Change

This book is intended to assist individuals in dealing with change occurring externally to the person, as well as change that the individual attempts to bring about in themselves. The approaches taken attempt to organize the concepts of change within a broad framework, a continuum (or gradient) which will enable the person to see changes in life as existing on a spectrum from those change phenomena which are external to the individual (e.g., economic or environmental events) to those within the person (e.g., stopping smoking or changing one's behavior). Within an overarching framework of general systems theory, which emphasizes a holistic view of change, the book describes a number of conceptual structures or what are conceived as "models." The volume focuses on helping the reader to recognize the way these models appear in the person's environment, as well as in the individual's own functioning. Further, the book indicates how the person can apply these models in his or her own efforts to deal with life and change. Thus, each chapter describes the essential idea of a particular model and then provides a section on the applications of that model. The beginning chapters describe several abstract "models" followed by a chapter which presents John Bowlby's attachment theory and his concept of "internal models," which reflect individuals' core perceptions of themselves and others; finally, the book includes a discussion of James Prochaska's stages of change model which describes the ways in which individuals proceed to make changes in their own behavior and functioning. The book presents a unified view of change in life as it occurs external to, and within, the person and concludes with a discussion of ways the individual can consider these various concepts in efforts to make change. The book is appropriate for three audiences. First, the volume is suitable for mental health professionals for whom the book can provide a unique view of the