Related concepts in other disciplines are known as [[cognitive styles]] or thinking styles.
In NLP, the term ''programs'' is used as a synonym for ''strategy'', which are specific sequences of mental steps, mostly indicated by their representational activity (using [[Representational systems (NLP)|VAKOG]]), leading to a behavioral outcome. In the entry for the term ''strategy'' in their Encyclopediaencyclopedia, [[Robert Dilts]] & Judith Delozier explicitly refer to the mind as computer metaphor:
"{{quote|A strategy is like a program in a computer. It tells you what to do with the information you are getting, and like a computer program, you can use the same strategy to process a lot of different kinds of information."}}
In their encyclopedia, Dilts and Delozier then define metaprograms as:
"{{quote|[programs] which guide and direct other thought processes. Specifically they define common or typical patterns in the strategies or thinking styles of a particular individual, group or culture."}}
The book ''Words that Change Minds'' by Shelle Rose Charvet documents 13 distinct meta-programsmetaprograms categories affecting work-placeworkplace motivation and performance, commonly known as the Language and Behaviour Profile or '(LAB) Profile'. It is based on the work of Rodger Bailey and Ross Steward who wanted to make meta-programsmetaprograms usable to people without NLP training.{{cn|date= September 2020}}
