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Theoretical Developments

The “Q” Model©

Pages 48-62
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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The “Q” Model provides both the clinical and the organizational specialist with a continuum of personality theory ranging from well-being to pathology.

The “Q” Model Diagram is described and related to six frequently-identified personality types with their characteristic cognitive, affective and behavior patterns, giving the model immediate practical application in all fields of Human Relations.

The Diagram is structured as a bi-polar continuum, embodied in two ellipses, the Transforming Ellipse and the Alienation Ellipse. Both are seen as stemming from a central point which is identified as the “source” of the life energies. The functional definitions of the terms “Transforming” and “Alienation” are provided, and Transforming Processes are distinguished from Alienation Mechanisms. Also, the Dialectical Tension characteristic of the Transforming Ellipse is differentiated from the conflict inherent in the Alienation Ellipse.

The “Q” Model is useful as 1) a baseline for conceptualizing well-being; 2) a clinical instrument for diagnosing and treating pathology; 3) a developmental instrument for investigating the etiology of both pathology and well-being; 4) a diagram for integrating into a single diagram seemingly disparate psychological theories, including Freud, Erikson, Mahler and Piaget, the various schools of Transactional Analysis and the major Family System theories; and 5) a paradigm for suggesting future research in Human Relations.

Additional information

Author information

Edward Zerin

Edward Zerin, PhD, CM, lives in Westlake Village, California, where he is the Co-Director of the Westalke Center for Marital and Family Counseling and of Zerin and Zerin, a Human Relations Consulting Firm. Together with his wife, Dr. Marjory Zerin, he is the co-author of “Q”: The Effective Management of Personal Stress, Gardner Press, 1984.