Kreyer (Subject) / Session 11 (Lesson)

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• Describe generalizations in regards to psychotherapy When a client says: 'Everybody hates me' – he makes a generalization, just because it is impossible to be hated by everybody in the world. Making such generalizations a client escapes from some details of his experience, thus representing it more vaguely and depriving it from the details necessary for a psychotherapist and for the client himself to see a real picture of the problem and as a result to find the corresponding solutions to cope with the problem.
• What is a Referential Index? The thing that is missing in the given above example with being hated by everybody is the correct referential index. Referential index is the concrete indication of who or what causes worry and discontent of the client. The task of a psychotherapist is to help the client to find out who exactly, in the case of our example, hates the client on his opinion and by means of it come closer to the real experience of the client.
• What are symmetrical predicates? Part of generalizations. To speak about symmetrical predicates, let us take as an example: 'my wife always argues with me'. Symmetrical predicates imply that their converse is also true. The verb argue denotes a reciprocal action, thus if A is arguing with B, then B is arguing with A is also true. Finding the correct referential indexes that indicate all the people that argue in this case, including the client himself is necessary for further realization of the problem and finding the solutions.
• What are non-symmetrical predicates? Part of generalizations. The term non-symmetrical predicates implies the use of verbs that usually do not oblagatorily imply any reciprocal action, like the verb to smile. If the client says 'My wife never smiles at me' it does not necessarily mean that he also does not smile at her, though it can still be possible. Indeed, often the converse is also true. Realizing of this fact by the client and finding out the missing material may help to reconnect the client's representation with his experience.
• What is understood as X or Y ? This is also a type of generalization which implies that the client assumes that there is a necessary casual relationship between the action X and action Y. For example, a client may say: "I have to take care of other people or they won't like me/If I don't take care of other people they won't like me." The therapist may restate the client's generalization by using the form If... then... . If the client verifies this generalization, the therapist can use a reversal technique and avoid negatives in both parts of the sentence by saying: "If you take care of other people, will they like you?" This could make the client reflect on their first generalization.
• What is meant by Equivalence? Equivalence is a complex type of generalization which involves two Surface Structures which are equivalent in the client's model. When the client says: "My husband never appreciates me... My husband never smiles at me", he or she is using parallel syntactic structures -> Noun 1 - Universal quantifier (never) - Verb - Noun 2. Both of these Surface Structures are generalizations, where the first one describes an experience that cannot be verified: the verb appreciate describes the inner state of the husband. The therapist can try to challenge these generalizations by checking whether they are really equivalent in the client's model: "Does your husband's not smiling at you always mean that he doesn't appreciate you?". If the client verifies the equivalence, the therapist may apply referential index shift technique: "Does your not smiling at your husband always mean that you don't appreciate him?" The client usually does not accept the second generalization.
• What are incompletly specified verbs? Every verb is incompletely specified to a certain degree. Specificity is determined by two factors:1) The meaning of the verb: hit is more specific than hurt.2) The context of the sentence in which the verb is used: hurt by rejection is more specified than hurt. The therapist should try listen carefully to the client's Surface Structure and identify the verbs he or she is using and then try to visualize the sequence of events presented by these verbs. If it is not possible to clearly visualize the events, the therapist should try to elicit a more specified verb. When the client says: "My mother hurt me", the therapist may ask: "How specifically did your mother hurt you?" Since no verb is completely specified, the therapist can always try to challenge the client's Surface Structure and in order to arrive at a clearer image.

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