Gaining a positive sense of control: Teaching the principles and practice of control therapy in an educational setting

Abstract

Over the past several decades, there has been an exponential growth in psychological theory and research to develop techniques by which individuals can gain a positive sense of control in their lives. One such model is Control Therapy (Shapiro & Astin, 1998; Shapiro, Astin, Shapiro, Soucar, & Santerre, 2010; D. H. Shapiro, Soucar, S. L. Shapiro, & Astin, 2010) which has been studied with diverse clinical populations. This study is a preliminary investigation exploring the application of Control Therapy to an educational setting, through a ten-week course, in which 13 undergraduate students in the United States studied control theory and research, learned about their own "control profile", and completed an N = 1 self as subject, control-related research project. Scores on the Shapiro Control Inventory (SCI) pre to post all showed movement in the "healthy" sense-of-control direction. N = 1 data showed students were able to effectively match their control profile, self-observation data, and goals to appropriate techniques. Qualitative data showed positive changes on sense of control for 12 out of 13 participants, some quite profound (e.g., "invaluable life lessons and skills" "empowering"). An adverse result was reported by a single student. The paper concludes with limitations of this study and directions for future research.