Cycles of Irresponsible Behavior

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Cycles of Irresponsible Behavior

• John F. Newbauer, Ed.D.
• Allen County Juvenile Center
• Adler School of Professional Psychology

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Cycles

• Repetitive patterns that seem outside of ones
  control
• Purpose To reduce sense of helplessness or
  feelings of inferiority
• Through destructive or irresponsible behavior

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Adlerian but not uniquely so

• Introduced by sex offender treatment and domestic
  violence (Ryan Isaacs)
• Aggressive behavior or sexual violence is not
  spontaneous
• All behavior is purposive
• Private logic or cognitive and perceptual
  distortions are used to permit the antisocial
  behavior to occur

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(No Transcript)
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Creative Response to Discouragement With Minimal
Social Interest

• FROM
• felt minus
• Inferiority
• Helplessness
• Hurt
• Powerlessness
• Inadequate
• Fear

• TO
• perceived plus
• Superiority
• Control
• Revenge
• Power
• Smart, Clever
• Security

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Feelings of Inferiority

• The cycle starts with deep feelings of
  inferiority
• A sense of inadequacy, fear or powerlessness
• Accumulated over time with a cumulative effect

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Cognitive Distortions OR Detours
Cognitive Distortions
Cognitive Distortions
Cognitive Distortions OR Detours
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Triggering Event

• Specific event brings out the feelings of
  inadequacy, fear and/or inferiority
• Could be any life experience
• Person feels hurt, rejected, or threatened
• Person reacts as a victim

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Poor Me

• The victim has very biased apperception at this
  time
• Life is negative
• Past was negative
• Future doesnt look any better
• Whys everybody always picking on me?

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Pity Party Anger Withdrawal

• Person withdraws to avoid more pain or threat
• Isolation helps feed the anger
• Anger requires feeding feed it with thoughts
• They NEVER give me any credit
• They ALWAYS pick on me
• Being alone allows the anger to grow, fed by
  thoughts of the hurt

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Blaming Others

• Anger gets fed by remembering previous negative
  life events
• Person identifies as victim
• Life is not fair

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Ill Show You (me) Im Not Helpless

• Anger grows
• Revengeful feelings grow
• Feelings of powerlessness lead to a desire to
  show that they are powerful

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Nobodys Gonna Tell Me Prepare to Act

• Looking for actions to demonstrate power
• Usually first in fantasy or imagination, then in
  reality
• May include preparation or selection of target or
  victim, grooming, or set up
• Setting the stage

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Trouble

• This is the acting out point
• Mess up in your own unique way
• Trouble!
• Power Thrust!
• The Masculine Protest is alive and well

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Celebration and Affirmation

• Boy, I showed them
• I did it
• See how clever I am
• That will fix them

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Fugitive Thinking

• Get out of here! (Adrenalin rush)
• Make sure nobody knows
• Keep on driving
• I cant believe I did it again
• It wont hurt anyone. It wont matter.
• How can I keep it a secret?
• Nobody will ever know

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Resolution of Guilt

• I dont have a problem
• I know I should not do this but . . .
• This is the last time
• Never again
• I can control this and keep it from happening
  again

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Return to the Beginning

• The antisocial or impulsive action confirms and
  adds even more negative feelings to the sense of
  inadequacy and failure
• The individual is ready for the next trigger event

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The Cycle at a Glance (Handout)

• Is rooted in feelings of inferiority
• Feels as if out of ones control
• Is a goal oriented attempt to overcome those
  feelings
• Can be interrupted at any point by identifying
  private logic, challenging beliefs, and changing
  perceptions
• It must be tailored to the persons behavior and
  private logic

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A Demonstration with Jim

• Shoplifting Kleptomania
• Problems with wife and 2 children
• Job instability
• Gambling formerly
• Sleep problem
• No friends
• Physical problems

• Youngest of 13 in a blended family of his, hers
  and our children
• Learned to whine, manipulate and steal growing up
• Mother was focused on what others thought of her

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Jim - continued

• Mother didnt drive and was very dependent on the
  father Wait until your father gets home
• Father was respected, a provider for the
  family, and in charge he also drank a lot
  with mothers encouragement and was the
  enforcer
• Jim reports
• Never felt loved
• Mother criticized him and kept his father from
  him
• Brother taught him to steal well when he was 8 or
  9 years old

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Jims ERs

• See your handouts for Early Recollections that
  were collected during the second session
• Sees self as confused, not understanding, ignored
  by others
• Also sees himself as competent and intelligent at
  times
• Goes along with others and is cautious Fears
  that they will leave him if he gets close
• Women let him down Men must provide and should
  be the authority
• Appearances are important

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Jims Cycle bits and pieces

• This is the last time. Never again.
• Ill get away with it. Just keep on going no
  one knows.
• I cant believe how stupid they are they
  deserve to lose this stuff.
• Feeling powerful, clever, smart
• How am I going to hide this from Michelle and the
  kids? Intense guilt
• No one understands
• Intense anger
• Condescending tone wife uses at times. Her
  telling me what to do.
• Just want to be alone and away from the situation
• I feel she always wanted more than I could give.
• Sometimes she likes it, sometimes she hates it
  but she takes it
• Her dismissing me

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Video Clip

• This is from the 9th session of time limited
  therapy (10 hours)
• This is not the first time Jim was presented with
  information about the trouble cycle
• There are some transitions in the clip in order
  to focus on specific aspects related to the cycle