Introduction: Special Issue on Positive Psychology and Adult Development |
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Authors: | Jan D Sinnott |
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Institution: | (1) Psychology Department, Towson University, Baltimore, MD 21252, USA |
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Abstract: | An adult seems to articulate surprisingly similar meaning themes and similar processes about relationships in several widely
disparate domains of behavior, domains of both non-pathological and pathological types. Whether the person is consciously
describing early relationships with parental figures, unconsciously acting them out in current relationships, experiencing
relationships with God or the Transcendent, or acting on the basis of relational delusions during psychotic episodes, his
or his experienced relational reality seems to be filtered through a single, coherent, personally unique spiritual, existential,
and epistemological relational lens. Conflicts may involve other relational meanings, but may be conflicts because of the existence of that dominant lens. Two parts of that dominant lens system, specifically the part relating the person’s concept of God to the other parts
of the system and the part relating the specifics of psychotic breaks and spiritual emergence to other parts of the system,
are seldom discussed. Both understanding the person’s dominant relational lens and the implications of that person’s using the lens to see reality, and sharing that knowledge with the individual (if he or he has stabilized to some degree) can help the troubled or disoriented individual.
That person can gradually give a more adaptive meaning to consistent distortions in the many areas of meaning and behavior
attached to relationships, and even to very skewed behavior such as hallucinations and delusions during psychotic breaks.
Distortions during experiences of spiritual emergence also can be made clearer to the disturbed client if the therapist has
a better understanding of the person’s overall coherent relational meaning system and its implications, and can translate
the language of that system into spiritually transformative terms. A case is summarized and discussed as an example of these
ideas. Then, two theories are described. A useful theory of human-felt connection and a cognitive developmental theory of
Postformal Complex Thought have been developed by the author and described in earlier publications. These two theories help
make sense of the multiple but coherent themes, cognitive dimensions of theme genesis and change, and the nature of the relational
lenses used. Suggestions about interventions in the person’s system of coherently distorted relational themes, suggestions
based on the two theories, are discussed. The recommendation is made that all therapists become fluent in the languages of,
and especially the connections among, all of the relational areas named in the title of this paper that are part of the coherent relational theme. |
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