Description
Book SynopsisHuman beings change constantly; we are in an endless state of flux as we grow, mature, learn, and adapt to a myriad of physical, environmental, social, educational, and cultural influences. Change can be thought of as planful when it is motivated by the desire to be and feel different, such as the change that comes about as a result of deliberate intervention, usually initiated by a troubled individual and aided by another, typically a professional.In How and Why People Change Dr. Ian M. Evans revisits many of the fundamental principles of behavior change in order to deconstruct what it is we try to achieve in psychological therapies. All of the conditions that impact people when seeking therapy are brought together in one cohesive framework: assumptions of learning, motivation, approach and avoidance, barriers to change, personality dynamics, and the way that individual behavioral repertoires are inter-related. Special emphasis is placed on environmental, social, and cultural influenc
Trade ReviewOverall, this book is comprehensive, thought provoking, reflective and highly engaging. It is an excellent text for any health professional interested in understanding change and why or how people change. Evans successfullyapplies change theories to clinical settings and real life (client) presentations. ... Evan's work is also recommended for inclusion in any educational or training courses on change, as well as a key reference text in any university library. * Kylie Bailey and Nick Higginbotham, Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology *
Table of ContentsPreface ; Acknowledgments ; Chapter 1 Setting the scene: Why we need a theory for change ; Chapter 2 What is therapeutic change? ; Chapter 3 Motivation to change ; Chapter 4 Individual differences in ability to change: Personality and context ; Chapter 5 Conditioning: Changing the meaning and value of events ; Chapter 6 Contingencies: Therapy is learning and unlearning ; Chapter 7 Response relationships: The dynamics of behavioral regulation ; Chapter 8 Cognition: Changing thoughts and fantasies ; Chapter 9 Self-influence ; Chapter 10 Social mediators and the therapeutic relationship ; Chapter 11 Culture as behavior change ; Chapter 12 Conclusions: How and why people can change and be changed ; References ; Index
