The Dialectical Relational Model

The Individual-Environment Feedback Dynamics

Cognitive behavioral therapy is distinguished from other psychological currents, such as psychoanalysis or pure behaviorism, by its specific object of study: the dialectical interrelationship.

This concept postulates that an individual does not exist in isolation from his or her environment, but that both elements are in a constant loop of reciprocal influence.

Human behavior does not occur in a vacuum; it is a response to the demands of the environment, but at the same time, the subject's action has the power to modify that environment.

This systemic view allows us to understand that psychological distress is not only an internal product, but the result of how the person decodes and reacts to external signals, creating a continuous feedback loop.

Analysis of Contextual Variables

To perform a proper clinical analysis, it is imperative to break down the context into two dimensions.

On the one hand, we find the physical space, which refers to the immediate geographical, climatic and material conditions.

For example, the adaptive behavior of an inhabitant of a densely populated and noisy metropolis will differ radically from that of someone residing in an isolated rural setting; the physical environment imposes different limits and opportunities.

On the other hand, there is the sociocultural space, composed of the implicit laws, traditions, collective beliefs and moral paradigms of the community.

These external variables dictate the "game board" on which the subject must function.

The Five Dimensions of Human Functioning

The model dissects the subject into five interdependent variables that must be eva luated together. The physiological variable addresses biology (pain, health, brain chemistry).

The cognitive variable is the focus of our study, encompassing thoughts and interpretations.

The affective variable deals with personal appraisal. The emotional variable deals with immediate reactive responses (fear, joy). Finally, the behavioral variable is the visible manifestation of the above.

If a person suffers a physical injury (physiological), this may lead him to think that he is fragile (cognitive), diminishing his self-worth (affective), generating sadness (emotional) and causing him to stop going out of the house (behavioral). All variables operate simultaneously.

Summary

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is distinguished by studying the dialectical interrelationship, where individual and environment influence each other in a constant loop, with no real isolation.

In order to understand behavior, the variables of the physical and socio-cultural context are analyzed, as well as the five internal dimensions of the subject: physiological, cognitive, affective, emotional and behavioral.

These variables operate simultaneously; a physical alteration can modify cognition and behavior. Discomfort is a product of this feedback between internal decoding and the environment.