Beliefs

IDENTITY (I AM) & MOTIVATION (I WILL)

Self concept & world view

Self concept & world view

Meaning making

Meaning Making

How resources and assets can be applied to meet needs and goals

Protection from harm & capacity to respond to crisis

A young person’s beliefs, expectations and values can be instrumental in how they approach and experience crises.

Young people found to be resilient consistently report that faith and hope have sustained them through adversity (Masten, 2009). Young people are more likely to hold this view when they believe in their own efficacy and/or the efficacy of others (such as parents or practitioners) in dealing with crisis situations.

Self-efficacy has been demonstrated to be a predictor of better adjustment through periods of crisis. Young people with a strong internal locus of control are likely to believe in their ability to work through crises and be motivated to do so. Many youth AOD clients who are unable to trust the systems and people (often because of past experiences) are likely to experience greater distress and be overwhelmed more easily.

This is well illustrated by Robinson and Miller (2010), who use the work of Dwyer and colleagues (2010) to highlight that some young people “…do not expect to be cared for when most vulnerable because this is what their experience has taught them. Therefore, they may respond with an over-determined threat response, such as aggression or avoidance” (p37). Appropriate nurturance and care can soothe young people’s distress and guide them in ways to express it more constructively. Self-esteem has also been identified as a safeguard against psychological discomfort resulting from disparaging life circumstances. Many young people exposed to abuse and also family conflict and breakdown tend to blame themselves, which contributes to low self-esteem. This tendency can be generalised by clients who might blame themselves for other crises, further reinforcing negative self-appraisals. Conversely, helping a young person to put experiences in context and more accurately attribute responsibility among those involved can help repair self-esteem.

Crisis can trigger a strong emotional response that is reflected in a young person’s affect and influences underlying mood state. In turn, a young person’s affect is likely to influence others and either exacerbate or reduce the crisis; their mood will often determine how and if they choose to respond.

Together with mood, a sense of security and belonging can increase the likelihood that a young person will work towards finding constructive solutions to crises.

Summary of relevant resources and assets

  • Sense of security (coherence)
  • Sense of belonging & connectedness (feeling connection to something greater than oneself)
  • Hope & expectancy
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-efficacy
  • Mood & affect
  • Core cognitive schemas about self & the world that support coping & resilience
Stability & capacity to meet basic needs

It is common for youth AOD clients to pride themselves on being active in managing their affairs. The desire to construct and project a competent identity can translate into motivation to develop the skills necessary to meet basic needs and stabilize Stabilising can involve a shift from reactive to proactive measures to address unresolved problems and take positive  developmental steps. Clients who understand that stability is a platform for change are more likely to invest the energy required to build it in their lives. This requires a sense of hope and an expectation that resources are available and circumstances can improve, which in turn helps sustain a belief that addressing problems and the source of any distress is worthwhile. Such optimism is underscored by positive self-esteem and a strong sense of self-efficacy. Other more specific self-beliefs and client’s underlying mood state can either add to a young person’s stability or undermine it.

 

Once stabilised, a strong sense of belonging and connectedness with people, culture and places can provide young people with reinforcement and the motivation to continue their efforts to develop and grow. The same is true for participation in constructive activity, which engenders a sense of purpose. This demonstrates the importance of interests and commitments outside of a substance-using lifestyle.

 

Summary of relevant resources and assets

Sense of security (coherence)

Sense of belonging & connectedness (feeling connection to something greater than oneself)

Interests & commitments & a sense of purpose

Hope & expectancy

Self-esteem

Self-efficacy

Core schemas regarding self & the world that support coping & resilience

Relatively stable mood & affect

Participation in constructive activity

Involvement in constructive activity, be it schooling, work or recreational pursuits, requires motivation. It is far easier to motivate a person when they are pursuing a passionate interest or commitment.

 

Cloud and Grandfield (2004) found that a common feature among people who had moved on from lifestyles involving substance dependence was their involvement “…in alternative pursuits that engulfed them and gave them new personal meaning” (p190).

 

Based on research conducted with youth AOD clients, Bell argues that effective services would create new experiences that displace their substance-using lifestyle “…with a richer world of powerful and distracting creative and sensory experiences” (Bell, 2006, p43). In this way, according to Bell, “…the ideal service would socialise through recreation, reinforcing a new sense of being-in-the-world with others through activities…” and eventually lead to tackling “…the risky life tasks of education and work” (p43).

 

Constructive activity can provide structure and a sense of purpose in daily living (Gilligan, 2008). A sense of mastery that comes with success in completing tasks can positively influence a client’s estimates of their probability for success in dealing with other problems (Klee & Reid, 1998). Gilligan (2000) illustrates how success in an endeavour that a young person values may do much to combat a sense of failure in other spheres of their life. Greater self-efficacy also has the effect of creating interest in new experiences and further motivation for participation (Daniel and Wassell, 2002).

 

Success in an activity that the client and others in their social network value “…can ultimately lead to an increase in the youth’s self-esteem and confidence” (Karabanow & Clement, 2004). Through constructive action, young people develop a reservoir of experiences that are bound to become incorporated in the stories that define and shape their beliefs about themselves and their environment (Ungar, 2005).

 

Such experiences may challenge the often self- limiting schemas and internal working models that young people use to understand themselves and their social world. Combined with guidance, positive new experiences may help modify maladaptive cognitive schemas and develop new schemas that support and reinforce ongoing commitment to constructive participation.

 

Young people who feel secure and connected and are confident that they hold values and attitudes similar to the activity group they are participating in will also be more motivated to maintain involvement. Pro- social activity allow a young person to make bonds with significant others, which can have the effect of engendering pro-social values and attitudes (Catalano & Hawkins, 1996).

 

Young people who are relatively comfortable with their gender identity and sexuality and hold the view that they will be able to fit in and enjoy themselves are also more likely to be motivated to participate. If an individual believes they will be victimised (this may be for good reason), it is a clear barrier to participation.

 

Finally, motivation to participate in constructive activity is demonstrated to be stronger in young people who are able to envision and work towards a better future (Aronowitz, 2005).

 

Summary of relevant resources and assets

  • Sense of security (coherence)
  • Sense of purpose
  • Sense of belonging & connectedness (feeling connection to something greater than oneself)
  • Hope & expectancy
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-efficacy
  • Relative acceptance of & comfort with gender identity & sexuality
  • Core schemas that support & reinforce constructive participation
  • Pro-social values & attitudes
  • Interests, commitments (passions)
Developmentally conducive connections

The connections and attachments that young people make as they develop and shape their identities strongly influence how they view their future prospects. Feeling valued and understood has been identified as contributing to young people’s self-esteem. Encouragement, expectation and recognition of others have been shown to enhance self-efficacy. Alternatively, a lack of self-esteem and low self-efficacy can constrain a young person’s willingness to pursue developmentally conducive connections, as can feelings of pessimism.

 

Developmentally conducive connections add to a young person’s sense of security and can reinforce a sense of purpose and motivation for further personal development. Further, young people’s connections can deepen when interests and commitments can become shared passions and acted upon with others.

 

Motivation to form and maintain developmentally conducive connections is influenced by the core schemas that a young person holds about themselves and their social world. Young people who believe in their ability to function well in social settings and trust that they will be accepted and supported by others are more likely to find making connections easier. Relative comfort with gender identity and sexuality is likely to support motivation for making connections.

 

Summary of relevant resources and assets

  • Sense of security (coherence)
  • Sense of belonging & connectedness (feeling connection to something greater than oneself)
  • Hope & expectancy
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-efficacy
  • Relative acceptance of & comfort with gender identity & sexuality
  • Pro-social values & attitudes
  • Interests, commitments (passions) that can be shared & acted on with others
  • Core schemas that support & reinforce constructive connections
Greater control of health compromising issues / behaviours

A sense of security and coherence, belonging and feeling connected to something greater than oneself can underpin a young person’s desire to gain greater control over health-compromising issues and behaviours. A relatively stable and manageable mood can also have a positive influence on a young person’s motivation to seek help and their capacity to make the most of it.

 

Young people with a strong sense of self-efficacy are more likely to be motivated to address issues and control problematic behaviours. Otherwise, the ongoing impact can be a sense of powerlessness and negative self-evaluation, reducing both self-efficacy and self-esteem. Gilligan (2000) points out that individuals who view themselves as being adaptive and have a sense of purpose have been found to be more capable of assimilating threatening external events without experiencing excessive negative arousal and disorganisation  .

 

Being able to construe benefits to the self from having learned to cope with a particular trauma has also been linked with better long-term outcomes (Wright, Crawford, & Sebastian, 2007). However, traumatic experiences can have devastating effects on fundamental belief systems that shape a young person’s world view. It can lead, for example, to young people believing that no one has control over what happens to them in their life (Masten & O’Dougherty Wright, 2009). This highlights the importance of core schemas that engender hope and support help seeking.

 

Summary of relevant resources and assets

  • Sense of security (coherence)
  • Sense of belonging & connectedness (feeling connection to something greater than oneself)
  • Sense of purpose/interests & passions (motivation to gain control)
  • Hope & expectancy
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-efficacy
  • Core schemas that support & reinforce help seeking
  • Relatively stable/manageable mood & affect
  • Pro-social values & attitudes