The importance of dysfunctional habits from a systemic perspective
At the heart of the systems approach is the understanding that problematic behaviors are not isolated, but are part of a complex system of interactions. The book emphasizes the central role of “solution attempts”: those behaviors that individuals repeat when trying to solve a problem, but which end up making the situation worse. For example, avoidance or confrontation may seem like rational solutions at one point, but when they become redundant habits, they contribute to reinforcing suffering. The strategic systemic approach, which Vitry develops with precision, makes it possible to deconstruct these repetitive cycles and implement targeted interventions to break these dysfunctional loops. This method stands out for its ability to observe behaviors in real time and adjust interventions based on the reactions of the system as a whole.
39 dysfunctional habits deciphered
39 dysfunctional habits are classified into two main categories: dysfunctional habits generating avoidance or causing control and confrontation. These categories allow practitioners to better understand the nature of problematic behaviors, and above all to intervene effectively to interrupt these repetitive patterns.
Avoidance as an attempt at a redundant solution
Avoidance is defined by Vitry as a behavioral response aimed at fleeing a situation perceived as threatening or uncomfortable. This is a strategy where the individual actively avoids facing a difficulty, hoping to reduce discomfort. However, in the long term, this strategy fails because it reinforces the fears or anxieties underlying the problem.
Vitry distinguishes between several forms of avoidance, ranging from physical avoidance (not going to a particular place) to emotional avoidance (repressing feelings or avoiding difficult conversations). In a systemic framework, avoidance becomes dysfunctional when it is repeated compulsively, preventing the individual from directly confronting the problem and thus reinforcing the cycle of unhappiness.
Avoidance can also manifest itself in interpersonal relationships, such as when a person avoids important discussions so as not to cause conflict, but ends up making tensions worse in the long run. Vitry's classification methodology seeks to identify precisely how these behaviors manifest themselves in the overall dynamics of the person's relationships, taking into account family, social or professional systems.
Dysfunctional habits linked to avoidance include, for example, “Avoiding social situations that generate fear.” This attempt is often linked to social anxiety. The individual seeks to avoid any situation where he could be judged or criticized. Although it may temporarily relieve anxiety, avoidance increases fear and isolation in the long term.
Control and confrontation: the second category of dysfunctional habits
Vitry introduces control and confrontation as a second major category of redundant solution attempts. Unlike avoidance, these behaviors involve a willingness to act excessively to solve a problem, but without success. The individual seeks to control the situation or others, thereby hoping to prevent the emergence of anxiety, but this excessive control ends up creating more tension.
For example, in a family setting, a parent who exercises strict control over their child can provoke a reaction of resistance and opposition in the latter, thus reinforcing the conflict cycle. This type of behavior is also found in the professional environment, where an overly directive manager can undermine the motivation and autonomy of his employees, generating a dysfunctional work environment.
Vitry emphasizes that this type of attempted solution becomes a real problem when the individual persists in a controlling approach despite the negative effects observed. By classifying this behavior as controlling/confrontational, Vitry gives practitioners a framework for analyzing these repetitive patterns, while considering the systemic interactions that fuel and perpetuate the problem.
Among the 39 dysfunctional habits linked to control, we find “Wanting to control your behavior” or even “Wanting to control your rational emotional reactions” for example.
An approach based on perception-reaction systems
The Vitry classification is based on a detailed understanding of perception-reaction systems. According to this approach, dysfunctional behaviors are not isolated responses, but reactions to specific perceptions of individuals in their context. For example, one person avoids a situation because they perceive it as threatening, or another tries to control everything because they perceive a lack of control in their environment.
By understanding these perception-reaction systems, practitioners can better understand the root of redundant solution attempts and intervene more precisely. This helps break repetitive behavioral cycles by acting not only on the behaviors themselves, but also on the perceptions that trigger them.
SYPRENE and the validation of this classification
Vitry draws on the work of the SYPRENE network (Systemic Practice Research Network) to validate and refine this classification of dysfunctional habits. SYPRENE, a systems research network, uses rigorous methodology to observe and measure the effects of solution attempts in various clinical contexts. Thanks to the data collected by this network, it is possible to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Vitry classification in terms of diagnosis and intervention.
Clinical observations carried out within the SYPRENE network confirm that these two main categories of dysfunctional habits – avoidance and control/confrontation – are omnipresent in problematic relational dynamics. They also make it possible to refine therapeutic interventions, helping practitioners to precisely target the behaviors to be modified.
Meet the need for training in brief strategic systemic therapy
As brief strategic systemic therapy is rarely taught in psychology or medicine courses, Grégoire Vitry's work also responds to a training need. It offers a complete guide for making a non-pathologizing operative diagnosis within the framework of a brief and efficient intervention by describing
the fundamentals of the Palo Alto approach, the progress of interventions, the strategy of systemists, the theory of solution attempts and the main prescriptions.
This book is an essential contribution to the training of practitioners in this biopsychosocial methodology and the establishment of strategic systemic care services, both in the private and public sectors, thus representing an important step in a new ecological reading of mental health.
Author: Grégoire Vitry
Title: Strategic Systemic Brief Therapy, Intervention Guide for Dysfunctional Habits
Publisher: deboeck
Publication date: October 3, 2024
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