II: Problem Solving Flashcards
Clients (sometimes with help) set change goals
- Internal Changes-feel differently, change thought pattern, feel better about themselves, stop obsessing, internally feel differently
- External Changes-have a relationship that needs to be different, issue at work
- Behavioral Changes-substance abuse
Two Approaches to Problem Solving
Expertise-solving problems by knowledge or direct experience
Analogical-unfamiliar or unique, novel problems
Which approach to problem solving do therapists engage in more often?
More analogical in the beginning, expertise with experience.
Newell and Simon Framework for Modern Day Problem-Solving
Initial State Goal State Operators Constraints (Internal, External) Problem Space
Initial State
-where someone is right now at start of what engaging in; givens, understand to be true about circumstance
Goal State
-desired end point, where to end up; intake session from here to there; what direction headed
Operators
-resources at disposal of client, make easier for client to move from initial state to goal state, skills abilities social support family support resources to pursue therapy; things that make it easier
Constraints
things that interfere with ability of client to move to goal state
Clients tend to overestimate constraints, see as bigger than they truly are
- -Internal Constraints: client preferences, thought patterns, interpersonal style; things that are going to be inside client to limit ability; self-limiting beliefs
- -External Constraints: things outside of them that are limitations; problematic relationship; institutional constraints e.g. resources
Internal Constraints
client preferences, thought patterns, interpersonal style; things that are going to be inside client to limit ability; self-limiting beliefs
Clients tend to overestimate constraints, see as bigger than they truly are
External Constraints
things outside of them that are limitations; problematic relationship; institutional constraints e.g. resources
Clients tend to overestimate constraints, see as bigger than they truly are
Problem Space
-area encompassed by where we are, where to go, what is in favor, what is against us
Newell and Simon Research
Research from early ‘70s
Definitions and framework for modern day problem solving
Difficult for clients having a hard time practicing logic in problem solving
Client Definition of Problems: Two Types
Well-defined problems
Ill-defined problems
Well-defined Problem
Well-defined problems where all four components present and clearly understood
Rare in therapy
Ill-defined Problem
Ill-defined problems lack one or more components
E.g. might not have clear sense of what they want/their goal, “I want things to be different”
Unintentionally misrepresented one of the components
When facing ill-defined problems, clients must fill in missing information on their own—this is where therapist expertise is important
Expertise
Important when dealing with ill-defined problems
- –Helps structure problem space, categorize problem to reduce impact of unknown information: e.g. this is a mood problem
- *Clients report symptoms, rule out details to make problem space smaller, easier to work with
- –Enhances flexibility when dealing with inconsistencies between current and previous problems
- –Improves adaptability when information becomes available
Expert’s Approach to Problems
- Knowledge is better organized
- Spend more time initially encoding problem but solve more rapidly and effectively
- Identify and weed out irrelevant information more effectively
Unfamiliar Problems
Often use general purpose heuristic approaches when facing unfamiliar problems
Clients come to therapy with developed but ineffective problem solving strategies
Heuristics: Pros and Cons
Pros: Can be adapted to many situations Generally represent a purposeful approach Usually better than trial and error Faster
Cons:
Tend to be relatively weak problem solving approaches
Often require considerable effort with little guarantee of success
Heuristic
Shortcuts use to make decisions more quickly, broader, faster conclusions
Heuristic Approaches to Problem Solving: Hill Climbing
Hiker lost in woods, trying to summit, foggy, can’t see ahead of you but just continue going up, as soon as path stops going up you turn around, go back to fork and find a new up path
Systematic trial and error
One of the least powerful heuristics
Choosing actions that only lead to particular outcomes that are more similar to goal state than current state
When it is useful:
- Limited options, not too many things to try to consider
- No good evidence to suggest one option is better than another
-E.g. SSRI
Heuristic Approaches to Problem Solving: Working Backwards
Start at goal state and trace back to initial state
Typically fewer ways to reach a goal than choices
Requires well-defined goal
Miracle questions and brief therapies
When is it not useful:
- Requires well-defined goal
- Difficult if goal is undefined, ambiguous, not something they care about
-e.g. Mazes on restaurant placemats
Heuristic Approaches to Problem Solving: Means-End Analysis
Assess differences between initial and goal states
Develop plan to reduce differences
Requires series of subgoals working back from goal state and forward from current state
Problem Decomposition
Break it down into pieces,
Drawbacks:
- Requires a lot of work, intimidating
- If things change, can get stuck
- Requires defined overarching goal
-E.g., world renown psychotherapist, requires MA, PhD, PA training institute, etc.
Impasse and Restructuring
Clients become stuck during the course of therapy: plateau/reach an impasse
Impasse resolved by “aha” experience (insight)
Insight results from sudden restructuring of problem space
How do impasses occur? Do we want to avoid them? How does successful restructuring take place?
Occur when critical details are left out
learn and include necessary details
Impasse in Problem Solving
Occurs when:
- Model of problem situation diverts attention from problem-relevant details
- Misrepresent critical details
- Details left out
- Fail to present/represent crucial information
- Incorporate unnecessary constraints; self-limited
- May not overtly express/identify as a restraint
-Leads to insight and resolution when the difficulties force problem space restructuring and consideration of unnoticed operators
Impasse in Therapy
Impasses in therapy=two goals are mutual exclusive (at least as client has represented them)
Solutions:
- Changing goals
- Changing client’s representation of the one/both goals
Functional Fixedness may impede restructuring
Negative Set perpetuate inefficient problem solving
–Wisconsin card sorting test-stuck in one sorting task
Clients not the only ones subject to impasses
Client see impasse that you don’t see: not making progress at the rate client expecting
Restructuring
Provide insight, get through impasse Focus on different aspect of the problem Rethink assumptions about operators Reevaluate constraints Scale down version of the problem/relax constraints Employ useful analogy
Problem Solving Using Analogy
Apply knowledge from one situation to another
Ormrod’s section of Transfer
Three steps to deriving solutions from analogy
1) Create or identify an appropriate analogue
- —Structural similarity or surface similarity
2) Map elements of current situation onto the analogue
3) Adapt analogue solution for application to current problem
Deriving Solutions from Analogy: 3 Steps
Create or identify an appropriate analogue
—Structural similarity or surface similarity
Map elements of current situation onto the analogue
Adapt analogue solution for application to current problem
Identifying Analogies
Structural similarity
- –Operates in same way
- –Problem they understand, hypothetical
Surface similarity
- –Lack may prevent retrieval/identification of suitable analogues
- —Looks the same—wind up v electric toy car example
- —Surface sim resonates most w clients
Therapists need to guide process
- —Has this happened before? How did you solve it then?
- —Finding exceptions to the problems
Mapping Analogue Elements
Mapping elements from analogue to current problem can be a challenge:
- –Lack factual knowledge—misconceptions or misunderstandings about elements of problem
- –Imperfect connection between analogue and problem
- –Negative set may cause elements of analogue to impose unnecessary constraints on current problem
Adapting Solution Principles
Solution must be abstractly understood well enough that it can be transferred to a conceptually similar but physically dissimilar situation
Better if solution principle is generated by client than therapist
People are better are applying analogies when presented with two or more example problems
Expert Use or Analogy
Because experts represent knowledge more conceptually, they are better suited to retrieve analogues with structural similarity
What’s the danger of this approach?
Not understood
