ABSTRACT
Several authors (Dinkmeyer & Dinkmeyer, 1983; Dinkmeyer, Dinkmeyer, & Sperry, 1987; Kern, Matheny, & Patterson, 1978; Kottman & Warlick, 1989) have posited that Adlerian counseling techniques work well with children. One of the primary strategies developed to help children gain insight into their own behaviors and learn new ways of solving problems involves exploration and disclosure of goals of misbehavior (Dreikurs & Soltz, 1964; Smithells, 1983; Thompson & Rudolph, 1988). As the counselor works with children using this strategy, the children’s perspective toward their own behavior progresses through several stages (Thompson & Rudolph, 1988). Initially they understand the connection between their purposes, their behavior, and the consequences of their behavior, but only after the behavior has occurred. Gradually, they grow more aware of the goals of their behavior and learn to “catch themselves” as the behavior is occurring. Finally, their heightened understanding of their own purposes and the consequences of their behavior allows them to anticipate interactions and generate more appropriate alternatives in advance (Thompson & Rudolph, 1988).
