Resolution Of Personal Problems: What Attitudes Participate In This?
The connotation that is naturally and predominantly given to the concept of “problem” usually presents an adverse aspect.
And it is precisely this fact that very significantly negatively interferes with the probability of adopting an effective way of coping when a vital situation arises that requires a specific type of management and effort to overcome.
So, Before thinking about how to face a problem, it is necessary to analyze in detail the attitude that the person presents given the existence of these, as well as the coping capacity that one has in the face of such a circumstance.
D’Zurilla and Goldfried are the authors who in the seventies proposed a first model of Problem Solving (1971), which has been used extensively in the area of cognitive-behavioral psychological intervention in the social, interpersonal and clinical fields.
Specifically, the Problem Solving technique consists of the application of a set of non-linear phases that rationally and realistically guide the individual’s decision-making process and that mainly affects the cognitive element within the triple response system. of the individual: cognitive (thoughts and beliefs), autonomous (physiological and organic effects) and motor (behavioral action).
This procedure allows for the generation of a greater variety of alternative solutions through a scientific methodology and thus, also being able to choose the best option among all of them.
As initially noted, it seems thatThere are two different factors when it comes to dealing with a problem effectively: one is related to the person’s attitude and the other to the systematic application of the steps described in the phases of the theoretical model. Thus, what is indicated by D’Zurilla, Nezu and Maydeu-Olivares (1996) contemplates that the results obtained with the technique require that both factors be worked in a combined manner, since considering one without the other can lead to ineffective results.
The first attitudinal aspect is developed in the application of the first of the five phases of the model: orientation towards the problem. Subsequently, the following four phases refer to the application of the scientific model itself: formulation and definition of the problem, generation of alternatives, evaluation of alternatives and decision making and, finally, implementation of the decision made and verification of the results. .
Types of personal coping
What Bados (2014) contributed in this area of knowledge suggests that there are two types of personal coping: one called experiential and the other rational. The first case is a type of automatic action supported by emotional and intuitive content, while the second operates in the opposite way: it is conscious, analytical, requires effort and is based on more objective arguments.
The author points out as relevant what was highlighted by D’Zurilla and Maydeu-Olivares (1995) about the fact that The rational system is not intended to replace the experiential system but to regulate it preventing the individual from making automated and impulsive decisions based on the latter.
More frequently, people tend to opt for an experiential coping style due to the saving of time and energy it entails, although this sometimes entails an insufficient assessment of the problematic situation and how to proceed to deal with it efficiently. Furthermore, it is based on a subjective and motivational component that can cause the development of an attitude of avoidance or flight when actively coping with problems.
For that reason, The second option may be more expensive but safer in the medium or long term for the individual especially when it comes to more transcendental and relevant decisions.
Attitudinal factors in the Problem Orientation phase
As noted above, below are five elements to consider in the attitude of orientation to the problem that the person presents and that will determine the type of coping exercised in response to it.
One of the main elements that should be analyzed is if the person tends to recognize or minimize or deny the existence of a problem.
Although at first this last option has rather pleasant consequences because it generates a certain relief a priori, in the medium and long term it usually results in significant discomfort, since the problem continues to exist and may be getting worse.
Another aspect that also influences the perception of the problem is linked to mistakenly confuse the discomfort generated by not coping with the original problem when most likely this is independent of that.
2. Attribution of the problem
The cause to which the problematic situation is attributed becomes another of the essential variables to analyze, since if a biased or distorted reasoning is carried out regarding such circumstances, The person may associate the problem with a single factor without considering others that may also have influenced as well as there may also be an excess of self-attribution (attributing the cause exclusively to the person themselves) or finally, attributing the situation to unchangeable and stable factors instead of aspects that can be changed and on which one can influence. .
3. Assessment of the problem
The conceptual definition that the subject tends to make about problems in general is another aspect to address.
So, Problems can be understood as a threat or also as a challenge. In the first case, the adverse is defined as a potential dangerous situation, which can lead with a greater probability to the development of emotional discomfort such as anxiety, worry, stress and avoidance.
However, in the second case a more adaptive attitude is chosen where the problem is described as a process that allows learning or personal enrichment. In this second case it is understood that it is more functional to try to solve a problem even if the outcome is not completely satisfactory than not to have tried to solve it.
personal control It involves analyzing both the probability that the person values a problem and a situation that can be solved with his or her actions having a certain power of control over the situation.
Evidently, a higher proportion of these cognitions facilitates the possibility of effective coping with the problem, while a low probability of personal control is related to avoidance and denial behaviors of the problem.
5. Commitment of time and effort
The person’s willingness to actively get involved in terms of effort and time invested to solve the problem is the fifth factor that determines the probability of efficient coping. As in the previous case, If these conditions occur at a low level, it will be more likely that the individual will tend to omit appropriate and functional coping actions.
In conclusion
In the preceding lines a set of personal attitudinal variables that significantly influence when coping with potential life problems in a functional and adaptive way and that are linked to the perception and assessment that the person makes of the existence of problems in general.
Understanding these as natural phenomena, understanding them as challenges and not threats, carrying out rational and logical reasoning about the causes that cause them, as well as considering a sufficient capacity for personal control over them are fundamental elements that help to adopt greater competence when resolving certain circumstances that may be problematic for the individual, preventing them from becoming worse or chronic as a consequence of more passive actions and certain dysfunctional cognitions.
