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Section 1. Clinical Applications

Personal Responsibility in Human Relationships: A Cognitive-Constructivist Approach

Pages 188-201
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
Translator disclaimer

This article addresses issues of personal responsibility in human relationships from a cognitive-constructivist point of view, a perspective that differs from the one articulated by Steiner (1996) in his work on emotional literacy. As described in his 1996 article and in personal communications, Steiner believes that in complex human interactions we are partially responsible for our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In contrast, the position of this author—a view consistent with Buddhist teaching and other philosophies—is that to be a cognitive-constructivist implies that we are wholly responsible for creating our world, including our emotional reactions to it. Arguments pro and con are presented.

Additional information

Author information

George J. Steinfeld

George Steinfeld received his B.A. from Brooklyn College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yeshiva University. He has worked in psychiatric hospitals and community clinics, directed a therapeutic community for drug addicts in a federal prison, and was director of clinical and family therapy training services for a children's day treatment program. He is proudest of his whistle-blowing at a mental hospital, which led to a patients’ bill of rights, and his initiating the first group for male batterers in his community. He is interested in integrating Eastern and Western theory and practice into a holistic model of treatment.