On pattern recognition

One of my passions is making categories (that's why I think I’m always busy doing some sort of research). Recently I bought a great book on pattern recognition: 'Behaviour patterns of people and organisations' (Gedragspatronen van mensen en organisaties) by Rudy Vandamme. In his book he describes the origin of patterns in different disciplines (such as construction, IT, anthropology, etc…) and categorises different patterns (patterns based on repetition, patterns based on connection and patterns based on coherence) offering concrete tips on the process of recognising and changing patterns.
Some years ago, being busy with my Master-thesis, I was very much inspired by the guidelines Merriam (1988) set for qualitative research, especially those she gave for identifying patterns in data sets. Later on, when reading Glaser and Strauss's ideas (1976) on grounded theory, my passion developed further. The way these authors describe the process of categorisation, in plain terms, struck me. Merriam (1988: 134) writes about categorisation as if it were cooking:

1. Select the first card from the pile, read it, and note its contents. This first card represents the first entry in the first yet-to-be-named category. Place it to one side.
2. Select the second card, read it and note its contents. Make a determination on tacit or intuitive grounds whether this second card is a "look-alike" with Card 1, that is, whether its contents are "essentially" similar. If so, place the second card with the first and proceed to the third card; if not, the second card represents the first entry in the second yet-to-be-named category.
3. Continue on with successive cards.
4. After some cards have been processed the analyst may feel that a new card neither fits any of the provisionally established categories nor seems to form a new category. Other cards may now also be recognised as possibly irrelevant to the developing set. These cards should be placed into a miscellaneous pile and they should be retained for later review.

The book Rudy Vandamme has written is completely different from the abovementioned books but for me really contributes to my love of patterns. His text is not about tracing patterns in a pile of data, rather his book is about recognising patterns in real life, whether while talking to people or while visiting organisations. For him working with patterns is not something you would do alone. To him it occurs as something you would typically do during social interactions, as one speaks with people, and calling on all the five senses. Where Merriam describes the need to determine whether cards are "look-alike's" or "feel-alike's", Vandamme describes how exactly this works and what one could do within the interaction to become more sensitive and aware. He offers helpful questions and tips on how to confront people with a pattern you've seen and that you want to investigate.
Some tips Vandamme gives for summarising:

• Be careful with anecdotal details. These can be very important or conversely, not important at all . You don't know that at the outset..
• Bring in structure. When you repeat, do it in a structured way. Enumerate either the distinguishing marks of the example or sum up the sequence . The structure you add here will help in later stages in making a strong comparison.
• Give every example a name. Use a name that connects to the example content-wise.
• Make a mental image or film of the things the other person is telling you. This helps understand behaviour from the inside.
• Be careful with conclusions based on one or two examples. Stay with the facts, even when you've made a hypothesis about the similarity of the examples.
• Check with the other partner to verify that your summary has been well-done, letting him or her make corrections.

This book, with lots of concrete tips for recognising patterns, is not only instructive for researchers but for managers, coaches, therapists, teachers, consultants etc… as well.

References:
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1976). De ontwikkeling van gefundeerde theorie [the discovery of grounded theory; strategies for qualitative research, 1st printed 1967]. Alphen aan de Rijn: Samsom.
Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Vandamme, R. (2007). Gedragspatronen van personen en organisaties. Amsterdam: Prentice Hall.