Feixas, G. (2015, Marzo). Conflict in Meaning Systems: Perspectives and Implications for Mental Health and Psychotherapy. Symposium Chair en el International Convention of Psychological Science, de la APS (Association for Psychological Science), Amsterdam, Holanda.

1. CONFLICT IN MEANING SYSTEMS:
PERSPECTIVES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR
MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
Guillem Feixas
Symposium Chair
gfeixas@ub.edu

2. THE NOTION OF INTERNAL CONFLICT
 Psychoanalysis
 the internal dynamics of the psyche
 Piaget
 “cognitive conflict”
 Social Psychology (Festinger, Heider)
 efforts to counterbalance dissonances
 “Conflict” notions in psychotherapies
(Transactional Analysis, Gestalt therapy, etc.)

3. Little has been done in terms
of defining conflicts in an
operational way, and thus,
little research has been done Even less is known about the
role of conflicts for both
physical and psychological
health, development, and
change (psychotherapy)
Cognitive conflicts in psychotherapyAN IMPORTANT ISSUE BUT….

4. PCT & PCT
Perceptual Control Theory (Powers, 1973) &
Personal Construct Theory (Kelly, 1955)
Common features:

5. Cybernetic view of human
functioning
 Behavior is understood as a way to
change (or control) perception
(constructions)
 Discrepancy (invalidation) between
actual perception and an internal
reference value (personal construct →
anticipation) leads to further action
(constructive revision)to match percept

6. Control theory and psychopathology: An integrative approach
Mansell, Warren (2005)
Psychology and Psychotherapy, 78

7. THE
EXPERIENCE
CYCLE
Implication
in the outcomeConstructive
revision
Anticipation
of the experience 2
5
1
Encountering
the events
Validation/
Invalidation
of the anticipation
34
PERSONAL CONSTRUCT THEORY

8. THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNAL CONFLICTS
 Hierarchical arrangement of
Control/Personal construct systems.
 Two control systems specify incompatible or
opposite reference signals.
 As one control system acts to reduce the
difference between the sensed experience
and the specified experience it increases
the difference between what is sensed and
what is specified for the other control system.
 Conflicts are natural but excessive level of
conflict leads to malfunctioning and
psychological problems.

9. INTERNAL CONFLICT/PERSONAL DILEMMA
IN PSYCHOTHERAPY
NEED FOR
CHANGE
ANTI-SYMPTOM
POSITION
NEED FOR
CONTINUITY
PRO-SYMPTOM
POSITION

10. SYMPOSIUM PRESENTATIONS
 Are the Detrimental Effects of Suppression Due to Their Conflict With Goals
for Expression? A Transdiagnostic Study in an Analogue Sample
Warren Mansell, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
Co-Author: Rebecca E. Kelly, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London
 Voices, Conflict and Personal Goals: A Study of Clinical and Non-Clinical
Auditory Hallucinations Informed by Perceptual Control Theory
Filippo Varese, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
 Cognitive Conflicts and Psychological Distress in a Non-Clinical Sample
Luis Angel Saul, National Distance Education University – Madrid, Spain
Co-Author: Maria Angeles López-González, Faculty of Psychology, National
Distance Education University, Madrid
 Negative Views of Self or Internal Conflicts as Targets of Psychotherapy?
Guillem Feixas, University of Barcelona, Spain
Co-Author: Adrian Montesano, University of Barcelona