This thesis aims at developing an area meeting program based on Satir's theory of communication. Her emphasis lay in congruent communication over placatory, blame, super-reasonable or irrelevant communication. Based on the congruent communication, an ...
This thesis aims at developing an area meeting program based on Satir's theory of communication. Her emphasis lay in congruent communication over placatory, blame, super-reasonable or irrelevant communication. Based on the congruent communication, an individual can grow and develop self-worth by perceiving one's feelings, expectations, perceptions and yearnings.
Satir identified six stages in the process of change. The first was the client's existing state. Dysfunctionally maintained individuals or family systems managed to cope by placating, blaming, being super-reasonable, or being irrelevant until something drastic happened. In the second stage, a foreign element was introduced. Need for change was recognized and help was wanted. Expectations, barriers to change, and coping stances were examined. Resistance seemed to appear strong. In the third stage there was chaos where the client began to move from their status quo into a state of disequilibrium. Individuals and families were in limbo, sometimes paralyzed by their fear of destruction. In the fourth, they began to incorporate the new learnings and to transform into a new state of being. Their old disfunctionally maintained patterns began to dissipate as new more congruent perceptions and behaviors began to develop. Now they can began to control themselves. In the fifth stage, they practiced their new learnings. They exercised so that they formed new more congruent habit. In the sixth stage, they formed a new identity of functional and congruent being.
In the area meeting program, five aims were included. First, intimacy among the participants were improved. Second, basic skills of communication was learned. Third, their dysfunctional rules of communication was identified and transformed. Fourth, their self was grown further as self-worth was increased more. Five, their personal iceberg was understood. In Satir's iceberg model their behaviors were the tip of the iceberg and at the water line were their coping stances. By becoming familiar with their iceberg under the waterline, they became congruent. They became familiar with their feelings, expectations, perceptions, and yearnings. Then, they experienced their self-wholeness, spirituality and universality.
This program is composed of eight sessions, each of which takes 90 minutes. Each session is consisted of introduction, activity. closing-up, and announcement. In the activity, the participants are supposed to learn by doing.
In session one, orientation and introduction were provided and exchanged. In session two and three, basic skills of communication such as I-message, active listening were practiced. In session four, their own rules and behaviors of communication were identified. In session five, the ways how to identify emotions and how to express emotions were practiced. In session six, their own systems of perception were identified and their thoughts were disclosed. In session seven, perceptions and yearnings were identified and disclosed. In the last session, their congruent communications were practiced.
In order to implement this area meeting program, it is necessary to get a trained and skilled leader. In other words, it is suggested to find a way to train a leader efficiently and effectively.