Jacobus Gideon Kobus Maree
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Psychol Abnorm Child
A storied approach, embedded in a narrative framework, promotes the construction of new realities but simultaneously acknowledges past experiences and is aimed at dealing with a painful and traumatic past and transcending hard times and lack of resources. Although conscious and subconscious motives and drives as well as behavior acquired in social and less social contexts continue to influence human behavior long after the early childhood years, this approach draws from the existentialphenomenological belief that people know themselves better than anybody else and should be enabled to advise themselves. Earliest recollections often signal the sequence of events that constitute clients�?? life stories. Considering the three earliest recollections technique from an individual psychology, person-centered perspective, Adler (1933) maintains there is no such thing as �??chance�?? memories. Clients often remember or repeat stories to themselves in the process of reflexive constructing, deconstructing, reconstructing and co-constructing themselves. These stories are used to advise, soothe, caution or comfort themselves to keep themselves focused on their goals and to prepare themselves-through revisiting (drawing advice from) past experiences for the future with an established plan of action. A case study will be presented (working with a participant in a oneon- one research setting and incorporating an integrated, qualitative and quantitative, interpretive paradigm) to demonstrate the use of early recollections in (career) counseling and indeed psychotherapy. The participant was selected purposively with the selection criteria calling for an adolescent with an impaired sense of self who had sought (career) counseling. After the intervention, the participant demonstrated an enhanced sense of self including an enhanced self-concept and self-esteem as well as an increased sense of personal authorship and hope for the future. Future research should include the application of the approach in group contexts.
Email: Kobus.Maree@up.ac.za
