Changing negative beliefs and behavior is never easy, but according to the University of Virginia's Timothy D. Wilson, PhD, it is possible to make long-term changes with a surprisingly easy fix: revising or editing the stories that we tell about ourselves and what's happening in our worlds.
That concept has been the focus of Wilson's research, which has found that simple "story-editing" techniques can have enduring effects.
How does story editing work?
One of the fundamental assumptions of social psychology is that it isn't the objective environment that determines behavior, but rather how we interpret that environment. Many of us have positive ways of interpreting our worlds, but sometimes we develop pessimistic narratives that lead to self-defeating ways of thinking. Our research has found that it's possible to redirect or edit these negative stories and change the way we think.
An example from early in our research: We studied college freshmen who were struggling academically. They were at risk of blaming themselves and thinking they weren't "college material." We divided the students into a control group and a treatment group. We told the treatment group that their experience was typical, that many students struggle in their first year but generally do better after they get used to college and learn how to study. We showed them videos of upperclassmen who reinforced this message. The idea was to encourage the freshmen to focus on a more positive interpretation of their academic difficulties.
This group of students achieved better grades the next semester compared to the control group that didn't receive the intervention. I think the alternative narrative of their experience may have reduced the anxiety of some students, and perhaps made them study a little harder for their subsequent tests. And the success they achieved as a result reinforced the positive narrative.
What are some other problems that story editing can help address?
On a programmatic level, it has been used as a way of reducing alcohol and drug use, narrowing the achievement gap between black and white students and improving youth behavior. Teen pregnancy is a good example: Research shows that teens who feel alienated and disengaged from their community are at particular risk of getting pregnant (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Healthopens in new window, Vol. 57, No. 11, 2003). But involving at-risk teens in volunteer work, such as in soup kitchens or nursing homes, helps them revise that narrative and instead view themselves as valuable members of the community. This reduces the likelihood of risky behaviors, including unprotected sex. There are several well-tested programs showing this approach works, such as one called Teen Outreachopens in new window, which has been used effectively in a number of cities.
Story editing can also be helpful on an individual level: Parents can pay attention to the narratives their children are developing and help them create healthy stories about their world. And individuals can edit their personal narrativesby using an expressive writing exercise developed by social psychologist James W. Pennebaker at the University of Texas.
How do you use expressive writing and other methods in therapy?
Expressive writing is often used for people who've experienced a trauma that they haven't been able to get over. They need to wait a bit, until they have some distance and time to get perspective, but then the idea is to write about their experience for 10 or 15 minutes a night, three or four nights in a row. This has been shown to have remarkable benefits. People often come up with a new story, or attach new meanings to events in a way that allows them to leave the trauma behind.
Another revising or redirecting method is through "story prompting," which we used in the study on struggling college students: A third party prompted them with an alternative narrative, a more positive way of looking at their experience.
Finally, there is a technique we call "do good, be good"—a concept that dates back to Aristotle. It encourages people to change their behavior first, and then attitude change follows. For example, if people intentionally try to act kindly toward each other, they begin to see themselves as having a kind disposition, and the more they see themselves that way, the more likely they are to help others—thereby strengthening the new narrative.
How can practicing psychologists use your findings in their work?
In certain ways, they already do. Story- editing interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy make similar assumptions and have similar goals, namely to correct negative thinking patterns. There are differences in how they do so, however, and in the kinds of problems they address.
Here's an analogy I like to use: Sometimes our cars need a minor tune-up, and sometimes they need an engine overhaul. Cognitive-behavior therapy is more the engine overhaul. People have gotten to the point where they are in serious distress, and it takes a pretty intensive experience to undo it. The story-editing exercises are more like tune-ups where people haven't gotten to severe distress. But that's not to minimize their importance: You are preventing the engine overhaul by giving people regular tune-ups.
Learn more about Dr. Wilson's research on story editing in his book "Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By."
