Here are some more examples of dialectical thinking and circumstances: It is a search for balance, an attempt at finding the ‘and’ rather than the ‘but.’ The most notable dialectic at play, within a DBT-focused therapeutic relationship, and DBT in general, is the effort to balance acceptance and change. You’ve probably heard it before, and you’ll surely hear it again: Change is the only constant.ĭBT exists in the pursuit of synthesizing and integrating these polarities within the self, of engaging in an ongoing reconciliation of dialectics. Likewise, dialectics emphasizes the interconnected nature of the world, as well as the constancy of change. For example, one can lose a loved one after a long illness and feel at once sad for the loss, and relieved for the alleviation of that loved one’s suffering. Two things, regardless of whether they are wholly opposites, can exist at the same time.
![core components of a dialectic core components of a dialectic](https://dragonsgateconsulting.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/life-worth-living.png)
Instead, in this moment, as you read this text - presumably because you are interested in, fascinated by, or curious about DBT - let’s take things easy and begin with the following definition: Dialectics is a worldview that stresses that reality is made up of polarities.
![core components of a dialectic core components of a dialectic](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/e2/38/c9/e238c9c347e0c934842e47e58f992006.jpg)
Especially when considering its rich philosophical roots, one can easily dive deeply down the rabbit hole of Marx, Engels, Popper, and Bunge.
Core components of a dialectic full#
I will start by saying, in full transparency, that the term ‘dialectic’ is an oft-intimidating word to define. Undergirding all that is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is the eponymous concept of dialectics.
![core components of a dialectic core components of a dialectic](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b6/b7/2f/b6b72fd9f6af0260b28005488e0562a6--therapy-tools-therapy-ideas.jpg)
By Avery Carmichael, BPS Social Work Intern