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A practical application of the Dialogical approach.Source: Hambly, L. and Bomford, C. (2019) Creative Career Coaching, Theory into Practice. Routledge. PP 156 – 160Archetypes and TransformationJung (1964) identified a range of archetypes which exist in the “collective unconscious”, that are recognised across cultures. The twelve main archetypes are: the innocent (also known as the dreamer, romantic, mystic), the orphan ( regular person who wants to belong), the hero/heroine (warrior, winner, rescuer, soldier), the caregiver (martyr, helper, parent), the explorer (individualist, pilgrim, seeker), the rebel (outlaw, misfit, revolutionary), the lover (sensualist, intimate partner/friend), the creator (artist, inventor, musician), the jester (clown, joker, trickster), the sage (teacher, thinker, mentor), the magician (visionary, healer, charismatic leader), the ruler (queen, king, boss, leader). We have several archetypes at play in ourselves, some more dominant than others. Archetypes have long been used in therapeutic practices, for example, Transactional Analysis is known for its Parent/Adult/Child model (Berne 1961) and the Victim/Rescuer/Persecutor triad (Karpman 1968). In the career development field, archetypes are a feature of what has become known as Transformational Coaching. Executives explore their leader archetype; empowerment models for women consider how the princess can transform them from princess to queen; anyone struggling to fulfil their potential might need to consider whether there is a saboteur, pleaser or victim holding them back. A coach can help us to name parts of the self, to befriend those sides that might be causing difficulty and encourage other aspects to come into being. Attributing a name or metaphor to a behaviour or attitude creates a critical distance, preventing over-identification with that aspect of our personality. A role is something that we can enter but also step out of. The more we realise that there are numerous roles we can play then the more flexible and capable of change we become. Whilst some people will recognise archetypes as aspects of themselves, others will express sub-personalities through the use of adjectives, for example:“That’s the good girl in me.” “The part of me that’s organised says …” “Sometimes my risk-taking side comes out but doesn’t last for long.” “That’s the part of me that plays safe.”“My sensible self says I shouldn’t, but then my care free self says go for it”Clients might use words which express an aspect of their personality, particularly when struggling with decision making (fig 12.9) Figure 12.9. Examples of clients’ language for archetypes)PleasingNaughtySafeSensibleRisk takerFighterPlayfulMischievousAdventurousRescuerVictimBraveCautiousRebelObsessiveMentorCoachCriticalSpontaneousCreativeCynicGood girl/ boyQuestionerThoughtfulSaboteurAnxiousConfidentPositiveOptimisticPessimisticDare devilLeaderFollowerMediatorAssertiveIntrovertExtrovertEmotionalRational IntuitiveOne of the reasons people struggle to make decisions or effectively manage situations is because parts are at war with each other:“Do I follow my head or my heart?”“One part of me gets excited, then the critical bit jumps in and says don’t be silly.”You can therefore pick up on the adjectives used and reflect back the conflict, for example: “You seem to be saying that there are two sides of you, sensible Susan and risk-taking Susan”“These two sides seem to want different things … you are continually pulled in different directions. No wonder you’re struggling to decide”Identifying the parts is only the first step. They then need to be explored to create dialogue between the characters. Auditory, visual and kinaesthetic language can be used to strengthen this process, for example: “So, tell me about your creative part. What does it want to do about this? What is it saying? What does it look like? What does the voice sound like? What does it feel about this issue?”“You said that your critic then comes in and crushes your creative side. Tell me about your critic. What is it saying? What does it look like? What does its voice sound like? What does it feel about this issue? “What are the good aspects of your critic? How has it served you in the past? To what extent is it helping or hindering you from moving forward?”What does your creative part want to say to the critic?” How does the critic respond?”If the two characters get stuck in the conflict, then it’s useful to introduce a helicopter view, to imagine a wise person (also an aspect of their self) looking down on the situation and listening to the dialogue. Then ask the client, what advice would that wise part of them would give so that the conflict is resolved? Chair WorkThis method can increase the power of the dialogical approach and create rapid and deep shifts in the way a client sees their self and their situation. Chair work has roots in Gestalt therapy but has been adapted for areas such as anger management, Motivational Interviewing and Neuro Linguistic Programming. It is highly experiential, using all of the senses to create a felt reaction. In our experience, most clients respond with, “Wow, that’s powerful”. Its potency means that you will need the confidence and skill to use it effectively (if this is new to you, try practicing in safe situations first). The approach is similar to Transformational Coaching, but enhanced through the use of chairs to occupy the different parts, for example, different chairs for the critic, the creative and the wise character. It can be used in everyday practice with someone’s inner critic, their saboteur, the part of them that is afraid of taking risks or being assertive. We are always in a process of becoming, of being the person we have the potential to be and this experiential process can speed things up!EXAMPLE 12.2 Chair workJordan says he’s not good at pushing himself forward. He works for a company where, even if you’re doing a great job, unless you shout about it then you won’t be noticed. James sees himself as an introvert and hates having to compete for space. His evaluations from customers are excellent, but his boss just doesn’t see it. He has a colleague who is lazy but who courts management, proclaiming his skills and expertise. A promotion is coming up and Jordan is worried that his colleague will present a better picture of his achievements, even though they are pretty flimsy in comparison.Megan, his coach, reflects back that the introvert side of his self is struggling and yet there’s a side of him that wants to compete, that wants to be recognised. Jordan acknowledges this.She asks if he’s willing to try an activity that aims to make his competitive side take a more prominent role. He agrees.Megan asks Jordan to sit in the chair that represents “introverted Jordan”. Then she asks him to speak from that place: “so, introverted Jordan, how do you feel about this situation?; when you’re asked to promote yourself, what do you think? How do you feel? What do you say?; can you describe what that voice sounds like?”Then Megan asks him to sit in the chair of “competitive Jordan”. She asks similar questions. Jordan starts to talk in a stronger tone, his body taking up more space. She asks him how he feels in this place.At this point his introvert side kicks in –“It feels like I’m being too arrogant, too pushy. I don’t like myself”.Megan reflects this back with empathy. Then asks him to take a third chair, the place of the wise person. He struggles a bit with this and so she asks him to think of someone that he identifies as wise. He thinks of his wife. From that chair, he is asked to look at the two aspects of himself and give them some advice. His wise side says “you are both right. Pushy people aren’t nice, and you don’t want to become one of them. Yet you also want to be valued. So there’s a happy medium. Pass on the customer satisfaction reports to your boss, the evidence that you’re good. Then she will think, where’s the evidence from the other guy?”Megan asks Jordan to return to his ordinary chair and to reflect on what happened. He says “wow, that was powerful. I don’t have to push myself forward in a way that I don’t like, but can provide concrete evidence to my boss about my ability”Adapting the TechniqueIf you don’t have chairs, try asking the client to choose a different coloured paper for each part which they hold when talking from that position. You may also use creative writing. Hunt (2010) suggests creating a short story around two dominant sub-personalities. To write a story, the client can follow these guidelines:choose two contracting sub-per to work personalities with (for example, “hard working achiever” with “stuck”)identify some images or metaphors to represent these two characteristicsdevelop the two characteristics into actual characters, giving them names, visual characteristics and backstorygive them some dialogue. What might they say?write a short story in the third person (using both their names), where the characters meet each other and exchange something of valueThe client can then reflect on the story and what it means for them. They could repeat the exercise with other pairs of characteristics. ................
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