Article in English: «Syntone-approach in modern practical psychology and its scientific basis»
The synton approach as a direction in psychology is based both on its own scientific developments and on the scientific developments of the school of L.S. Vygotsky (cultural-historical theory of personality development), the development of neobehaviorism, cognitive psychology, modern psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology.
Behaviorism
From behaviorism, the synton approach takes the materialistic view, attention specifically to human behavior, to what can be clearly seen in behavior, one way or another definitely fixed, the use, first of all, of positive (direct and indirect) reinforcements of behavior. Within the framework of behaviorism, the synton approach is based on the developments of the cognitive-affective theory of Walter Mischel, the theory of social learning by Albert Bandura and the theory of social learning by Julian Rotter.
Gradually I realized that I did not believe in any psyche. Neither as a scientist, nor as a practitioner — I do not believe, and I do not need this hypothesis of the psyche. What many colleagues explain through the internal laws of the work of the psyche, I explain much more simply — most often either by our physiology, or by the habits that a person has learned.
Syntone Approach and Cognitive-Affective Theory by Walter Mischel
The synton approach, quite in line with Michel’s cognitive-affective theory, assumes that human behavior changes from situation to situation, but in a certain, predictable way.
For example, if someone is angry with his wife, he may react aggressively. However, if the same person is angry with his boss, he is likely to suppress his irritation and comply. Such behavior may seem inconsistent, because a person seems to respond differently to the same stimulus. But, from the point of view of cognitive-affective theory, irritation caused by different people is not the same stimulus. The behavior we have described is not inconsistent and may well reflect a pattern of reacting that is stable throughout a given person’s life.
You can talk about personality traits and measure personality traits. But in order to predict their behavior, it is much more important and interesting to understand their psychological situation, their inner vision of what is happening.
«The focus is shifting from attempts at comparison and generalization, designed to find out what different people ‘are’, to an assessment of what they do — really or mentally — in relation to the psychological situation in which they do it» (Mischel, 1973, p. 265).
Syntone Approach and Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura
The theory of social learning by Albert Bandura highlights the following phenomena that are actively used in the practice of the synton approach:
- Learning through observation of a model and copying behavior patterns, consciously or through the mechanism of unconscious imitation.
- Indirect reinforcement is the observation of the consequences of other people’s behavior. Indirect, observable reinforcement has the same consequences as reinforcing one’s own behavior.
- Self-control, self-reinforcement, self-punishment — a person can control himself, arrange positive and negative reinforcement for himself.
- Self-efficacy is the importance of a person’s conviction that he can cope with the tasks that he sets for himself.
Synton Approach and Social Learning Theory of Julian Rotter
The four main concepts on which Julian Rotter’s theory of social learning is based are behavioral potential, expectancy, reinforcement value, and the psychological situation itself. In accordance with this, the synton approach pays great attention to the behavioral potential of the training participants, expanding the range of their possible behavioral responses, using soft and hard responses, alternating cooperation and competition, effective wording and intonation richness — everything that can give social, psychological and acting training. Working with expectations in the synton approach is a discussion of strategies to “reduce losses” or “increase gains”, develop a mood for confident behavior that forms the respect of others, the ability to see in others those who are ready to respond in a friendly manner to requests for help. Accounting for the value of reinforcement in the synton approach is realized, in particular, in the analysis of the expectations of others, in the ability to respond exactly to what a particular person needs in a given situation. As for the analysis and understanding of the psychological situation, taking into account the context and details of the environment, the synton approach implements this at all stages of training — both in the field of friendships, and in the analysis of family situations, and in playing out business cases in training leaders.
Julian Rotter’s idea of the internal and external locus of control in the synton approach sounds in two interrelated versions — as the theme «Author-Victim» and the theme of personal responsibility for what a person does and what happens to him. In the synton approach, Rotter’s questionnaire is used to control the results of training. Experimental studies of the results of training in the Synton program show an increase in the participants of the lesson of the internal, internal locus of control, an increase in the personal responsibility of people not only for the events taking place in their business and personal lives, but also for their internal emotional state.
Psychoanalysis
The synton approach does not share Z. Freud’s conviction that libido is the center of a person’s mental life, but considers childhood the most important stage when personal ways of relating to the world are laid.
Within the framework of social psychoanalysis, the synton approach uses its own developments, namely the theory of social psychoanalysis of emotions (author N.I. Kozlov). The theory of social psychoanalysis of emotions not only explains numerous phenomena that do not receive a convincing explanation in other theories, but also gives a positive pedagogical effect, showing that the ability to control emotions is not something new and artificial for an adult, but is a return to his original skill. control of emotions, which all people possess in their childhood.
Cognitive direction in psychology
The synton approach uses the developments of the cognitive direction, emphasizing the importance of analyzing the subjective perception of what is happening.
Synton approach and the theory of personality constructs
The synton approach, analyzing how a person perceives events happening to him, is based on the concept of personality constructs proposed by George Kelly. In the process of educational and training work in the synton approach, the task is to enrich personal constructs, make them more diverse, flexible and adequate, as a result, increase the subtlety of distinguishing what participants see in themselves, others and the world. Look →
As one of the philosophical attitudes, the synton approach uses constructive alternativeism — a philosophical attitude formulated by J. Kelly. According to constructive alternativeism, reality can be interpreted by people in many different ways based on «constructive alternatives» (that is, different points of view on reality, individual models of reality).
In constructive alternativeism, in principle, abstractly correct or incorrect interpretations of environmental signals are not considered, and all hypotheses that allow adequate interaction with the environment have the right to exist. In other words, in constructive alternativeism, the acceptability of a hypothesis is determined not by the degree of approximation of the model to the “original”, but by its heuristic value. How does it «work» or not. In the synton approach, however, the principle of constructive alternativeism is used with the obligatory consideration of the interests of all parties involved.
Humanistic psychology
Together with Abraham Maslow, the synton approach aims to explore the highest levels of personal development and mental health, and self-actualization of the individual is one of the values of the synton approach.
The synthon approach implements the view proposed by Carl Rogers, according to which the best results in personal growth are achieved when working on the positive, in the format of supporting the best intentions and aspirations of the individual.
“When a person comes to me, concerned about his own difficulties, which are unique to him, I am sure that the best thing is to try to create such a relationship with him in which he feels free and safe”Rogers K. A look at psychotherapy. The formation of man. M.: Progress, 1994. S. 153.