Why Is Change Hard?

Abstract

This book chapter will first introduce theories in social and cognitive psychology to describe the process of change. The social intuitionist model (Haidt, 2001) is applied to illustrate how communication operates in human function. When confronted by the need to change, individuals respond first from intuition, and only after our response do, we acquire rational justification. Additionally, this chapter provides explanations of traumatic brain functions from the neuroscience perspective. Practitioners have to recognize both the intuitive and deliberative process when working with individuals who experience trauma with physiological reactivity. This chapter also discusses strategies to reduce traumatic stress and restore the proper balance between the rational and emotional brain.