An integrative mechanistic account of psychological distress, therapeutic change and recovery: The Perceptual Control Theory approach
Section snippets
Perceptual Control Theory
Perceptual Control Theory is a self-regulatory framework based on control system engineering which provides an integrative theoretical account of human behaviour. It has informed the development of contemporary self-regulatory approaches within psychology (Carver & Scheier, 1982, Karoly, 1993, Vancouver, 2005). The theoretical principles of PCT can be applied across both normal psychological functioning and across a range of psychological disorders. For PCT, there are four key principles of
Explanations of change in a selection of psychological theories
With the considerable proliferation in the number of psychotherapies designed to initiate change in those who seek psychotherapeutic assistance, there are now countless approaches to psychotherapy. Nevertheless, over the last fifty years, some key approaches have emerged. This review selects the most prevalent therapies within health services: psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy including its most recent ‘third’ wave developments, motivational interviewing and client-centred
Explaining empirical findings concerning the processes of change
In summary, PCT proposes the following stages of psychological change:
- 1)
the client is aware of losing control over key aspects of their life (‘error’ is increased).
- 2)
the client becomes increasingly aware of the conflicted goal systems that are causing lack of control.
- 3)
reorganisation of the higher level systems occurs on a trial-and-error basis.
- 4)
over time, the systems eventually reorganise in a way that reduces conflict and the clients experience an improvement in the overall control of their life and
Evidence for factors involved in psychotherapeutic change
It is important to consider what is known about the kind of therapeutic environment that facilitates psychotherapeutic change, and whether this fits with the principles of PCT. The following section will highlight the prerequisites for psychotherapeutic change drawn partly from client-centred therapy (Rogers, 1957), and in turn consider them within a PCT account.
Strengths and limitations of a PCT approach
PCT is a psychological theory that is based on functional mechanisms known to operate within technology that utilises control engineering. Therefore, it provides a truly mechanistic account of how change occurs, rather being descriptive in nature. In utilising control engineering terms, rather like the use of latin terms in the biological sciences, it allows the precise operationalised definition of its components in contrast to psychological terms, such as ‘attitudes’, ‘insight’ and ‘beliefs’
Summary and conclusions
Perceptual Control Theory has been introduced as an explanatory framework for psychological change. The key principles of the theory – control, hierarchical organisation, conflict and reorganisation – were explained alongside several contemporary psychotherapies and their theoretical foundations. Each psychotherapeutic approach, despite superficial differences, provided an account that was consistent with the psychological principles of PCT. In particular, the importance of the reorganisation
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2023, Consciousness and CognitionDesigning mental health services that are fit for purpose using the principles of Perceptual Control Theory
2023, The Interdisciplinary Handbook of Perceptual Control Theory, Volume II: Living in the LoopA systematic evaluation of the evidence for perceptual control theory in tracking studies
2020, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral ReviewsCitation Excerpt :The PCT theoretical formulation conforms to contemporary neurophysiological evidence regarding the structure of the CNS as the perceptual hierarchy mirrors the known hierarchical organization of the peripheral nervous system and sensorimotor cortices (Iwamura, 1998); the bidirectional cascade acknowledges the reciprocal connectivity between functional areas that supporting recurrent activation (Sporns et al., 2002); and reorganization has clear parallels in neural plasticity, synaptogenesis and functional localization (Dayan and Cohen, 2011). Moreover, PCT provides an interdisciplinary framework (Carey et al., 2014) that has been applied broadly across behavioral domains; from ethology (Bell et al., 2015; Bell and Pellis, 2011) and infant development (Plooij and van de Rijt-Plooij, 1990; Rijt-plooij and Plooij, 2013), to sociology (Mcclelland, 1996; McClelland, 1994, 2004) and psychotherapy (Carey et al., 2012; Higginson et al., 2011; Mansell et al., 2009). It has also been utilized as a foundational architecture for the development of autonomous robots (Young, 2017).
Method of Levels Therapy
2020, The Interdisciplinary Handbook of Perceptual Control Theory: Living Control Systems IVGoal conflict, ambivalence and psychological distress: Concurrent and longitudinal relationships
2018, Personality and Individual DifferencesCitation Excerpt :However, levels of inter-goal conflict at Time 1 were not significantly associated with levels of anxious symptoms at Time 2 for persons with higher goal ambivalence (β = 0.04, p = 0.53). Our results support theoretical perspectives and empirical research suggesting that goal conflict is associated with psychological distress (Higginson et al., 2011). The positive association between inter-goal conflict and concurrent psychological symptoms mirrors the results of a recent meta-analysis (Gray et al., 2017).