Summary of Interpersonal Therapy

Summary of Interpersonal Therapy

INTERPERSONAL THERAPY

INTRODUCTION

As the song goes “No man is an island." The desire to be with others gives rise to the belief that sociability is part of human condition. The main ingredients to attain this through the concept of “love” which gives depth to human relationships. The primary concern of this therapy is the kind of relationship that humans build in the society.

VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE

Interpersonal therapist believed that all human beings are social creatures. The kind of relationship that humans build in the society is what we called “interpersonal relationship”. It is a relationship that is normally viewed as a connection between two individuals.

According to interpersonal therapists, the capacity for “Love” gives depth to human relationships which brings people closer to each other physically and emotionally, and makes people think expansively about themselves and the world. It has eight attributes: Patient, Kind, Humble, Respectful, Selfless, Forgiving, Honest and Committed.

Interpersonal love is usually found in an interpersonal relationship such as family members, friends and couples. It is the love between human beings and there are some elements that are often present in interpersonal love: Affection, Attachment, Responsibility, Passion, Service and Commitment.

Therapist also believed they if an individual has a healthy interpersonal relationship with his/her society it may result to a feeling of "happiness".

DEVELOPMENT OF MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR

Interpersonal therapist believed that since people are sociable in nature, they need approval and affection from other people. They need to feel belong and well-accepted by the society. So, if the person feel isolated and separated from other people, the tendency is they will develop a maladaptive behavior. The child will develop lower self-esteem and depression and also a sense of helplessness and uselessness.

FUNCTION OF THE THERAPIST

The function of the therapist is to help the clients create a positive relationships towards others. They will help the clients on how they can express gratitude and share appreciation for others which is the primary means for creating a positive relationship.

The Therapists also help the clients in developing their concept of love which is said to be the one that gives depth to human relationships. Clients are also guided to be aware on their acts and behaviors towards the people they loved. Therapist helps them to be responsible on how they can establish a long-term relationship towards others. And help the clients realize that to love and be loved by the people in their surroundings is the true essence of happiness.

GOALS OF THE THERAPY

This therapy is primarily concern with the kind of relationship human created in the society; therefore the goals of the therapy will include the development of social and interpersonal skills of the clients. It aims to increase positive emotions, self-esteem, trust, liking, stability and closeness of the individual towards others. It is aimed to make the clients realize the importance of sociability, interdependency of humans from one another. In order for them to be happy. They need to move towards people than moving against them.

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

There are six(6) major methods and techniques of interpersonal therapy: (1) minding relationships [mindfulness theory of relationships that shows how closeness in relationships may be enhanced. Which is a reciprocal knowing process involving the non-stop interrelated thoughts, feelings and behaviors of persons in a relationship]; (2) Culture of trust [the clients are guided to have a sense of trust toward other people]; (3) Culture of Appreciation [Acceptance]; (4) Capitalizing positive events [act of telling others about good events which therapist believed that through association with this increase positive effect and well-being]; (5) Tell me who I am? [clients are set in group to different people where they are allowed to describe each person by writing it on their backs, and at the end of the session clients will come to realize those positive and negative attitudes that they have and can have the chance to pursue those positive and change those that are negative ones] and; (6) Balancing the wheel of life (key to happiness) [where the clients oriented on how they can balance their interpersonal relationship through a wheel diagram where it is divided into 4(family, friends, community and sweethearts/partners and love placed on the center and the outermost part is God.) Therapist believed that through balancing this wheel of life they will attain the true essence of happiness].

APPLICATION

In the case of Rolie, the therapist used the "Tell me who I am" method where Rolie, a 12 yr. old child who experienced stigma among his playmates and peers. He usually plays alone and tend to become shy. During class discussion, he doesn't want to participate in group activities and his teacher is always acting like this that's she prefer to use interpersonal therapy to Rolie. At the end of the session, Rolie come to realize about his bad and good attitudes. He is now become responsible of his attitudes and behaviors towards others by changing those bad ones and pursuing those positive ones.


Interpersonal therapy is influenced by the ff: personalities

Sociologist:
-Karl marx
-Albert Bandura
Psychologist:
-Erich Fromm
-Karen Horney
-Alfred Adler
-Vadim kotelnikov



Prepared by:

Mary Rose H. Genove (Irreg)
Arlyn M. Damian (Irreg)
Jeremie Flores
Elizabeth Escanilla
April Rose Cagampang
Sarah Jane M. Alilano (Irreg)

BEED 3B

Interpersonal Therapy (Our Own personal Therapy)

INTERPERSONAL THERAPY

INTRODUCTION:

Man is a social being. He is born into a group, grows up in a group, socializes with a group, learns many things in a group and he will die in a group. For the last time, his own group will follow him to pay their last homage to him. This illustrates the sociability and gregariousness of man. As the song: “No man is an island; no man stands alone; each man is my brother; each man is my friend.” The desire to be with others gives rise to the belief that sociability is part of human condition. And in order for them to create stability, each member must build harmonious relationship with one another. The main ingredients to attain this through the concept of “love” which gives depth to human relationships. The kind of relationship that the humans build in their society is the primary concern of this therapy.

VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE:

Interpersonal therapist believed that all human beings are social creatures. They have this kind of mutual ties that made them connected and interrelated with one another. The kind of relationship that humans build in the society is what we called “interpersonal relationship”. It is a relationship that is normally viewed as a connection between two individuals, such as a romantic or intimate relationship, or parent-child relationships, with groups of people, such as the relation between a pastor and his congregation, an uncle and a family, or a mayor and a town. Finally, groups or even nations may have relations with each other; through this is a much broader domain than that covered under the topic of interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal relationships also can include friendships, such as relationships involving individuals providing relational care to marginalized person or even intimate relationships as in romantic partners. These relationships usually involve some level of interdependence. People in a relationship tend to influence each other, share their thoughts and feelings and engage in activities together. Therapist believed that because of interdependence, most things that change or impact one member of the relationship will have some level of impact on the other member.

LOVE

Interpersonal therapist believed that the capacity for “Love” gives depth to human relationships, brings people closer to each other physically and emotionally, and makes people think expansively about themselves and the world. Therapist believed that love is the main ingredients on establishing harmonious relationship in the society. There are also different attributes of Love or much preferred to as EIGHT ATTRIBUTES OF LOVE:
1. Patient- showing self-control
2. Kind- Giving attention, appreciation and encouragement
3. Humble- being authentic without pretense and arrogance
4. Respectful- treating others as important people
5. Selfless- Meeting the needs of others
6. Forgiving- giving up resentment when wrong
7. Honest- being free from deception
8. Committed- sticking to your choices

INTERPERSONAL LOVE

This is usually found in an interpersonal relationship such as family members, friends and couples. It comes from the broader term of interpersonal relationship. This is the feeling which cannot be bound as one’s interpersonal love may vary from person to person and relation to relation.

Interpersonal love is the love between human beings. It is the simple yet complex relation between two human beings. It can be the love between two human members, your friends, relatives and so on.
Some elements that are often present in interpersonal love are the following:

1. Affection

Interpersonal love has one of the most important feelings which are the affection. It may be your loved one. Your father, or a friend with whom you share your feelings, you’re sweet and sour moments. This is because you are in love with that person and care for that person.

2. Attachment

You tend to be attached to the person whom you love. Attachment is very evident in such relations. It can be your mother, brother or any for of relative, with whom your love relation grows, creating a strong bonding.

3. Responsibility

You tend to become more responsible towards the needs of the person you love. You are more alert and trying your levels best to give a great time for your loved one.

4. Passion
This is related to the physical demands of a person which is shared with a more intimated relationship such as a lover or a life partner. It is more on sexual desire to help.

5. Service
This is referring to our desire to help.

6. Commitment

Interpersonal love also gives rise to commitment. You feel responsible to maintain your love relation. You feel so close to the person that you yourself would want to maintain the relation. It is more on a desire to maintain love.

“Inspite all odds interpersonal love is the

most beautiful aspect which human beings

are blessed with to survive as social animals

anywhere on plant earth.”

HAPPINESS

Therapist believed that if an individual has a healthy interpersonal relationship with his/her society, it may result to a feeling of “happiness”. Since, human beings are social animal and cannot stay sane by leading a lonely life, a person may find ways on how to be happy. And because human beings are surrounded by their near dear ones, such as their family, friends and sweethearts whom they share splendid relation, such love that they show to them makes them happy as they feel wanted and important. These relationships which you are surrounded is gives you the opportunity to interact and have a social life of your own.

DEVELOPMENT OF MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR:

Interpersonal therapist believed that since people are sociable in nature, they need approval and affection from other people. They need to feel belong and well-accepted by the society. So, if the person feel isolated and separated from other people, the tendency is they will develop a maladaptive behavior. For instance, If a child do not receive approval and affection from his/her family, friends, and other people in his surroundings; The more possibility that this child will develop lower self-esteem and depression as to compare with those children that receive a feeling of belongingness. The child will feel a sense of helplessness and uselessness.

Therapist also believed that since human beings are social creatures. They need to love and be loved is the main ingredient in establishing harmonious relationship with others that have an attachment with other people whom they loved. If the person failed to attain these, eventually they may feel so much anxiety. In terms Anxiety that an individual is now feeling insecurity that will bring him so much fear. If this circumstances becomes severe tendency of an individual is to develop the term neurosis. Neurosis is a psychic disturbance brought by fears and defense against fears and attempts to find compromise solutions for conflicting interpersonal relationship. For example, there is a person who loved someone but do not receive the same thing from that someone. There is a tendency that this person will feel so much anxiety and sense of insecurity to himself/herself. Insecurity in terms that he/she would think that he/she is alone, that he/she would spend his/her life alone.

Therapist also believed that suicides is not merely caused by a feeling of inferiority but also caused by feeling of an individual to be not loved by his society especially those that are part of his life whom he created splendid relation such as friends, family and sweethearts. They also used the term “alienation” as a result from a sense of less and disconnectedness of an individual in a group of people or in the society which is also one of the reasons of an individual to develop maladaptive behavior.

FUNCTION OF THE THERAPIST:

Individuals in the presence of others become aroused or motivated to perform some kinds of physical and social skills at higher levels of excellence then they would if they were alone. For instance, athletes perform what is expected as “team work” when they play and are motivated further to realize their team’s objectives in the presence of the “cheerers”. They are seen as always exerting more efforts and performing better before the crowd in the height of the competition. Usually, students who take the examination in class do better than those taking the examination alone. A situation in which an individual is simulated by the presence of others is called “social facilitation”. Since it is said that group influences attitudes and behaviors of an individual. Therefore the function of the therapist is to help the clients create good relationships towards others. They will help the clients on how they can express gratitude and share appreciation for others which is the primary means for creating a positive relationship.

The Therapists also help the clients in developing their concept of love which is said to be the one that gives depth to human relationships, brings people closer to each other whether physically or emotionally and makes people think expansively about themselves and the world.

Clients are also guided to be aware on their acts and behaviors towards the people they loved. Therapist helps them to be responsible on how they can establish a long-term relationship towards others.

GOALS OF THE THERAPY:

The interpersonal therapy is primarily concern with the kind of relationship human created in the society; therefore the goals of the therapy will include the development of social and interpersonal skills of the clients. Expressing gratitude and sharing appreciation for others which is the primary means in creating a positive relationship towards others. It aims to increase positive emotions, self-esteem, trust, liking, stability and closeness of the individual towards others. Even though interpersonal relationship are complex with so many conflicting emotions involved in it. The therapy is aimed to make the clients realize the importance of stability and interdependency of humans from one another. Also to make them realize that is order for them to be happy, they need to move towards people than moving against them. To be bare in their mind that we are social creatures and we have this invisible ties that made us connected and related from each other wherein we are benefited from them and vice versa.

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES:

Interpersonal therapist formulated the following methods and techniques in enhancing the interpersonal skills of each person:

MINDING RELATIONSHIPS

The mindfulness theory of relationships shows how closeness in relationships may be enhanced. Minding is the reciprocal knowing process involving the nonstop, five components of “minding” include:

1. Knowing and being known: seeking to understand others.
2. Making relationship-enhancing attributions per behaviors: giving the
benefit of the doubt.
3. Accepting and respecting: empathy and social skills
4. Maintaining reciprocity: active participation in relationship
enhancement.
5. Continuity in minding: persisting in mindfulness.

Therapist believed that through minding relationship, a person is now being responsible on how he/she would act in order to have a long-term relationship with other people especially those whom he/she spend splendid relation.

CULTURE OF TRUST

Another method wherein the clients are guided to have a sense of trust toward other people is in order to create a good communication with others; clients must learn how to trust others. There are some suggestions in developing a sense of trust:

*Start each conversation with a smile so that the clients will feel
comfortable.
*Learn to respect their opinions and ideas.
*Learn to appreciate them and accept what and who they really are.
*Be honest

CULTURE OF APPRECIATION

Interpersonal interactions associated with negative relationships include criticism, contempt defensiveness, and stonewalling. Overtime, therapy aims to turn these interpersonal strategies into more positive ones which include complaint, appreciation, acceptance of responsibility and self-soothing. Similarly the clients in interpersonal relationships can incorporate positive components into difficult subjects in order to avoid emotional disconnection.

CAPITALIZING POSITIVE EVENTS

People can capitalize on positive events in an interpersonal context to work toward enhancing interpersonal relationships. People often run to others to share their good news (termed as CAPITALIZATION). Both the act of telling others about good events and the response of the person with whom the event was shared have personal and interpersonal consequences, including increased positive emotions, subjective well-being and self-esteem relationship benefits including intimacy, commitment, trust liking, closeness, and stability. Therapist believed that the act of communicating positive events was associated with increased positive effect and well-being. They believed that relationships in which partners responded to “good new” communication enthusiastically were associated with his/her relationship well-being.

TELL ME WHO I AM?

It is a method wherein clients are set in group to different people. All of them are allowed to interact with one another. Then each individual are asked to paste a piece of paper on their backs. Each individual is allowed to describe each person that they have interacted. Then write it on the papers in their backs. After that they will read what is written on their backs. Of course, there is a possibility that these descriptions maybe negative or positive. In that why they come to realize and to know what are the behaviors they possessed with especially when interacting with others. The clients will come to realize those negative behaviors that they have and they will have the chance to change those to pursue those positive and change those that are negative. In that why, they will become more aware and responsive on their acts towards others.

BALANCING THE WHEEL OF LIFE (KEY TO HAPPINESS)

The clients oriented on how he can balance his interpersonal relationship through balancing their wheel of life which they believed as the key to happiness. It is shows that the center of the wheel is the “LOVE” which is the therapist believed that it is the main ingredient in creating a good relationship among others. They believed that if you love your family, friends, sweethearts and community this will lead you to true happiness. As the therapy said; that to be love and be loved is the essence of true happiness. But the outer circle is our GOD, in which the inner circle is being covered. What we are doing and making in the inner circle to find true happiness is dedicated to our Almighty God.

APPLICATION:

The interpersonal therapy is primarily concern with the kind of relationship human created in the society. Therefore the goals of the therapy will include the development of social and interpersonal skills of the clients.

In the case of Rolie who experienced “stigma” or negative impressions toward his playmates and peers. He was live in a family whose parents are very busy in their works. Although he was the only child, his parents find hard time to pay a lot of attention from him. That’s why he doesn’t feel so much appreciation and love from his parents. This is one of the reasons why he become loner and do not want to deal with other children. He usually plays alone and become shy.

Since the goal of the therapists is to develop the interpersonal skills of the client, they conducted an activity wherein the client is set in a group with different behaviors and attitudes. All of them is allowed to interact with one another within few hours. In case of Rolie, they use play activities because through play they can express their feelings and ideas. After that activity, the therapist will attach paper at the back of each child if those descriptions are exactly described who they really are. The clients are asked to classify which of these descriptions are positive and negative. The therapist will ask the client about what they feel when they learned that these are the impressions of others from them. The therapist will give time to reminisce and realize what would be the possible actions after they learned their behavior especially the negative ones. In that way, the therapist is now helping the client to become a more sociable person and increase its self-esteem and interpersonal skills.


Interpersonal therapy is influenced by the ff:

*Sociologist
- Karl Marx
- Albert Bandura

*Psychologist
- Erich Fromm
- Karen Horney
- Alfred Adler
- Vadim Kotelnikov



Prepared by:

Mary Rose H. Genove (Irreg.)
Arlyn M. Damian (Irreg.)
Jeremie Flores
Elizabeth Escanilla
April rose Cagampang
Sarah Jane M. Alilano (Irreg.)
BEED 3B