Predictive Processing: A Common Mechanism for Learning in Coaching Practice

Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal Volume 10, Issue 1, May 2025, 51-65.

https://philosophyofcoaching.org/v10i1/05.pdf

Abstract: Coaching is a well-established practice. Yet given the many different approaches bearing the label coaching, all claiming to be at least as effective as the others, scholars and practitioners are left struggling to come up with a common conceptual framework. Here I propose that coaching approaches are united by a single learning mechanism to which we are all subject. Predictive Processing (PP) is an emerging theory of brain functioning which explains how humans learn by making and correcting ‘prediction errors.’ Since all coaching involves learning, working with this mechanism, whether explicitly or implicitly, is a key element in how coaching helps clients to achieve their aims. By expanding the common ground for dialogue between followers of different traditions, I hope it can contribute to the development of a more coherent theoretical foundation for coaching. By explaining the principles of PP and how they are reflected in models of learning and coaching practice, I also hope to show how they can help refine and deepen practitioners’ understanding of how coaching works.