DI SCOUNT I NG* Ken Mellor Mellor,, Dip. Dip. Soc. Soc. Studs. Studs. Eric Eric Schi Schiff ff
Since the publication of Aaron and Jacqui Schi 's i "Passivity" severa severall signicant signicant developments have been made in the understanding and conf confro ront ntat atio ion n of disc discou ount ntin ing g in trea treatm tmen ent. t. he he purpo urpose se of this this a rt i c l e i s t o pr e s en t t h e se developments. he person !ho discounts beli believ eves es or or acts as though some aspect aspect of the self self other other people people or reality is less signicant than it actually is. #mpact is reduced usually usually purposefu purposefully lly to maintain maintain a frame o f r efer efere e nce nce t o p l ay games to further script and to attempt attempt to enforce enforce or conrm conrm symb symbio ioti tic c rela relati tion onsh ship ips s !it !ith h others. $ i s c ou n t i n g i s a n i n t e r n a l mech mechan anism ism !h !hic ich h is reco recog gni%e ni%ed d through transactional an d behavioral cues such as the four pass passiv ive e behav behavio iors rs th the e ulte ulteri rior or natu ature of th the e trans ransac acttions ions in ga m e s a nd&o r t he person acting from one of the three positions in the arpman ( riangle. Such Such fact factor ors s are are th the e e) te r n a l ma n i f est a t i on s of disc discou ount ntin ing* g* th they ey invo involv lve e dis+ dis+ *A fuller presentation of this material will appear in Schiff, J., et. al. TheCat hexi sReader :Tr ansacti onal Anal ysi sTr eat me ntofPsyc hosi s.Harper and
per son i de ntif y th e tran sa c ti on s and behav iors tha t r esult from the di s + counting. he focus here is on the e)tern e)ternal al manife manifesta statio tions. ns. he se co n d i s t o h e l p t h e p e r s o n ide ident ntif ify y th the e are areas as type ypes and and modes modes of the discou discounti nting. ng. ,ere ,ere the focus foc us is on !hat happen hap pens s inside the person's head. he third third step step is for for the the person per son to get i n t o u c h ! i t h h i s o r he r investment in the discounting so that investment can be re+directed and the person become a!are of thing th ings s as they they are. are. he focus focus is interna l a nd on !hat is motivating the person's use of the th e mecha mechanis nism. m. he nal step step is for the indi indivi vidu dual al to devel develop op an investment in non+discounting beha behavio viorr and and to obta obtain in posi positi tive ve rein reinfo forc rcem emen entt from from th the e cons conse+ e+ quences of his behavior. #n prac practtice ice th thes ese e step steps s are are ta-en ta-en more or less less in order order and the order appears to be import important ant.. ,o!ev ,o!ever er treatm treatment ent consists of a sequential emphasis on each each step step rather rather than than a strict strict order order becaus because e there there is ofte often n th the e need to move bac- and forth as the person's a!areness deepens an d he or she changes behaviorally.
KEN MELLOR, Dip. Soc. Studs., ERIC SCHIFF
specically a person may discounts of st i mul i ,pr o bl e msor discount/ his or her o!n opt i o ns . feelings perceptions thoughts 0ach may be discounted in four or actions* other people's dierent feelings perceptions thoughts modes/ exi s t e nc e ;s i g ni fic anc e ;c h ang e or actions* or some factors in the possi bi l i t i e s;and people's per sonalabi l i reality situation surrounding t i e sin relation to the above types. them. St i mul i . Any internal stimuli + 0)amples of each of these are such as feelings or perceptions ype and mode
Area
0)ample
Stimuli
Self
"# don't feel angry 4hungry pain5" said by an angry 4hungry in6ured5 person. "7ou didn't stro-e me" said by someone !ho !as 6ust stro-ed. "# can see perfectly" said by a driver in a thic- fog.
3ther Situation Signicance of stimuli
Self
3thers Situation
:ariability of
Self 3thers Situation
Ability to react dierently
Self 3thers Situation
"$on't ta-e any notice* #'m al!ays angry" said in response to a specic provocation. "7ou didn't !ant to stro-e me* you thought you had to." "# al!ays drive at 89 mph in thic- fog." "#'m al!ays angry* my father and grandfather !ere too. #t's genetic." "#t doesn't matter !hat happens you'll al!ays stro-e me that !ay." "# -no! people change but #'ll al!ays be angry." "# don't li-e !hat you do but you !on't change." "# can't 4they !on't5 change the appointment because of the fog."
able 1. $iscounting stimuli by area and mode.
DI S COUNT I NG
hey can be discounted in four modes/ he person discounts the e)istence of the stimuli themselves. ,e or she has no a!areness of them. he signicance of the
or herself others or the situation. he changeability of the stimuli are discounted. he person is a!are of them understands their signicance but sees them as unchanging or
ype and level
Area
0)ample
Problems
Self
Someone is sic- or in6ured and proceeds as if nothing is !rong. "# 'm or.." People ignoring another person's distress. ",e or she is 3."
3thers Situation
Signicance of problems
Self
3thers
Situation Solvability of problems
Self 3thers Situation
Ability to solve problems
Self 3thers Situation
A person driving a car !ith bad bra-es as if they !ere 3. "here's nothing seriously !rong !ith me #'ve al!ays been in pain 4sic-5 since . . . . " ",e or she is al!ays crying 4sic- angry5 . . . " said in response to another's distress. ";o one can do anything for my pain 4sic-ness5." ";othing can be done for 4about5 him&her." "he bra-es al!ays !ear out nothing can stop that." "# can't do anything about my pain 4sic-ness5." "# 4he&she5 can't do anything about my 4his&her5 distress." "# can't do anything about the bra-es #'m no mechanic."
%&N '&(()R, ip. Soc. Studs., &R+ SH+--
a!are of the stimuli their signicance and their changeability the person discounts his or her or another's ability to change the stimuli. 0)amples are given in table 1. $iscounting stimuli is intimately related to a person's a!areness !hat he or she thin-s about the a!areness and !hat he or she does !ith it. People dene Problems. problems using information 4stimuli5 about themselves others and situations. #f there+ fore they discount any stimuli relevant to the denition of a problem they are li-ely to discount the problem or some aspect of it. So there is a connection bet!een discounting stimuli and discounting problems. he four modes of discounting problems are/ he e)istence of the problem is discounted completely. Available information 4stimuli5 is not used or is not used appropriately to dene the e)istence of the problem. he signicance of a problem is discounted. he problem is identied but its signicance to the person another or the situation is mis+dened. he solvability of the problem is discounted. ,aving identied a problem and its signicance the person thin-s that nothing can be done by anyone. A person's ability to solve a problem is discounted. here is a problem it is signicant it can be solved but not by me him or her. People's use of their a!areness in dening problems thin-ing about solu+
used and the !ay the problem is dened. $iscounting stimuli relevant to a problem's denition + or discounting the problem in any !ay + is li-ely to lead to some mode of discounting options.
DISCOUNTING
discounting on the table a discount in any mode generally involves discounts in all modes belo! it. =or e)ample if signi+ cance is discounted change possibilities and personal abilities !ill also be discounted. Second is a hori%ontal hierarchy 4hori%ontal
all types to the right. his is because stimuli have prior signicance to problems and stimuli and problems have prior signicance to options. Problems cannot be dened and solved if the necessary stimuli have been discounted and options !hich !ould solve the problems cannot
ype and level
Area
0)ample
3ptions
Self
"# have to -eep my anger 4thoughts5 to myself." ",e !as going to hit me* the only thing # could do !as hit him rst."
3thers Situation
Signicance of options
Self 3thers Situation
:iability of options
Self 3thers Situation
Ability to act on options
Self
3thers Situation
"#t !on't ma-e any dierence to tal- about my anger 4thoughts5." "#f #'d tal-ed to him he'd still have hit me." "#'ll still be tired even if # have a vacation." ";o one can tal- about their anger 4thoughts5 if they've never done it." ";o one can 6ust tal- !hen they are going to get hit." "3thers may get something from tal-ing about their anger 4thoughts5 but not me 4him&her5." "A person !ho is going to hit some one isn't going to tal-." "#'m 4he's&she's5 not the type of "
%&N '&(()R, ip. Soc. Studs., &R+ SH+--
stimuli necessary for dening the ability to solve problems options appropriately included. discount that real options e)ist he third hierarchy is diagonal 4are viable5 and if a person 4diagonal arro!s5/ $iscounting discounts that there are viable at any point on the table involves options for him or her or a discount in the mode belo! it others the person's ability to of the type to the left and in the solve problems is also discounted. mode above it of the type to the
+S)N/+N0
*)ur thanks to Joel -ishman for his help in namin1 the modes.
/a2le 3. iscountin1: /!pes, modes, and hierarchies. and other people4s potential for chan1e. of an1r! people and told to adopt an1r! 0iin1 information or structurin1 situations po st ure s wh il e sa !i n1 sh e wa s an 1r !. which will proide the necessar! /hese and other pro1rams helped her e6perience is often sufficient in these 2e1in to feel an1er and 2e aware when situations, while more is needed to deal others were an1r!. with the script72ased causes. /he ne6t phase /8; was to work with her on the si1nificance of her own and other4s an1er. As situations arose, the TREATMENT EAM!"E causes of an1er were discussed and the ' ar !, a 1e d 8 5 , d i d n ot f ee l a n1 er pro2lems that arise from not reco1ni
e op le 1 et a n1 r! f or and she was not aware of an1er in others reasons, and if !ou know the reasons !ou discount: stimuli, others, e6istence can do somethin1 a2out them. /his led to mode;. /he first phase /+; in treatment the ne6t phase /;. /he focus was on how was to help her 1et in touch with the people4s feelin1s chan1ed in different releant stimuli. She was shown pictures situations, how this chan1ed the nature
%&N '&(()R, ip. Soc. Studs., &R+ SH+--
si1nificance; of the an1er pro2lem; for her three t%pes stimuli, pro2lems, and and others, and how there are options such options; and each of these ma! 2e as talkin1 instead of iolence; for deal in1 d is co un te d i n f ou r modes e6istence, with h er an1er in differ ent situations. si1nificance, chan1e possitilities, and /his was followed 2! a phase /3; in which personal a2ilities;. Seen as a whole, this the focus was on people4s a2ilit! to chan1e cate1oriassiit!,= Tr ans.An. on her options. J. ,":", Januar! "#$", p. $".
S#MMAR$ iscountin1 can 2e cate1ori
8. %arpman, S. =-air! /ales and Script rama Anal!sis,= Trans.An.Bul l . ,7: 26,April "#?@, p.#. . >arker, >. =Summer onference >roceedin1s. >art +: eelopment of the Adult,= Tr ans .An.Bul l . ,#:?, )cto2er "#$, p. "?.
