Humour, learning and creativity in therapy. A practical constructivism.

Humour, learning and creativity in therapy. A practical constructivism.

Peter StrattonProfessor of Family Therapy

Leeds Family Therapy and Research CentreInst. of Health Sciences, Leeds University,

UK

EFTA/AFT 2007

Objectives of the paper

1. You will have a lighter approach to the serious business of humour, and a more serious approach to the funny business of therapy.

2. You will give yourself premission to be creative in therapy and to deliberately foster the creativity of your clients.

3. And you will both enjoy it more.

The thesis The main aim of therapy: that the client

achieves a new understanding and/or narrative of the familiar events of their lives, is very similar to the main basis of humour.

So in defining the conditions that make a joke more likely to succeed we are defining the conditions for creative psychotherapy

We may also learn about how to use humour by researching what therapists do.

If

We can formulate a constructivist position out of our present knowledge of therapeutic practice

It should be a platform for a true integration of past, present, and future approaches.

I see constructivism as a good base for theories of therapy

* Stratton, P. (2003) Human Systems.

We have good theories about what humour is for, e.g. Kahn’s (1989) list of 5 primary functions of humour:

But much less understanding of the psychological processes involved.

The major developmental analysis of humour was by Paul McGhee

Paul McGhee has now left academic life and is applying his theories in commerce

Homer Simpson’s spider pig.AKA Harry Plopper

Homer Simpson’s spider pig.AKA Harry Plopper

Bateson’s pigs Bateson pointed out that there are no

pigs in the brain, but there are not usually images of pigs in the brain either.

What we do is recognise and interact with pigs in the ways that we find appropriate and effective.

Now if you had access to all the ways I have of mentally processing ‘pig’, you could construct the meanings that I give to pig.

object

schem

a

exploration

directs

samples

Act

ivat

es/m

odifi

es

samples

Ulric Neisser

Life = potentiating the schemas you might need

How many schemas ?

When you first came into this room?

A small percentage of your complete set

Probably not more than 10,000

Exploration

Samples from the world But also samples within the

schemas the theory draws on metaphor and

the hermeneutic circle …. Enter the sheep

Activated schemas may mobilise you

When schemas have implications for action, and the situation is serious, the action is taken.

But when mobilised but there is no appropriate action (because you realise the situation does not call for it) you may laugh.

The banana skin

What is happening here?

Two men meetJohn announces:

‘my wife is pregnant’

David replies: ‘congratulations’

What is happening here?

Two men meetJohn announces:

‘my wife is pregnant’

David replies: ‘who do you suspect?’

A joke:Is achieved through the process of:

A. Eliciting of an anticipatory schemaB. A recognition that the schema is the

wrong one, or inadequate by being too simple

C. A resolution through an alternative schema which:

requires abrupt activation of a schema with significant positive implications: for relationships/enjoyment/ elaborateness/ connections to other significant schemas/ for major motivations.

Therapists have a licence to challenge assumptions and say the unsayable

Therapists may act like a priest or a judge,

But they are better as court jesters “This fellow is wise enough to play

the fool; and to do that well, craves a kind of wit” (Twelfth Night)

Someone else’s learning (informative)

interpreted through learner’s general pre-understanding internal and external conversations the hermeneutic (becomes formative) circle

practice in context becomes the particular understanding

reflecting monitoring articulation

External input

Activates schemas Do they dispose of the input? internal and external conversations the hermeneutic (becomes formative) circle

practice in context becomes the particular understanding

reflecting monitoring articulating

draw out general principles opens up conversations of own schema processes from the community, families etc.

reflecting deep learning of theory KNOWING HOW TO GO ON

External input If NO, explore

Activates schemas Do they dispose of the input? Operate an anticipation internal and external conversations the the conversations connect hermeneutic (becomes formative) to wider schemas circle assimilation and accomodation

practice in context this context will now activate more options becomes the particular understanding apply to schema store inspect response<->schema formulate in language

draw out general principles opens up conversations of own schema processes from the community, families etc.

reflecting consider possible alternative schema activations for future use deep learning of theory KNOWING HOW TO GO ON

Critical Thinking, creativity and metaphor.

From humour to creativity

... all creative activities - have a basic pattern in common: the shaking together of already existing but previously separate areas of knowledge, frames of perception or universes of discourse ...

(Koestler, A., (1975) The Ghost in the Machine, p. 195)

©Peter Stratton.Leeds 2003

Creativity is a skill not a miracle

Creativity is what psychotherapy is about

for clients AND for therapist

©Peter Stratton.Leeds 2003

Creativity is one of the prime responsibilities of therapists. So:

Not so much what is creativity, but how to go on creatively.

Without privileging creativity at the expense of rigour

©Peter Stratton.Leeds 2003

Bateson’s dilemma

Serious business like therapy implies rigour

The dilemma of the tension between rigour and creativity.

As Bateson said, too much creativity leads to madness

But too much rigour results in death

In 2s or 3s have fun inventing metaphors for a therapist that incorporate a role as comedian.

Metaphor talk is one way to get free from seriousness. E.g. in the technique of externalising (Churchill’s ‘black dog’).

Using metaphors

Humour, and therapy, need to distance from the seriousness

In Bateson’s terms, maybe humour allows you to test something out in the map before you have to get into the territory. Flagging something as a joke is a signal that this is map, not territory. ‘we are going meta’

Alternatively: it is the absence of an (amigdaloid) emotional reaction.

Conditions for creativity:

secure base absence of blocks remembering to

©Peter Stratton.Leeds 2003

Motherhood, apple pie and attachment

Baby:

Hunger cry fed assuaged play

General formulation:

Stress demand care latitude explore

A therapist:

New pre-session schema confident creative

Family anxiety theory

Findings from our research

In 10 family therapy sessions there were 183 episodes with an indication of humour.

Grounded Theory analysisBoth family members and therapists used

humour extensively but therapists used a more restricted range. Humour was used with an enabling function by both families and therapists when confronting difficult issues.

Types of humour most often used by therapists

Were in the group likely to open up alternative attributions.

Exposure of censored feelings Introduction of new explanation Comment Task assignment Challenging of beliefs Irreverence

Functions of humour common across families Category Number

Description Number of families using

1 5 11

Explaining Raising the Tempo Hanging onto a point

5/5

4 9

Keeping it light Mastery

4/5

21 3 7 12 18 22 8

Expressing an emotion Engagement Roles Showing solidarity Avoiding the question Putting the therapist straight Blaming self/others

3/5

19 6

Making a bid for inclusion Inviting other’s perspectives

2/5

A possible conclusionBreeda Gallagher and Peter Stratton

while therapists are creators of humour, using the isomorphism of structure of joke and therapeutic intervention to open up possibilities for difference,

the families were consumers of humour, using the signals of humour to create space and permissions to say what they want to say, both to the therapist and to each other.

For a therapist to help you enjoy jokes about your religion needs:

A positive alliance with the therapist creating: - Acceptance that they may offer alternative schemas A reduction in the investment in initial schema which

frees you to consider alternatives The building of alternative schemas so that they are

constructed in a positive form Potentiating positive alternative schemas so they are

readily available for alternative explanations.

These are the therapeutic process

Applications in therapy Think of the last time you entered a

therapy room… What hermeneutic circles started

from your prejudices (Milan jargon) But immediately you move on to

think about the hermeneutic circles of the family members, then to guessing about their prejudices (dominant societal discourses)

Application

Think of how your emotional state may have led you to potentiate some schemas rather than others

i.e. suppose you had been bored, full of enthusiasm, fed up with adolescents, in love, hungry…. Would different sets of schemas have been potentiated ready for use?

A schema take on therapy Therapy is about seeing past actions as

due to certain schemas being activated, and negotiating ways in which different schemas could operate.

This may be by changing the meanings attached to events, practicing choosing different consequents for common schemas, or changing the setting conditions (e.g. parental criticism) so that the old schemas are not activated, and can gently become less available.

You cannot destroy a schema (which is why it is difficult to directly persuade someone to renounce a well rehearsed belief) but you can redirect its connections so that it leads to different consequences.

Or you can redirect the setting conditions that until now have activated it. E.g. seeing a vulnerable person to arouse empathy rather than an opportunity for exploitation.

Keep exploration going

the whole schema system is geared to minimising the exploratory cycle.

Creativity is about finding ways to insist on the exploration.

What would stop premature closure In a discussion during therapy? In a family at home?

In therapy: Look for repetitive cycles with

problematic outcomes Negotiate whether to avoid the

precipitating conditions or to instate alternative outcomes. This needs irreverence so that the person doesn’t ‘have’ to follow through

Including maintaining the exploratory cycle (safety plus curiosity)

Further Information Peter’s work-in-progress website:

www.psyc.leeds.ac.uk/staff/p.m.stratton/

Human Systems 2003 JFT 2005