CRISIS THEORY

A crisis can be defined as a temporary inability to cope with change.

“During a crisis, even though the person does not have at the start the way of dealing with the problem, he may work out a way of dealing with it before it is over . . . remember those little experiments . . . in the biology laboratory with a paramecium, where you put a glass plate in front of it, and the paramecium bumps its nose against the glass plate, and then does a lot of trial and error running about to try and find a way around this.” (Gerald Caplan)

Adjusting to illness or having an ill family member involves many changes. Some of these can provoke a crisis. In a crisis we must use problem-solving skills to find new solutions. We can usually develop solutions, provided those around us provide support. Struggling to solve a problem involves trying several different approaches. This demands energy, which means there is less energy for other aspects of life, both practical and emotional. (see Support)

Most life crises involve loss and change. If two crises occur simultaneously it can be much more difficult to find effective solutions. A crisis may be developmental (child leaving home, retirement), emotional (bereavement) or situational (promotion, illness, burglary). Some events require both social (external) and psychological (internal) adjustments (the birth of a first child, for example).

A crisis is an opportunity for growth and the development of new skills to solve problems. Therapists sometimes aim to provoke a degree of crisis in a person or family in order to bring about change. There is a danger of a maladaptive response to try to avoid the crisis (a suicide attempt, for example) which makes matters worse.

A crisis causes increasing anxiety and failure to cope until the person acknowledges the severity of the difficulty and looks for solutions, both within the self and from helpful others. At this point there is maximum potential for change when the person recognizes the need for solutions. A small amount of professional help can now catalyze a change for the better, often a change in attitude.

«  “A crisis is not an abstract imposition from without, but a high point in the life of the person concerned  . . . a dynamic interaction between a person and an extreme event.” (Lily Pincus)

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