Transcript School Phobia - Purdue University

Self-Awareness of Thought
COGNITIVE TECHNIQUES
Self-Awareness of Thought--the
Cognitive Self
Self-Concept
a. what is it? differentiation
b. how do we improve it
c. what are goals for it
d. how to encourage child to set
reasonable goals
Components:
Self-perception shows itself in different
domains including:
–
–
–
–
–
scholastic competence,
social acceptance,
athletic competence,
physical appearance, and
behavioral conduct.
Background: Self-Talk
self-verbalization = private
speech
 w/ a self-regulatory
function
 directed at the self
– to ourselves about
ourselves
– to others about ourselves
Schunk (1986)
Negative Self-Talk
Everyone engages in some negative self-talk
 Healthy internal dialogue is characterized by a balance
of 60% positive to 40% negative thought.
 Depressed mood = the presence of negative and the
absence of positive thoughts.
– Missel & Sommer (1983)
• Depressed clients
– less positive and more negative self-verbalizations than nondepressed
clients in imagined situations with both negative and positive
outcomes.
Application to EBD and LD

Negative thought becomes selffulfilling
– encourages feelings of anger, anxiety or
pessimism.
– feelings color what we say to ourselves
next - starting us on a downwards spiral.
– “the value you place on your head is the
price people are willing to pay”
• example thinking "I'm ugly. Nobody likes me".
• other students will avoid them because of their
negative prediction.
Empirical Background: Self-Talk
Cognitive-behavioral packages w/ selftalk more than b. mod. increase
student's reported self-concept-measured by the Piers-Harris.
(Kendall & Braswell, 1982)

Muscle strength - Resisting a
downward pull of the arm while
making positive or negative selfstatements
Hulnick & Hulnick (1989)
Empirical Background: Self-Talk


60% of intercollegiate wrestling coaches and 58%
of national Olympic and Pan American coaches
surveyed encourage positive self-talk to increase
self-efficacy and improve performance.
3rd most frequently used of 13 strategies ranking
only after instruction, drill, and modeling of
confidence by the coach. (Gould, Hodge, Peterson, &
Giannini,1989)
Empirical Background: Self-Talk
Increase of positive produced greater
pain tolerance (length of time college
women would keep their hand immersed
in ice water). Shumate & Worthington (1987)
 Negative self-evaluative statements
more than neutral statements:

• produced greater arousal--characterized
by higher heart and respiratory rates-similar to an anxiety state Schuele & Wiesenfeld
( 1983)
Empirical Background: Self-Talk

Meta-analysis 22 studies with a variety of
strategies including self-talk appeared to result in
lasting, socially significant changes in behavior.
Effect size .74.
– Improved:
• behavior, reduced impulsivity, and attention
• anger control
• effectiveness of behavior management and social skills
training
– Reduced
• emotional distress, anxiety, depression, & suicide
Grossman & Hughes (1992)
Assessment


Interview - self-report: “Think Aloud Techniques”
"Say aloud everything that goes through your head,
anything you feel and think regardless of how
unimportant it may seem to you."
Video Reconstruction Method - Videotape a person
from the side so they cannot read their own lips
when viewing. Play it back without sound. Ask the
person to recall and verbalize what they thought, felt
and said to themselves.
Assessment

Make your own incomplete sentences to focus
attention to strengths and interests:

(ADD 4 INCOMPLETE SENTENCES TO THIS LIST)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. My friends like me because .....
2. What is your best sport?
3. What physical feature are you most proud of?
4. In what school subject do you feel most confident?
5. My grandma likes be because I'm ........
6. I'm really good at .....
Younger students or those with very low self-esteem may need
more guidance.
Assessment

Pictures - Fill in the missing
bubbles.
– "What is this person saying to
themself?" Can be written or
verbal. "Make up a story about
this person”
 WHAT ARE SOME SELFSTATEMENTS YOU, YOURSELF
MAKE? LIST THESE.
WORK SPORTS
BODY FRIENDS
Components of
Positive Self-Talk Training
1. Point out negative self-talk and then
positive statements that will become
part of the student's coping skills.
– Positive thoughts can push out negative
ones.
– Fill the mind with positive builders like,
"I am capable, I am a leader, I am fit"
(Weaver & Cotrell, 1985).
Components of
Positive Self-Talk Training
2. Specific statements improve specific
tasks; general statement improve
performance on general tasks (Grossman
Hughes, 1992).
3. More effective w/ children over 13.
4. Beneficial for typically deficient
performers (e.g.., mentally retarded,
learning disabled, impulsive) (Shunk, 1986).
Application Self-Concept Rx
– Joe will formulate a list of at least 16 positive self-statements
(2 each) representing his physical, emotional, social,
intellectual, spiritual, and familial self. .
– Joe will identify 5 of his personal strengths and qualities and
share these through art work.
– Joe will identify one personal achievement per day for 5
consecutive days.
– Joe will compile a list of 100 of his life accomplishments.
– Joe will develop a pride folder of his academic successes
adding 3 items each week for 6 weeks.
– When beginning a new task, Joe will use positive self-talk on
three occasions.
Positive Self-Talk Training

Affiliation
– + Most people like me.
– - There's never anyone to play with. I'm
always left out.

Mission
– + Yesterday I got 15 spelling words right
and tomorrow I'm going to go for 17.
– - I don't have any control over my life so
why should I bother.
Examples of
Positive Self-Talk Training
A. Self-instruction training (fading
from overt to covert)
 Meichenbaum and Goodman (1971)

– 1. Model-experimenter performed task
talking aloud while subject watched
– 2. Student performed task
•
•
•
•
while E instructed aloud
while instructing himself aloud
whispering to himself
without lip movement (silent speech)
Sum: Positive Self-Talk improves:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
behavior & response to skill training
pain resistance
motor strength: sports performance
affect
self-concept
Decreased emotional distress, suicide
PROBLEM SOLVING Cognitive
Training
Rules of Engagement
No criticism allowed for ideas
 Move beyond ideas already offered
 Emphasis on:

– skills, such as active listening, effective
communicating, and perspective taking
Problem Solving Stages
(1) Problem Recognition:
– (a) recognize a challenge or dilemma exists
– (b) that it’s an opportunity for growth and
not a threat
– (c) that it is solvable
Application Example

Problem Recognition:
– Albert is the victim of a bully.
• The bully corners him in the bathroom,
destroying his school materials and
often making him late for class.
• Sometimes the bully makes fun of Albert
in front of other kids.
– Albert’s goal is not to be embarrassed or
harrassed anymore.
Problem Solving
(2) Solution Generation = Brainstorming:
– identifying a number of different
possible alternative solutions
– without prematurely dismissing any
option
Application Example

Solution Generation:
– Albert brainstorms the following solutions:
• (1) Makes sure he is not in the same
place as the bully unless there is an adult
around,
• (2) Laughs or ignores the bully’s
behavior,
• (3) Moves to a new school,
• (4) Talks to the bully directly about the
behavior,
• (5) Fights back
Problem Solving
(3) Decision Making = Selecting a Plan to Enact
– using information generated at the
preceding stages
– to make a decision about which
alternative(s) to try using these criteria:
• (a) problem resolution,
• (b) emotional well-being,
• (c) amount of time and effort required, and
• (d) overall personal-social well being
Application Example


Decision Making: Albert:
– (1) makes sure he’s not in the same place as bully
• [it is possible to take a restroom break at a
different time than bully; the bus stop is another
story]
– (2) laughing or ignoring bully may get him in worse
trouble
– (3) moving to a new school is not in his control
– (4) could try talking to bully directly; hey, maybe a
mediator could help!
– (5) fighting back is bound to make matters worse for
him, while it might earn respect of bully
Albert decides to try an adult mediator first.
Components of Problem Solving
(4) Reviewing the Outcome = see if the desired
outcome was achieved or if another
alternative should be enacted
Repetition of the process until individual
learns to apply entire process independently
Application Example

Reviewing the Outcome:
– Albert, the bully and adult mediator have
agree to meet in one week to see how
things have gone; or
– Albert, alone, meets with the adult to
evaluate the solution. At this point new
issues may develop such as Albert’s true
desire to be the bully’s friend.
Problem Solving Setting =
CONFLICT

1. CAN HAVE GOOD
OR POOR OUTCOMES
– DEPENDS ON TYPE OF
CONTEXT
(COMPETITIVE OR
COOPERATIVE)

2. NECESSARY FOR
LEARNING
COOPERATION
Quic kT ime™ and a
Video decompres sor
are needed to s ee this pi cture.
A WORD ABOUT CONFLICT

A “problem” is defined as a goal and a
relationship
– 1. about reaching one’s goals
– 2. about maintaining an appropriate relationship with the
other person


Degree of importance to each determines
strategies used
THE KEY = Individual’s ability to diagnose
importance of goals and relationships

WHEN GOAL AND RELATIONSHIP EQUALLY
IMPORTANT: negotiation ensures both parties fully
achieve goals and tensions resolved

BOTH MODERATELY IMPORTANT AND BOTH CAN’T GET
WHAT THEY WANT: compromise by both sacrificing

GOAL NOT IMPORTANT, BUT RELATIONSHIP REALLY IS:
smoothing; one or both give up goal

NEITHER GOAL NOR RELATIONSHIP
IMPORTANT: withdraw; one or both give up
both goal and avoid relationship

GOAL IMPORTANT, RELATIONSHIP NOT:
force or win-lose outcome
STEPS OF NEGOTIATION
*Teaching Students to Be Peacemakers Program
1.
2.
3.
4.
State what you want
State how you feel
State the reasons underlying your wants and feelings
State your understanding of the other’s want, feelings
and reasons
5. State 3 potential agreements that will maximize joint gain,
and which one you would agree to
6. Formalize the agreement process
Problem-Solving and Ellis’s A-B-C Model
of Maladaptive Arousal

A

B

C

refers to a real life event
or antecedent
refers to the thoughts
that might ensue
refers to the
emotional/behavioral
consequences
Individuals are likely to
attribute C to A, instead of
true cause B (perceptions of
event)
QuickTime™ and a
Video decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Distortions of Thought
1.
2.
Delusional and Jumping To
Conclusions (JTC)--grandiosity
Bias of perception based on
experience (failure, rejection,
hostility)
Examples of Irrational Ideas
(Ellis, RET)
1.
That it’s necessary for the individual to be loved
or approved of by every other person
2.
That one should be thoroughly competent,
adequate, and achieving in all possible respects
3.
That certain people are bad, wicked, or villainous
and should be severely blamed and punished for
this
Examples: Irrational Ideas
4. That it’s awful and catastrophic when things are
not the way one wants them to be
5. That human unhappiness is externally caused
and people have little or no ability to control
their sorrows and disturbance
6. That if something is or may be dangerous or
fearsome, one should be concerned and dwell
on the possibility of its occurrence
Examples: Irrational Ideas
7. That it is easier to avoid than face certain life
difficulties and self-responsibilities
8. That one should be dependent on others and
need someone stronger on whom to rely
9. That one’s past history is an all-important
determiner of one’s present behavior
10. That there is invariably a right, precise, and
perfect solution to problems
Rational Emotive Therapy
Overall Treatment involves:
(1) Identify person’s past and present illogical
thinking and self-defeating remarks, OR
IRRATIONAL IDEA
 (2) Show how these irrational ideas cause and
maintain the disturbance,


(3) Identify logical links in internalized sentences,
and

(4) Teach how to rethink and reverbalize these
internalized thoughts
Application: RET
IDENTIFY
(1) the Problem
(My mom and I don’t get along.)
(2) the Antecedent
(My mom and I fight about my schoolwork.)
(3) the Consequence (negative thought- a feeling)
(I get angry. I feel like I hate her!)
(4) the Connected Belief (“I don’t do well at school anyhow,
so what does it matter if I do my homework or not? If I
can’t be perfect, why bother?)
Application: Steps
(5) Dispute the Negative Thought by Analyzing
its Validity Based on Logic or Evidence
(Am I really a failure at all schoolwork, or just
some of it? Do I think schoolwork should be
easy the first time around? Who says I have to
be perfect at everything? Is everyone perfect?)
(6) Rebuild/Restructure Thought Processes by
Identifying Alternative, Incompatible, But
Realistic Thoughts
(Maybe I’ll never be perfect at this particular
subject, but I can improve with a little work.)