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Coming to terms.

William B Stiles1

  • 1Miami University, Psychology, Oxford, OH, USA. stileswb@muohio.edu

Psychotherapy Research : Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research
|June 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The assimilation model views the self as internal voices. Psychotherapeutic dialogue using meaning bridges helps integrate disconnected voices, reducing psychological distress and accessing self-resources.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychotherapy
  • Theory of Mind

Background:

  • The self is conceptualized as a community of internal voices, shaped by personal experiences.
  • Psychopathology and distress often arise from the disconnection of specific voices from this internal community.
  • The assimilation model offers a framework for understanding psychological change.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the assimilation model of psychological change.
  • To illustrate the concept and application of meaning bridges in psychotherapy.
  • To explore the role of voices, signs, and associated concepts within the assimilation model.

Main Methods:

  • The study elaborates on the assimilation model and its core concepts.
  • It describes the process of building meaning bridges through psychotherapeutic dialogue.
  • Illustrations and examples are used to explain the practical application of the model.

Main Results:

  • Meaning bridges, defined as signs with shared meaning between producer and recipient, facilitate the assimilation of problematic voices.
  • Assimilation reduces psychological distress by reconnecting disconnected internal voices.
  • This process grants access to previously unavailable experiential resources within the self.

Conclusions:

  • The assimilation model provides a theoretical basis for understanding psychological distress and change.
  • Psychotherapeutic dialogue focused on building meaning bridges is an effective method for addressing psychopathology.
  • Integrating disconnected internal voices through meaning bridges promotes psychological well-being and self-access.