Higher-Order Change Within the Person-Centered Approach

Abstract

Elsewhere in this volume, Kriz elegantly argues that the person-centered approach (PCA) is fundamentally a systems theory. Systems theory argues that “the whole is more than the sum of the parts,” and particularly that there is an emergent quality of any system. PCA stresses the importance of the genuineness and presence of an agent (e.g., therapist, teacher, parent) within relationships with other agents (e.g., clients, students, children). PCA stresses the healing or developmental nature of the encounter within a context of unconditional positive regard and empathy, as the “opportunity” for “self-correction” and development in ways persons need. PCA helps create a context that promotes people exiting from “stuck,” first-order solutions to problems and into second-order shifts that offer surprising resolution and healing. This chapter will briefly explicate how PCA is here viewed as a systems theory, provide a quick overview of the seminal Theory of Logical Types, as presented by Watzlawick et al. (1974), and examine how first- and second-order changes applies to relational fields like psychotherapy, education, or families.