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Section 2. Constructivism

Language, Natural Drift, and Therapeutic Practice

Pages 99-109
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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From the viewpoint of Maturana's structure determinism, life is a purposeless drift in which we use language to assign meanings. Although saying something does not automatically make it so, how we talk about ourselves and others affects the patterning of our lives, reshaping both our problems and our opportunities. Moreover, the specialized linguistic operation we call psychotherapy induces changes by shifting social allegiances and generating new reflective contexts. In this essay, the structure deterministic perspective is used as the basis for a reconsideration of concepts such as cause and effect, personal control, thought and emotion, narratives, psychopathology, rationality, explanations, and hypocrisy. Implications for the theoretician and practitioner are highlighted.

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Author information

Kerry P. Heffner

Jay S. Efran, Ph.D., is professor of psychology and director of the Psychological Services Center at Temple University, Philadelphia. He is co-author, with Michael D. Lukens and Robert J. Lukens, of Language, Structure, and Change: Frameworks of Meaning in Psychotherapy (Norton, 1990).
Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D., is assistant professor of counseling psychology at Boston College. He is a family therapist and studies issues of domestic violence. He can be reached at the Department of Counseling, Developmental Psychology, and Research Methods, Boston College, Campion Hall 313, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167, U.S.A.
Kerry P. Heffner, Ph.D., is assistant professor of psychology at the University of Indianapolis. He specializes in the treatment of problem drinking. He can be reached at the Department of Psychology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46227, U.S.A.