Читать книгу DBT For Dummies - Gillian Galen - Страница 71

In DBT the key is to move away from a polarized position to a synthesized position, meaning that the truth in each position is acknowledged. The synthesis comes from what Dr. Marsha Linehan, who developed DBT, described as the recognition of truth in seemingly opposing positions, which she termed thesis and antithesis. Take the earlier example:

 Thesis: “Because I make a lot of mistakes, I can’t do anything right, I am worthless, and so I shouldn’t be alive.”

 Antithesis: “Making mistakes is not a big deal. Everyone makes mistakes. I shouldn’t really care about making mistakes.”

These are either/or types of statements. The first one is extreme and filled with all-or-nothing type thinking, and the second one invalidates the truth about what a person might actually be feeling.

Dialectical synthesis is the integration of a thesis and its antithesis in a way that acknowledges that change is the only constant in the universe and that it’s an enduring process. It further recognizes that all things are made of opposing forces, and particular to the context of DBT, dialectical synthesis integrates the most essential and core parts of two polarities in order to form a new meaning, a new understanding, or a new solution in a given situation.

Dialectical synthesis isn’t compromise. Whereas compromise is typically an agreement that is reached by each side making concessions, in dialectical synthesis, the agreement is reached by each side integrating the wisdom of the other side’s perspective, an understanding derived from genuine curiosity. The following is the dialectical synthesis of the preceding thesis and antithesis:

Dialectical synthesis: “It is true that I make mistakes, and also that others make mistakes. It is true that when I have such an experience, I think that I am worthless and that I should not be alive, and it is also true that everyone who is alive has made mistakes and they are not worthless. So, by acknowledging that I make mistakes and committing to learn and improve on the situations that lead me to make mistakes, I become a more skilled person, and the mistakes that I have made do not diminish my value and worth as a person.”