Motivational and equipping functions of interpretation in counseling.

Abstract

This study tested the hypotheses that interpretations increase clients' motivation to change and that interpretations identifying causal factors clients can directly control lead to greater client change than interpretations identifying causes clients cannot directly control. Thirty-six students who were experiencing problems with procrastination were assigned to 1 of 12 conditions defined by three interview conditions and four interviewers. Students received two interviews 1 week apart. In one interpretation condition the interviewers worked from a casual framework of procrastination as caused by a lack of effort, poor self-discipline, and ambiguous goals. In the other interpretation condition the interviewers saw procrastination as a symptom of underlying conflicts and resentments stemming from unresolved conflict with parents. In the third condition the interviewers refrained from any statements of opinion but reflected the students' ideas about the nature and causes of their procrastination. The results generally supported the hypotheses.

Utilizing Social Influence in Career Counseling: A Case Study

“…The task any counselor faces when working from within a social influence framework is encouraging the client to attribute his or her difficulties to factors that are within their control. Research in this area has demonstrated that the counseling technique of interpretation is useful when encouraging clients to reattribute their difficulties (Claiborn, 1982;Claiborn, Ward, & Strong, 1981;Hoffman & Teglasi, 1982;Strong, Wambach, Lopez, & Cooper, 1978). Additional research has also demonstrated that clients are far more motivated about reattribution when they realize they have control over the factors to which they are making new attributions (Forsyth & Forsyth, 1982).…”

Interpreting change as controllable: The role of network centrality and self-efficacy

“…This in turn generates momentum for change, suggesting that interpretations of controllability are essential not only for individual performances during change, but also for the success of change efforts in general (Dutton and Duncan, 1987). By contrast, interpreting issues as uncontrollable is, according to Strong et al (1979), likely to stifle the resilience and resolve that is vital in allowing individuals to cope appropriately with change-induced uncertainty (Masten and Reed, 2002). Hence, individuals who perceive that a change is not controllable are more likely to disengage from the change process, and thus make effectuation less likely.…”

“…By contrast, a change viewed as uncontrollable is one in which those involved see little opportunity to effect. Interpretations of a lack of controllability often elicit negative or counterproductive behaviors such as procrastination, disengagement, or avoidance (Strong et al, 1979). This in turn can derail change enactment because it makes it unlikely that those involved will be willing to engage in the ongoing problem-solving that is necessary for successfully realizing change efforts (Hinings and Greenwood, 1988;Kotter, 1996).…”

Social influence research in counseling: A review and critique.

“…The first session with a client may be unique and therefore unrepresentative of subsequent working sessions. In interpretation research, for example, subjects' responses to interpretations in the second session differ markedly from their responses in the first (e.g., Strong, Wambach, Lopez, & Cooper, 1979). Research designs in counseling must be sensitive to the variable effects of stimuli over time, because variability is a basic feature of the counseling process.…”