Constructive Theory and Therapy, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Constructive theory in psychological counseling has been viewed as a concept that evaluates the working of the human mind based on their ability to gain knowledge from their experiences and ideologies. Professional counseling relies heavily on the working pattern of the human mind regarding their active participation in the community. The constructive theory, often referred to as constructivist theory, has been applied in various aspects of counseling, and influenced application of mental health concepts. Primarily, the theory focuses on the different ways in which different individuals perceive reality and how different perceptions determine how they accept what they encounter in life. As a result, human expectations of life, interactions, and response to various life issues determine how an individual orders their life. This study examines various perspectives of the constructive theory as applied in psychological counseling and mental treatment. Personality and human identity play a great role in constructive therapy as they determine personal psychological approach to life, social interaction, and social change.

Discussion

Jean Piaget developed Constructive theory and argued that knowledge and ideas in human beings develop through interactions. Piaget developed the concept of constructive therapy when he introduced the argument of play in children during their learning stages. His concept of play espoused the argument brought forward that human beings, especially at an early age develop ideas and activate their minds through interaction with the environment. Thus, different individuals interact with the environment different and perceive different forms of reality. Piaget’s great interest in children and education influenced his constructive theory of psychological treatment. His early works focused mainly on the cognitive development of children through which he showed that children’s mental development was highly influenced by the environment (Raskin, 2014). The social aspect of the human mind largely depends on the child’s interaction with other human beings and the environment. Education, a crucial factor in his study, was the only way to weave the environmental aspects with which human beings interacted in order to make sense and make changes where necessary.

Piaget worked on various research programs, most of which touched on the mental development in human beings such as in sociological, intellectual development and logical and figurative thought development. Through these research programs, constructive theory was coined because human beings interacted with the entire environment to perceive and understand reality and make changes necessary for the adjustment. Before his theory was accepted, the role of playing in children development was not considered as important and over the years, teachers and facilitators did not give priority to this aspect of cognitive development in children growth. However, Piaget’s interaction with children and extensive research led to the theory that each individual perceives the environment differently due to the different levels of interaction with the environment.

Constructive theory plays a crucial role in defining the concept of mental health and treatment. George Kelly, a psychologist, examined human development and mental wellness and argued that individual’s expectations of experiences in life change their perception and how they react to the social issues, they encounter. Various aspects of life such as creativity and coping depend solely on individual’s mind, but they are highly influenced by the environment. As individuals grow and develop, their mental stability depends on their perception of life realities. Constructive theory proposes mental and psychological wellness of an individual is enhanced by their proactive participation and perspective of life making it an important road to life and behavioral change. Constructive therapy is developed from the constructive theory and focuses on helping individuals attain mental stability by creating their personal solutions. In psychotherapy, the theory is applied when examining individuals’ cycles of life. Ordering in life, as mentioned earlier, is based on individual’s perception of reality and the expectations of life experiences. As individuals develop, the experiences they gain help them to organize their feelings accordingly by making necessary adjustments (Mahoney & Granvold, 2005).

Constructive theory provides that the dynamic nature of human life and experiences require that individuals adjust accordingly to organize and create order in their lives. The process of coping and adjusting is gradual and depends on the exposure of an individual to the environment. Thus, individuals who gain more experience during their early stages of growth adjust easily to life changes and challenges that arise. A mental balance is necessary in maintaining mental wellness and health, a concept that forms the basis of professional counseling and mental treatment. The constructive theory paves the way for counseling models that encourage individuals to be active in making the necessary changes in their lives. Essentially, mentally disturbed individuals have problems coping with realities, facing challenges and developing specific techniques to counter the challenges. Lack of balance between the reality and their expectations in life experiences causes mental instability. In such cases, those who have never experienced such issues might find it harder to make necessary changes and cannot be proactive in their own life change. Since ideas are developed from interactions with the environment, human interactions become integral in treatment of mental instabilities (Fall, Holden & Marquis, 2010). As these individuals meet different people, they gain ideas and sift them to extract the ones that would change their lives according to their desire of change and expectations. Using ideas gained from these interactions, they ought to make personal decisions and organize or order their lives. In professional counseling and clinical treatment, they become agents of change rather than objects whereas the counselors become facilitators rather than dictators of the change. Constructivist theory is congruent with counseling and mental treatment in that stabilizing the mind of the client becomes an internal process in which the client initiates the change to adjust to the prevailing conditions.

The key concepts of the constructivist theory of psychological therapy are anchored on the personality of individuals and the prevailing interpersonal relationships. Moreover, their expectations of life versus the reality are key factors to conceptualizing mental health and formulation of therapeutic processes. For instance, in case of death of a beloved one, some individuals may become mentally devastated by the challenge of facing life issues alone. Although they might have acquired education and made meaningful interactions, they have to reorganize and re-build life without the contribution of the deceased. Constructive theory in relation to the mental stability plays a role in reshaping the entire system of life of the individual. However, as mentioned earlier, human interaction with each other and environment is a dynamic process that individuals ought to go through. Thus, personality and interpersonal relationships together with life expectations and reality play a huge part in reorganizing and ordering a person’s life. The treatment process borrows the concepts of constructive theory by allowing the individual’s mind to embrace the reality and make the necessary changes. The experiences over the years may play a part in the healing process since human interactions provide avenues for gaining knowledge and creativity.

Piaget’s concept of interaction in early childhood education becomes an integral part of behavior change and mental treatment. As opposed to a teacher, a therapist becomes a facilitator who does tell the client what they ought to do but suggest and offer effective guidelines for behavior change. The objective of therapeutic process is to give the client opportunity to examine the reality and perceptions of their minds while the therapist guides them without intervening in decision-making. Personal evaluation is crucial during this process since the individuals are supposed to consider their own experiences, anticipate the change, and order their life system. According to the constructive theory of childhood education, facilitation should allow learners and subsequently mental treatment clients to reach their own conclusions. Dialogue is vital at each stage of the treatment and learning process because human interpersonal relationship is based on communication, which is a two-way process.

The facilitation process outlined by the constructivist theory augurs well with the mental health and professional counseling model and process in terms of relationships, interaction, and time. Effective mental treatment requires some basic conditions such unconditional positive regard towards the client, empathy, and compatibility. The three conditions are also vital in education and learning but mental treatment requires establishment of psychological contact between the client and therapist. Furthermore, empathic understanding that develops between client and therapist creates the trust and enhances communication to influence change. The striking congruence in constructive theory concept and mental treatment/counseling is the willingness of the client or learner to be where they feel comfortable which ultimately determines the change and/or ordering of the mind. Wellness and mental health of individuals would be reached when the individual’s mind adjusts accordingly, through facilitation of therapist to cope with the prevailing social conditions among other aspects of life. Through dialogue and interaction, individuals acquire knowledge and apply it over time (Granvold, 1996).

Constructivist theory of constructive therapy lays a great foundation for learning and applying knowledge. It stresses sensory personal input in the learning process with active participation in gaining knowledge. It also respects the diversity of cultures and mentally challenged individuals by allowing different individuals to process a situation in different ways and come up with personal solutions. The facilitator becomes a guide to the journey that is determined by clients rather than dictating solutions to them. However, constructive theory is set on an educational background and may not be applied exclusively in many practices. First, constructive theory provides that knowledge is gained from the surrounding environment and individuals ought to obtain knowledge based on what they perceive as reality. By so doing, each individual’s knowledge is deemed right without a finite solution and to some extent, variation personal knowledge, and understanding might create autonomy in which individuals make their own decisions. Secondly, different individuals have varying capabilities and personalities implying that learning processes and decision-making may take time compared to application of finite solutions. The fact that mental health is considered as the balance between reality and the perceptions or expectations of life experiences of the given individual creates a point of weakness when low reasoning individuals are involved. Additionally, treatment of mentally unstable individuals requires that a system of life be established in the mind of the client, a process likely to be hampered by the processing of reality and environmental perception by the mind (Jones-Smith, 2004). One of the striking weaknesses of the constructive theory in psychological therapy is its vagueness and lack of prescription. Thus, an effective theory of learning, gaining and applying knowledge that would be applied exclusively ought to be prescriptive such that facilitation becomes guided by some existing principles.

Conclusion

Constructivist theory is coined from the ability of human beings to learn and gain knowledge from life experiences. Life experiences result from human interactions and their interaction with the environment. Early childhood experiences and exposure enable them to learn more from the environment and gradually, they gain knowledge to make certain decisions. However, mental stability and wellness is achieved when an individual perceives the reality and adjusts accordingly. When persons fail to balance the reality and their perceptions, they become mentally unstable necessitating counseling or mental treatment. Counseling is geared towards helping individuals come to terms with reality of life. Through constructive therapy, learning and counseling should be done through facilitation in which therapists offer guidelines but allow clients to make their own personal decisions. Similar to educational learning, counseling and mental treatment are gradual processes that take time and therefore dialogue and interaction should be slow but consistent. Despite being an effective educational tool, constructive theory might lead to lack of direction as different individuals have different experiences and perceptions. Thus, it ought to be applied alongside other prescriptive principles to make it widely applicable.

References

Granvold, D. K. (1996). Constructivist psychotherapy. Families in Society, http://search.proquest.com/docview/230164885?accountid=1229.

Granvold, M. J. (2005). Constructivism and psychotherapy. World Psychiatry, 74-77.

Jones-Smith, E. (2004). Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: An Integrative Approach. Carlifornia, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Kevin A. Fall, J. M. (2010). Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group.

Raskin, J. D. (Retrieved: 16/07/2014). “Constructivism in Psychology: Personal Construct Psychology, Radical Constructivism, and Social Constructionism. American Communication Journal , http://www.acjournal.org/.