Human beings change constantly; we are in an endless state of flux as we grow, mature, learn, and adapt to a myriad of physical, environmental, social, educational, and cultural influences. Change can be thought of as planful when it is motivated by the desire to be and feel different, such as the change that comes about as a result of deliberate intervention, usually initiated by a troubled individual and aided by another, typically a professional. In How and Why People Change Dr. Ian M. Evans revisits many of the fundamental principles of behavior change in order to deconstruct what it is we try to achieve in psychological therapies. All of the conditions that impact people when seeking therapy are brought together in one cohesive framework: assumptions of learning, motivation, approach and avoidance, barriers to change, personality dynamics, and the way that individual behavioral repertoires are inter-related. Special emphasis is placed on environmental, social, and cultural influences that allow people to manage their feelings and promote adaptive thoughts and activities. The result is a novel and refreshing look at factors that help people change, which can be mobilized by individuals themselves or their therapists. By looking past the formal techniques of cognitive-behavior therapy, this book explores the processes of therapy as well as the nature of meaningful, long-range, and lasting change. Drawing on a variety of classic and new research studies, this unifying approach is evidence-based, but in a different way from the empirical validation of standardized protocols and manuals. The aim is to encourage both novice therapists and experienced clinicians to re-evaluate basic psychological assumptions in order to promote innovative, individualized, and culturally acceptable interventions. By understanding the sources of change that most influence clients' functioning, the commonalities in apparently different therapeutic theories are recognized, providing a critical perspective for clinical researchers. Rather than suggesting how therapy should be conducted, Evans shows how many different approaches can be understood on the basis of common underlying principles.
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Preface ; Acknowledgments ; Chapter 1 Setting the scene: Why we need a theory for change ; Chapter 2 What is therapeutic change? ; Chapter 3 Motivation to change ; Chapter 4 Individual differences in ability to change: Personality and context ; Chapter 5 Conditioning: Changing the meaning and value of events ; Chapter 6 Contingencies: Therapy is learning and unlearning ; Chapter 7 Response relationships: The dynamics of behavioral regulation ; Chapter 8 Cognition: Changing thoughts and fantasies ; Chapter 9 Self-influence ; Chapter 10 Social mediators and the therapeutic relationship ; Chapter 11 Culture as behavior change ; Chapter 12 Conclusions: How and why people can change and be changed ; References ; Index
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Overall, this book is comprehensive, thought provoking, reflective and highly engaging. It is an excellent text for any health professional interested in understanding change and why or how people change. Evans successfullyapplies change theories to clinical settings and real life (client) presentations. ... Evan's work is also recommended for inclusion in any educational or training courses on change, as well as a key reference text in any university library.
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"Evans is one of a regrettably small number of clinical researchers and theorists who argue for the importance of principles of change rather than treatment packages for putatively homogeneous disorders. In this lucid and beautifully written book, he makes the case with scholarliness and clear-headed thinking and will, I hope, help to reset the scientific and applied agendas in the quest for evidence-based assessments and interventions." -- Gerald C. Davison, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Southern California and Past-president, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies "How and why people change are two extremely complex, but imperative, issues that mental health professionals have been wrestling with for centuries. Evans addresses these topics head-on in a commanding, thorough, thoughtful, comprehensive, and user-friendly manner. Moreover, he brings us closer to having answers. If you only have time to read one new book this year, this should be the one."-- Arthur M. Nezu, Ph.D., ABPP, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Drexel University and Editor, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology "With an extraordinary depth and breadth of scholarship and a wide range of clinical experience, Evans provides the highest level of an integrative theoretical account of behavior change. Proponents of recent evidence-based psychotherapies will particularly appreciate his sensitive and effective use of formal principles for creating an emotionally positive therapeutic context for children as well as adults. It is highly recommended to all therapists."-- Junko Tanaka-Matsumi, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Integrated Psychological Science, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology "In this book, Evans seeks to shift the focus of much of contemporary, evidence-based psychotherapy from prescribing what therapists should do to how their efforts translate into universal change processes. Firmly grounded in the empirical literature, his focus on understanding and assessing change places the therapist in charge of deducing what specifically will work best, even how to develop novel treatments, for each particular patient."-- Stephen A. Lisman, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University (SUNY) "Evans distils the common elements of psychotherapeutic change across theoretical approaches, client populations, and treatment goals to identify the foundational principles of how and why people change. This scholarly volume begins with a thought-provoking treatise on therapeutic change that wends its way through the evolution and devolution of therapeutic approaches based on sound theory and basic science in the absence of the foundational principles of change. It proceeds with compelling illustrations of the foundational principles applied to disparate treatments for children and adults, integrating current knowledge from learning theory and the social sciences throughout. Seasoned clinical psychologists from all schools of thought will find the analyses of change fascinating -they may find their approach to case conceptualization indelibly changed." -- Sheila Eyberg, PhD, ABPP, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida
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Engaging and accessible to novice and experienced therapists Encourages therapists to think critically about the process of change Deconstructs commonly accepted concepts in CBT Promotes new developments in CBT according to current psychological theory
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Engaging and accessible to novice and experienced therapists Encourages therapists to think critically about the process of change Deconstructs commonly accepted concepts in CBT Promotes new developments in CBT according to current psychological theory
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780199917273
Publisert
2013
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press Inc
Vekt
1 gr
Høyde
155 mm
Bredde
236 mm
Dybde
33 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
320

Forfatter

Biographical note

Ian M. Evans is Professor of Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand. After he received his Ph.D. at the University of London's Institute of Psychiatry, Ian taught behavior assessment and therapy for many years at the University of Hawai'i. He then became Director of Clinical Psychology Training at SUNY-Binghamton. He moved to New Zealand in 1995 and was professor and clinical program director at the University of Waikato, prior to his current position. He also served as President of the New Zealand Psychological Society. Ian is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand as well as the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.