Problem- vs. Growth-Oriented in Mental Issues
This may lead to diametrically opposed ways of being and many misunderstandings.
As a mindset.
All of us continually encounter issues, from minor to life-size. This way, there is ample occasion to practice in seeing them either as problems or as invitations to grow.
Problems may lead more generally to stress; invitations to positive challenges ― no stress.
Yet, they are the same issues.
Outside ― inside
Looking at issues from the outside is more amenable to experiencing them as problems. One just wants to get rid of them.
By opening the packages, one may encounter fertile soil for growth.
The primary goal then may become very different.
Socio-politics
This is one way – of which there are many – to probably understand somewhat better the difference between a more progressive and a more conservative mindset.
Being more growth-oriented, one is also more focused on future possibilities. New challenges bring new solutions. So, should we not progress towards these better goods?
Being more problem-oriented, one focuses on the issues that need to be solved now. The problems themselves may be perceived as originating from disrespect for what already has been solved in the past. So, should we not conserve the goods that we already have?
Therapy
In Western medicine – and psychotherapy as its little sibling – the orientation is mostly an implicit mindset of problem-orientedness ― also known as solution-orientedness where the solution lies in diminishing the problem.
(This doesn’t necessarily denote political orientation.)
In many cases, this leads to symptomatic therapy also when it’s not ideal. [see: “Against Symptomatic Therapy”] The consequence may be a huge cost and little effectiveness. Moreover, people should know that this is a decision, not a necessity.
It should not be an implicit decision. It should be explicit as to patient consent. It may be, to the patient/client, the most important decision.
Problem vs. growth may lead to troubles in therapy
if people don’t appreciate the difference well enough. For instance, a patient/client may think that ‘attacking the problem’ is the goal of some therapy. With a caregiver having growth in mind, they talk past each other. A consequence may be that the client turns into a self-defeating orientation.
This may happen when one seeks psychotherapy in formal meditation.
AURELIS in this landscape
AURELIS is mainly growth-oriented, taking the problem (symptom, illness) as an entry for reaching the level where growth is possible. Diminishing a health-related problem is a side effect of this underlying endeavor.
AURELIS is also much broader than coaching.
It is a future-oriented mindset that – let’s hope so – is also rooted well enough in the past and the present.
Related Posts
Dreams are Poetry, not Prose
We often think of dreams as if they were puzzles — things to be cracked, interpreted, or explained. But what if that’s not what dreams are for? What if they’re closer to poetry than logic, closer to growth than decoding? This blog explores a radically different way of relating to dreams: one of listening, resonance, Read the full article…
The Handiness of Being Vague
In a term like ‘God,’ for instance. Such a term has as many meanings – subtle and less subtle – as there are people using it. Yet, to an outsider, all seem to agree. Do they? Would these differences still appear irrelevant if each person could directly look into the mind of another? Certainly not. Read the full article…
Classical Reinforcement Learning – Bounded by Meaning
Reinforcement learning has an appealing simplicity: an agent acts, receives feedback, and adjusts. Yet beneath this familiar mechanism lies a more complex dynamic that is often overlooked. Humans, animals, and even sophisticated A.I. systems interpret ‘reward’ as something shaped by meaning. When seen from this angle, classical reinforcement learning remains valuable, but only when embedded Read the full article…