Γνῶθι σεαυτόν: the Self from basic studies on Relational Frame Theory (RFT) to clinical applications
Concetta Messina, Giovambattista Presti
Self-narration is a typical skill of human beings, whatever the verbal community to which they belong, and the awareness that self and one's behaviour derives from it plays a fundamental role in their lives. In any form of psychotherapy, personal background is, moreover, a crucial element for understanding an individual's experience and how this can become a source of suffering over time. But how does an individual's relationship with their history affect their psychological well-being and interaction with the community in which they live? What is it in the biographical history of a human being who has acquired the ability to think and speak that determines whether that person will live with self-esteem or constant suffering? Since the dawn of psychology, all explanatory models have been concerned with conceptualising what is called the «I» or «Self». As a result of the experimental and applied heritage of behavioural analysis, the beginning of our century witnessed the development of the relational frame theory (RFT). Placing the ability to derive relationships between stimuli or events at the heart of human language and cognition, as RFT explains, allows the clinician to better understand complex human behaviours and to identify the environmental variables (internal and external) that are sources of suffering, and influence them. This article aims:( a) to present the RFT perspective on the development of the repertoire of the Self; (b) to illustrate the stimulating functions of the descriptions that an individual emits about their own patterns of actions, responsible for flexibility or contrary to psychological inflexibility; (c) to provide useful information on the application that can be integrated with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This integration need not be limited to ACT but can include other psychotherapy models, not exclusively cognitive-behavioural ones, in order to intervene on the processes that are commonly labelled with the term «Self».
Keywords
Self, Stimulus Control, Behavior Analysis, Relational Frame Theory, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
