The main similarity between using academic theory and getting feedback is that both can offer you a perspective that may be different from your own. We have already seen how additional perspectives can be valuable in rounding out the understanding that you have about yourself. One possible big advantage with academic theory is that this additional perspective can come from someone who has become recognised as an expert or authority. Drawing on theory opens up the possibility of building on the ideas that have been worked on for many years. The work of Peter Jarvis, which was touched on in Section 2, is a good example of this. Often academic writers, like Jarvis, try to develop frameworks. These frameworks can sometimes help us to organise or structure information or ideas so that we are able to make more sense of them.
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