“What’s Right With You?”
September 27, 2007
If you’d like a simple, useful book to recommend as an introduction to the concepts of positive psychology for your clients, I’d highly recommend “What’s Right with You?” by Barry Duncan, PsyD. You may recognize Barry Duncan as one of the authors of “The Heroic Client”. In this straight-forward book, Duncan describes his frustration as a young psychologist to find out that the mental health field was only interested in what was wrong with people…their pathology. It characterized people as damaged goods, hopeless victims of past trauma or their own biochemistry. Duncan reports that this “view” did not fit with what he experienced as he met with clients each and every day. He states, “Over the years I was delighted to discover that this pervasive attitude didn’t fit the scientific research about change either. Change, in truth, is far more about what is right with people attempting it…their strengths, resources, ideas and relational support-than the labels they are branded with or the methods therapists use.”
The client is the bottom line of change. Change happens by marshaling your inherent abilities, “what’s right with you”, to address the situation at hand. In the drama of change, it is the client who is the hero or heroine. “This book translates this central finding and others from scientific research into easy, practical steps to make meaningful change in your life.” (Duncan)
Using scientific research collected over years about what really happens when people with problems approach change, Duncan reports that 40% of change comes from the clients preexisting strengths, etc. , 30% comes from relational support, 15% from your approach to change and 15% from your hopes and expectations. This is an incredibly empowering message for people seeking to better their situation.
Research consistently shows that change in therapy does not come about from the special powers or authority of any particular physcian or therapist. There are no sages or miracle cures. “Change principally results from empowering your preexisting abilities and restoring hope.”
Duncan is concerned with the message that is delivered and embraced in the American culture or increasingly around the world is that basically we are sick and getting sicker. He calls it the killer “D’s”….Diseases, Disorders, Dysfunctions, Deficits, & Disabilities. Much of this emphasis comes from the powerful drug companies who have a vested interest in having us believe that we are helpless victims of our past traumas and biology. Buying into this distorted message diminishes our innate propensities to help ourselves.
“Unhappiness is no longer thought to be shaped by such diverse forces as a sedentary, lonely or impoverished life; the loss of love, health or community; “learned helplessness” or feelings of powerlessness arising from unsatisfying work or abusive relationship. It’s resolution no longer requires anyone to do something different, get meaningful support from others, or for communities to address conditions or injustices that breed fear or despair. No, problems in living-our own and perhaps especially our children’s-are now publicly defined as illnesses, treatable-thank heaven-by the miracle drugs and other treatments administered by experts.” Approaching problems in life with the assumption that we are sick, flawed or broken, predisposes us to failure. “In truth, change is inevitable and decidedly human and primarily comes through the mobilization of one’s strengths and abilities.” (Duncan)
Each of the seven chapters of the book helps the client build a plan to solve real life problems. My favorite chapter is “Discovering the Hero Within”. “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau
There is a great deal of research that points to the importance of having a consistent, coherent narrative of oneself. It is important that we give voice to the whole story: the confusion and the clarity, the suffering and the endurance and the pain and the coping, the desperation and the desire. We are much more empowered to step up to our challenges when we are focused of what is right with us…rather than what is wrong. We human beings are complex and complicated but whenever we are empowered to bring about mindful transformation, it is more likely to come from a place of employing our strengths and competencies!!!!
This is a empowering, inspirational yet highly practical book. I highly recommend it to you!
Bonni Akalis
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Terrific blog post on ! Always enjoy your blog!
Hello webmaster…Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts..what a nice Saturday