence macro-level decisions (e.g., clinical guidelines, healthcare policies).
  • Sociology and Intrapersonal domains are more individual- or community-level, focusing on personalized care, cultural competence, and therapeutic relationships.
  • This can lead to asymmetry in impact, where some domains (e.g., Political) shape broad systems, while others (e.g., Intrapersonal) focus on direct human experience.

4. Theoretical Foundations

  • The Sciences and Political domains are grounded in positivist and structuralist theories, emphasizing objectivity and external reality.
  • The Sociology and Intrapersonal domains are influenced by interpretivist and constructivist theories, emphasizing subjectivity and lived experience.
  • This theoretical diversity can create asymmetry in how knowledge is perceived and valued in different contexts.

Is There an Essential Asymmetry?

Yes, there is an essential asymmetry in the potential content of the four domains. While the model presents them as equal in structure, their content, methods, applications, and theoretical foundations are not interchangeable. The domains complement each other but serve different purposes in understanding and delivering care.

Sources and References

  1. Conceptual Overview of Hodges’ Model:

  2. Theoretical Foundations:

  3. Discussions on Asymmetry and Complementarity:

Summary Table: Asymmetry in Hodges’ Model Domains

DomainContent FocusMethodologyTheoretical FoundationLevel of Application
SciencesBiological, empirical dataQuantitativePositivistMacro (systems, clinical)
SociologySocial structures, communityQualitative/QuantitativeInterpretivist, StructuralistMeso (groups, communities)
PoliticalPower, policy, governanceQuantitative/QualitativeStructuralist, Critical TheoryMacro (systems, policy)
Intrapersonal-InterpersonalPsychology, emotions, relationshipsQualitativeConstructivist, HumanisticMicro (individual, relational)

PROMPT: 
In Hodges' model there are four care, or knowledge domains. The four domains are the sciences, sociology, political, and intrapersonal – interpersonal domain. In terms of potential content are these domains comparable, or is there an essential asymmetry?

 

In Hodges’ model, the four care (or knowledge) domains are:

  1. Sciences (biological, physiological)
  2. Sociology (social, cultural, environmental)
  3. Political (legal, policy, organizational)
  4. Intrapersonal – Interpersonal (psychological, emotional, relational)

These domains are not strictly comparable in terms of content, scope, or function. Instead, they represent complementary perspectives that together form a holistic framework for understanding human health, well-being, and care. Here’s why there is an essential asymmetry between them:

1. Scope and Focus

  • Sciences and Sociology are broad, well-established academic disciplines with extensive theoretical and empirical foundations. They provide generalizable knowledge about biological processes and social systems.
  • Political is more narrowly focused on power structures, governance, and resource allocation. While critical for systemic change, it is less about individual experience and more about collective frameworks.
  • Intrapersonal – Interpersonal is deeply personal and subjective, focusing on individual psychology, emotions, and relationships. It is less about universal laws and more about unique, context-dependent experiences.

This makes the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain inherently asymmetrical compared to the others, as it deals with subjectivity and variability rather than objective or structural phenomena.

2. Epistemological Differences

  • Sciences, Sociology, and Political domains rely on external observation, measurement, and analysis. They are rooted in positivist or structuralist traditions, where knowledge is often generalized.
  • Intrapersonal – Interpersonal is rooted in interpretivist and phenomenological traditions, where knowledge is co-created through subjective experience and dialogue. It resists universal generalization.

This creates a fundamental asymmetry in how knowledge is produced and validated across the domains.

3. Practical Application in Care

  • The Sciences, Sociology, and Political domains provide frameworks for action (e.g., medical treatments, social policies, legal rights). They are instrumental in shaping systems and interventions.
  • The Intrapersonal – Interpersonal domain is transformative—it shapes how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to care. It is the domain where meaning is made and agency is exercised.

This means the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain is not just another “content area” but a lens through which all other domains are experienced and integrated.

4. Hierarchy of Integration

While the domains are conceptually equal in Hodges’ model, in practice, the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain often acts as the nexus where the other domains intersect. For example:

  • A scientific understanding of depression (e.g., serotonin levels) must be interpreted through the intrapersonal experience of the individual.
  • A sociological analysis of healthcare disparities must be understood through the political structures that enable or inhibit change.
  • A political decision about resource allocation must be filtered through intrapersonal values and priorities.

This integrative role makes the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain asymmetrical in function, even if not in formal status.

Conclusion: Essential Asymmetry

The four domains are not comparable in content or function. Instead:

  • The Sciences, Sociology, and Political domains provide structural and systemic knowledge.
  • The Intrapersonal – Interpersonal domain provides subjective and relational knowledge, which is essential for meaning-making and agency.

The asymmetry arises from the epistemological and practical differences between objective/systemic knowledge and subjective/experiential knowledge. Hodges’ model emphasizes that all domains are necessary, but they operate in fundamentally different ways.