A mentor learns by identifying with the teacher, lecturer, or subject author with the question, “How would I teach this material to learners?” He empathizes with the subject matter and quickly generates an intuitive understanding, which he then uses to self-critique, find errors, and close gaps in understanding. Reading and individual work (generate and clarify questions) as well as own sketches, diagrams and excursions (sensory + motor skills) are helpful.

Each basic need has a particular way of learning.

Learning is from the perspective of needing recognition: I like to read or tinker with something. When my computer doesn’t work, I look for errors and usually find them, otherwise I just do some research. In the forums there is always someone who knows something. The best way to find out is by critical comparison. Trying. Testing. Remember the best approach. Keep watching to see if someone finds something better. It’s good if I can read up on the content somewhere, like I used to. Otherwise, I jot down a few keywords for later. Then I look on the internet at home for more information and maybe critical comments about it.

For learning, the empathy need means: I like to make myself comfortable. I like to incorporate the content to be learned into my experienced or invented stories. Sometimes I use quiet, meditative music to relax. Suggestopedia uses similar ways, I think. In any case, my learning thus becomes an inner event in which all feelings participate. I leave it to my unconscious, that is, to the personality parts or dream instances, to internalize new knowledge. I go inwardly into a situation, experience what happens or could happen and intuitively find the answers. The easiest way for me to learn is through stories that I can make come alive within me.