A year or two ago I hit what felt like a very dead end point in life. I felt completely stuck and was confused on how to get out of that spot, so I sought some help. I tried some counseling and I’m so glad I did. While there, I learned a lot about the way I thought and processed life. One thing that really stuck out to me was what I learned about the three phases of life: ‘construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction.’

The first phase is ‘construction’. This is the phase we start at as kids, where we are shaped and molded. Since we all have different circumstances and experiences in our upbringings, we each form our own opinions and beliefs about life and how it should be. These beliefs provide order and structure to our world and make a complex world simple and easy to understand.

However, as time goes by, we see that not everything fits into our ‘perfect structure’. Sometimes what we’ve grown up believing is incorrect.

As a result, at various times throughout life we’re forced to ‘deconstruct.’ We tear down beliefs and ideas we have about our world and the life we live so that we can re-examine things.

After ‘deconstructing’ our world, we then go through the process of what’s called ‘reconstruction,’ where we use what was damaged or destroyed to rebuild something new.

Here are are the actual definitions for these terms according to the dictionary:

Construct:

To build or form by putting together parts; frame; devise.

Deconstruct:

To take apart or examine (something) in order to reveal the basis or composition often with the intention of exposing biases, flaws, or inconsistencies.

Reconstruct:

Build or form (something) again after it has been damaged or destroyed.