Parental logic therapy
Parental logic therapy (PLT) is a niche in philosophical counseling developed by honours alumna and philosopher Hila Eigner[1] in 2016. It is a philosophical variant of Logic-based therapy (LBT)[2] and rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT).[3] Parental Logic Therapy (PLT) seeks to define parental existential problems in logical terms. It is talk therapy in which patients draft or reframe negative feelings and thoughts regarding their family, not into positive actions but into logical terms. The goal is to help patients think in logical terms during difficult moments, which will positively influence their decision-making process.
Theoretical assumptions
The basic premise is that emotions are strongly intertwined in one’s decision-making process. Hard feelings cannot be turned off or ignored, especially when it comes to a family unit; they are always there at changing levels. That is because negative feelings and thoughts are difficult to deal with and tend to stifle thought. Ineffectively waiting for these feelings to dissolve, PLT offers a new way to look at a situation in a logical setting that will help to tweak the volume of the negative emotions; logic helps to instill “cold sense” and create a certain balance. PLT is based on the understanding that parents face an existential crisis; to become a parent is to experience an extreme and constant change in life, leaving a familiar safe self and entering into unfamiliar family territory. As much as parents attempt to prepare themselves for this change, by hiring professionals and reading books focusing on the child, they are rarely ready for the mental challenge they are facing, which is realized only too late.
Applications
PLT can be useful to parents in all stages of parenthood who are struggling with parental existential problems; parental guilt, load-bearing responsibility, loss of independence, parental weight gain, parental moral burden, parental loneliness, etc. It does not treat disorders, but existential parental tension. During PLT, patients are introduced to definitions of possible negative feelings they may have towards their family, and they have an opportunity to draft their own definition of what is making them feel mental pain which they are trying to stay away from.[4] Many of them are scared to talk about their feelings because they fear society may not view these thoughts with sympathetic eyes. In fact, not talking about it is what increases their negative thoughts and feelings and leads to distress. Once there is a clear definition, they are encouraged to go through their decision-making process again, in light of the new definitions.
Parental decision-making process
The goal of PLT is to influence the patient’s decision-making process, assuming that if one thinks in logical terms, one’s decision-making process will lead to more balanced thoughts and decisions and not impulsive behaviour. Decision-making is a cognitive process of choosing from a number of options.[5] It is a basic process that people face all the time, but parental decision-making is impacted by uncertainty and extreme fear of failure. A parent has to make fateful decisions about the life, health, education, and general well-being of his child. Therefore, the process should be sensible and emanate from a mentally balanced parent.
Parental transformation
There is a dearth in therapeutic theories that relate to a person as a parent, not just a person and not just a parent, but both at the same time. The lack of a clear theory that deals with the most difficult feelings that parents go through (guilt, remorse, self-renunciation) turns them into a taboo. These existential crises need to be regarded as a part of the transformation of a person becoming a parent. They are not necessarily a disorder (they may deteriorate into one if not dealt with), but a natural process of change that every parent needs to go through when undergoing the transition into a family unit. Through this process, one can learn about the kind of parent he is capable of being and can make the necessary adjustments. Thus, parenting becomes a tremendous and positive experience.
References
- ↑ Eigner, Hila (2009). Leader, enlightenment and social status. Sourasky Central Library, 150.1952: Tel-Aviv University. Search this book on
- ↑ Cohen, Elliot D. (2003). What Would Aristotle Do? Self-Control Through the Power of Reason. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Search this book on
- ↑ Ellis, Albert (1994). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy: Comprehensive Method of Treating Human Disturbances, Revised and Updated. New York, NY: Citadel Press. Search this book on
- ↑ Bentham, Jeremy (1823). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Chapter 1: Of the Principle of Utility. London macmillan and co: publishers to the university of oxford. p. 1. Search this book on
- ↑ Basar, K., Sesia, T., Groenewegen, H., Steinbusch, H. W., Visser-Vandewalle, V., & Temel, Y. (2010). "Nucleus accumbens and impulsivity". Progress in neurobiology. 92(4): 533-557.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
This article "Parental logic therapy" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Parental logic therapy. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
