Integrated family systems

Integrative approach in psychology

What does the concept of "integrative approach in psychology" mean? The fact is that the human psyche is a complex multicomponent system, therefore, when working with a patient, the psychotherapist develops and solves an individual task intended only for this particular case.

Human personality is an external manifestation of deep mental processes. The mental health of any person is most fully manifested in the ability to integrate experience, to recognize and evaluate conflict situations. Insufficient possession of integration skills is a direct path to the formation of irrational reactions, and in extreme cases, to the development of symptoms of deviant behavior and other mental pathologies. nine0003

The methodology of psychosocial work, based on an integrative approach, uses a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques . All of them have a common point: the involvement of personal resources.

The integrative approach is an extremely old phenomenon in historical terms, but in Western psychological practice it is a fundamentally new direction for both professionals and people seeking psychological help.

Sigmund Freud

In the new millennium, directions that interpret the personality psyche as a complex system consisting of many levels and capable of self-regulation have acquired particular relevance. Sigmund Freud is rightfully considered the founder of such approaches, because it is he who owns the idea of ​​close co-dependence of all components of the psyche, as well as their interaction with the surrounding reality.

A great contribution to the development of the integrative method was made by the Swiss Carl Gustav Jung, who developed the principle of the structural nature of human consciousness and identified complexes and archetypes. nine0003

Carl Gustav Jung

Archetypes - symbols , reflecting the experienced personal or collective experience. They connect the consciousness of the individual with the total emotional experience of all people living on the planet. At the heart of the psyche, Jung put the so-called self - an archetype that unites the conscious with the unconscious and singles out individuality from the whole world around. As a result of the integration of complexes and archetypes, a person achieves "selfhood" (integrity), that is, he realizes his potentialities to the fullest extent possible. nine0003

Roberto Assagioli

Proponents of the integrative approach were famous psychologists: Italian Roberto Assagioli, Czech Stanislav Grof, American Ken Wilber. All of them worked on complex maps of the human psyche, including the transpersonal sphere and revealing the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious. Stanislav Grof was especially successful in this matter, having compiled the most complete model of the map of the unconscious. This work was the result of a scrupulous study of various phenomenal states of the psyche, which the scientist conducted for three decades. nine0003

The integrative approach method is based on the following principles:

1. Integrity.

The psyche is considered as an unusually complex system, which is characterized by multilevelness. This system is capable of self-organization and self-regulation, maintaining and restoring dynamic balance. It is also able to form new variants of the organization. The principle of integrity is well expressed in the famous medical axiom about the priority of treating the patient himself, and not his disease. nine0003

Alfred Adler - Austrian psychologist

Alfred Adler, a famous Austrian psychologist, proclaimed the importance of understanding each person as a whole integrated system. Adler's doctrine is based on such postulates as integrity, unity of individual life style, social behavior, purposefulness of actions.

From this it follows that the principle of integrity must be considered as a necessary condition for a complex internal process of development and transformation of the personality. nine0003

2. Genetics.

Our psyche has the ability to "choose" the priority directions of its development. This potential is inherent in people genetically.

As a rule, the choice is made at critical moments when the system is forced to determine the further path and follow in the given direction.

Practicing psychologists know that a person in a situation of choice needs help and support at the level of empathy. When the possibilities are identified and the person is ready to implement what was planned, the client continues to need support, because the system will now function in a new, unusual mode. nine0003

Taking into account the integrative approach, such a state of choice is the best way to promote the use of highly effective psychotechnologies used to immerse yourself in an altered state of consciousness.

3. Conditioning.

The human psyche is, in fact, a complex system of conscious and unconscious spheres. Conditionality as a principle presupposes the existence of not only direct cause-and-effect relationships of the external world, understandable to every sane person. There are also interdependent (causal) intrapsychic processes that are simultaneously connected with the outside world. nine0003

Being in depression , a person sees all events from the position of his negative state. This interpretation of events, which distorts the linear sphere, is a consequence of the state of the entire system. The level of distortion depends on the strength and brightness of emotional experiences.

Surprisingly, in reality, everyone has what he believes in (“rewarded” according to faith). Often this or that concept becomes effective not because of its scientific conditionality, but because of unconditional faith in it. That is why the sermons of a priest often bring a terminally ill person much more benefit than the work of a psychologist. nine0003

4. Positivity.

It implies the concentration of the specialist and the client on a positive experience. At the first stage of work, it is necessary to find positive aspects in the patient's condition. Thus, a person gets the opportunity to consider what is happening to him "from another bell tower."

Note that we are not talking about constant encouragement and reassurance. Rather, the principle of active empathy takes place here: the psychologist clearly limits the scope of his capabilities in connection with the state of a particular client and proceeds from this in his work. nine0003

Positivity involves a number of stages in interaction with the patient:

- the process of reflection of the state: the client is aware of his problem and the factors that influenced it;

- emotional connection of the psychologist to the problem of the client, "scrolling" the situation by the specialist in his mind and getting used to it; establishing a "feedback" between the specialist and the client;

- formulating the goal of joint psychosocial work, explaining to the patient his own vision of the problem, voicing his concept, justifying the chosen techniques; nine0003

- assistance to the client in the integration of new personal experience: direction to the understanding of experiences and assessment of the opportunities that open up, as well as the daily constructive use of these opportunities;

- organization of observation of the client's social behavior and provision of support after completion of the course of psychosocial work.

The value of the principle of positivity is that connecting a person to a positive emotional state guarantees an “infusion” into him of the energy necessary to use his creative potential, acquire self-regulation skills, and open up opportunities for manifesting himself in society. nine0003

The patient, who has learned the principle of positivity, begins to understand that suffering is not a necessary condition for a productive life that meets needs and opportunities.

5. Correlation.

This principle implies a correspondence between:

• type and intensity of applied techniques;

• the degree of emotional maturity and the level of sensitivity of the client's psyche. nine0043

Based on the principle of correlation, determine a number of conditions necessary for the organization and conduct of the course:

- the theoretical preparedness of a specialist to conduct psychosocial work, the availability of practical experience, the ability to effectively influence the psychophysical state of the client; the specialist must first test all the techniques on himself;

- a sense of proportion in the use of potent psychotechnics: exceeding a reasonable maximum leads to an increase in resistance on the part of the client, a decrease in the level of his adaptation. At the same time, underestimation of the degree of intensity of psychological impact, unjustified "cutting" or simplification of the course deprives the patient of the possibility of a profound transformation of personal experience. nine0003

As a result, the efficiency of all work is reduced to nothing. Do not forget: there are no universal techniques that can help in any situation, but the main thing is that the specialist embodies harmony, integrity, empathy and love;

- the patient must understand the essence and meaning of the work carried out with him and internally accept it. For example, if the client is a convinced materialist, you should not offer him idealistic concepts about the existence of the soul and engage in practices related to reincarnation (past earthly "incarnations"). nine0003

Even if the specialist himself is sure that the root of the client's current problems lies precisely in his "previous lives", such work will not give any effect. If the patient is a pronounced asthenic and is in a helpless depressive state, potent empirical methods are contraindicated for him if they are used without prior thorough preparation;

- the tasks that the specialist sets for himself should not contradict the goals of the client. If the client's problem is simple enough, it should be solved exactly that, without offering to delve into the "wilds". nine0003

6. Potentiality.

To understand the essence of the principle of potentiality, we give the following example. The mentality of Russian people has a peculiarity: space is perceived and experienced by them as an infinite expanse, liberation from bondage, free breathing, in other words, a full-fledged, unrestricted spiritual life.

The principle can be effectively used to mobilize a person's internal resources. Such mobilization contributes to overcoming the crisis, overcoming feelings of fear , anxiety and despair resulting from the lack of adequate support from others and the inability to support oneself.

Any person is potentially capable of self-development, therefore it is in our power to achieve a state of integrity and inner freedom.

The resource of potentiality can be used at various levels: it is not always the highest spiritual level. The ways of revealing potentiality also differ from each other. nine0003

Psychosocial interaction involves the following forms of potentiality disclosure:

• acquaintance with the structure of different aspects of one's own personality, revealing one's abilities, characteristics, qualities, etc.;

• awareness of one's abilities both spiritually and materially and socially;

• correlation with the main elements of one's own "I", identification of similarities and differences; nine0043

• the most complete disclosure of one's inner potential, resource;

• strengthening of the main directions and characteristics of personality, especially dynamic balance and conative function;

• acquisition of skills to control the elements of the structure of one's own personality, that is, one's "I", refusal to fully identify oneself with them;

• development of creative potential, achievement of high levels of mental state of consciousness, determination of the meaning of existence. nine0043

The main goal of the principle of potentiality is to reveal effective directions for further development, interaction with society.

7. Multidimensionality of truth.

There are no universal theories, doctrines and concepts applicable to absolutely any life situations. All of them are valid only under certain conditions and have only a certain degree of probability. Even the most famous psychological theories are, first of all, the desire to concentrate and voice their own psychological experience. Preachers of banal concepts about the reality of the "evil eye" and "damage" do exactly the same. nine0003

8. All known psychotherapeutic systems are based on the principle of integration, unity and harmonization of internal capabilities and abilities, conscious or unconscious. The integrative approach is based on the postulate that the resources of the psyche of each person are much richer than the potential that is used in everyday life.

Traditional psychological practices use a verbal dialogue, so a global correction of the psyche, which helps to get rid of deep internal conflicts, is unthinkable without long, scrupulous psychotherapeutic work. nine0036 Duration of psychotherapy .

Representatives of orthodox schools cannot even explain the rapid (sometimes within a few days or even hours) profound changes in the structure of the personality. They are unable to perceive that transformation is possible without strict adherence to the chosen theory and technique, and that trust in everything that happens in the process of integration sometimes works much more effectively. But this is quite real, because in the process of communication between the client and the psychologist , using an integrative approach, there is a self-disclosure of the personality and knowledge of its own capabilities. Followers of traditional schools strive to use universal recipes and scenarios.

The integrative approach takes into account, first of all, the ability of the human psyche to change and improve. The patient in the process of interacting with a psychologist realizes that he is able to help himself. An integrative approach can be compared to a flashlight beam that suddenly illuminates a certain part of the space. Someone is able to see the situation in the light of this beam with maximum clarity, while for someone its light seems dim or scattered. It all depends on the will of the person and his ability to concentrate. nine0003

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