Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Research on ironic mental control processes makes the underappreciated point that attempts to solve problems sometimes make them worse Social scientists now know much about what ironic processes look like less about why they occur and too little about how to change them. Features of the exacerbation process itself suggest parsimonious approaches to treatment based on interrupting the “solutions” that keep ironic mental processes going (eg compliance-based paradoxical intervention) Extending Wegner's explication of ironic intrapersonal (mental) processes we propose that ironic interpersonal (social) processes also maintain many human problems and may be more accessible to intervention Treatment development in this area will benefit from attending more to how problems persist than to how they originate, and from targeting ironic cycles that occur between people as well as within them

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adler

C. M.

Kraske

M. G.

Barlow

D. H.

(1987). Relaxation induced panic (RIP) When nesting isn't peaceful. Integrative Psychiatry, 26, 94–112.

Bootzin

R. R.

Epstein

Wood

J. M.

(1991). Stimulus control instructions. In Hauri

, (Ed). Case studies in insomnia (pp 19–28). New York Plenum Press.

Brehm

S. S.

Brehm

J. W.

(1981). Psychological rezctance. A theory of freedom and control. New York Academic Press.

Christensen

Heavy

C. L.

(1993). Gender differences in marital conflict. The demand/withdraw interaction pattern. In Oskamp

Costanzo

, (Eds.), Gender issues in contemporary, society. (pp 113–141). Newbury Park, CA Sage.

Coyne

J. C.

Kahn

Gotlib

I. H.

(1987). Depression In Jacob

, (Ed.), Family interaction and Psychopathology. (pp 509–534). New York Plenum Press.

Fisch

Weakland

J. H.

Segal

, (1982). The tactics of change. San Francisco Jossey Bass.

Petterson

G. R.

(1982). A social learning approach Coercive family process. Eugene, OR Castalia.

Rohrbaugh

Shoham

Spungen

C. A.

Sternglass

(1995). Family systems therapy in practice. A systemic couples therapy for problem drinking. In Bongar

Beutler

, (Eds.), Comprehensive textbook of psychotherapy Theory and practice. (pp 228–313) New York Oxford University Press.

Rohrbaugh

Tannen

H. Press SE.

White

(1981). Compliance defiance and therapeutic paradox. Guidelines for strategic use of paradoxical interventions. American Journal of Orthopsychiarty, 51, 454–467.

10.

Rosenfarb

I. S.

Goldstein

M. J.

Mintz

Nuechterlein

K. H.

(1995). Expressed emotion and subclinical psychopathology observable within the transactions between schizophrenic patients and their family members. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 259–267.

11.

Shoham

V. A.

Rohrbaugh

(1994). Paradoxical interventions. In Corsini

, (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology. (Vol. 3 pp 5–8). New York Wiley & Sons.

12.

Shoham

Rohrbaugh

M. J.

Patterson

(1995). Problem- and solution focused couple therapies. The MRI and Milwaukee Models. In Jacobson

N S.

Gurman

A. S.

, (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marital therapy (pp 142–163). New York Guilford Press.

13.

Shoham Salomon

Avner

Necman

(1989). You are changed if you do and changed if you don't. Mechanisms underling paradoxical intervention. A meta analysis Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 590–598.

14.

Shoham Salomon

Rosenthal

(1987). Paradoxical interventions A meta analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 22–28.

15.

Thomas

E. J.

Ager

R. D.

(1993). Unilateral family therapy with spouses of uncooperative alcohol abusers. In O'Farrell

T. J.

, (Ed.), Treating alcohol problems Marital and family innervations. (pp 3–33). New York Guilford Press.

16.

Watzlawick

Coyne

J. C.

(1980). Depression following stroke Brief problem focused treatment Family Process, 19, 13–18.

17.

Weakland

J. H.

Fisch

(1992). Brief therapy—MRI style. In Budman

S. H.

Hoyt

M. F.

Friedman

, (Eds.), The first session in brief therapy (pp 306–323) New York Gulford Press.

18.

Weakland

J. H.

Watzlawick

Fisch

Bodin

(1974). Brief therapy Focused Problem resolution. Family Process, 13, 141–168.

Interrupting Ironic Processes

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References