All human behavior is purposeful. Behaviors are not diseases. The diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, are more accurately read as a collection of descriptions of behaviors.
People choose, sometimes consciously and other times unwittingly, their behavior and their behavior always serves a purpose. It is much more interesting and helpful to inquire into one’s behavior and patterns to understand how it is goal-oriented. From this perspective, the change process becomes much more powerful and meaningful.
The therapist helps the client to cultivate a sense of curiosity, awareness, acceptance and growth. Behaviors that serve a person well can be maintained while those that are harmful to self or others can be discarded for new more adaptive ones.
This perspective of change has several important implications. First, an individual can only control or change himself. External control psychology is not only ineffective but manipulative and irresponsible. True change and growth comes from an internally motivated psychology.
Second , this theory of human behavior brings dignity, respect, freedom, responsibility and choice to the individual. Simply put, no matter who you are, where you’ve been and what is happening, you are ultimately responsible for your life including your thoughts, emotions, choices and behaviors. No more victimization, stigmatization or pathologization.
Thanks for reading this week's post to "Is It Just Me Or...?"
Best,
Rae
I would like a stronger definition of "purposeful"; it is one thing to say all action is purposeful but unless you know what is good or bad for purpose it could appear as an empty definition.
ReplyDeleteThere could be some purposeful action and some mental disease, errors, accidents and things that are beyond your control - parents, historical time we are born to, ethnicity, genetic makeup etc. Do you think we choose all this? I like the direct approach and the move away from victimhood, but let's not define everything as choice like Sartre!
I'm wondering about "purposeful" and "victimization". Aren't the purpose of actions often subconscious? Taking affection theory and childhood experiences into account - if a person has a dysfunctional childhood and subsequently makes dysfunctional choices in his life, he is generally unaware of the purpose of his actions. How is this person not a victim of circumstance?
ReplyDeleteI am asking in the spirit of curiosity.