47. Motivational Process

Manifested and latently motivated people all strive to acquire more life force through an exchange of energy with those around them or the rebuses within them. When the interaction leads to a surplus of energy, the individual is in a motivational process, which can be quite long-standing. The shortest motivational process is when the individual only receives more life force back in one single exchange. Often, however, the surplus energy stretches over several interactions. The motivational process both applies to an individual relationship and refers in general to the totality of exchanges that take place in a person’s relationships.

This means that someone can have a deficit of energy in all his relationships except one, and yet still be in a motivational process. Provided that this one relationship gives an energy surplus that is greater than the total deficit from his other relationships, the individual will be in a motivational process as regards his total exchange of life energy (Motivational Work, Part 1: Values and Theory, page 436 – 456).

Case Study

Barbro is 32 and has a son of 12. She is currently out of work and on benefit. Although she is an occasional substance abuser, she still manages to take care of her son. When he was born and for some time afterward she was helped by a home therapist. Barbro has had many relationships with different men, all of whom have been drug addicts and criminals, and although she has frequently been abused by her present partner, she has always refused to end the relationship or report him to the police.

When not on a benefit she works as a cleaner and has never sought help for her own addiction, even though she has to leave her son to fend for himself when she’s intoxicated. The roles can change then, and he looks after her. He has now got into trouble for vandalism and other crimes with his friends. The social services carry out an investigation into his delinquency, the outcome of which is that Barbro agrees to receive the support of a social worker, who goes to talk to her every fortnight.

The social worker feels that Barbro starts to bond with her as time passes, and after nine months notices that she’s starting to take her much more into her confidence. The next time she visits, a known dealer opens the door to her and tells her that Barbro isn’t in, even though she clearly sees Barbro slip into the bedroom. The social worker makes no comment and leaves. At their next meeting, Barbro apologizes for not being at home when she called, and the social worker tells her that she saw her but that it wasn’t a good time to talk given that the dealer was there too.

On successive visits, different male acquaintances are present in the flat, some of whom are aggressive towards her, one even demanding in threatening tones to know what she’s doing there. The social worker refuses to be provoked and tells the man that she can’t answer him. On another occasion, the social worker receives flattering comments from two men who are preparing food in the kitchen and who take Barbro aside to tell her to tell the social worker that they think she’s attractive and want her to join them for something to eat.

She declines politely. Her male acquaintances are there for three months, and the next time the social worker sees Barbro on her own, she is high on drugs. The social worker discusses with Barbro how to take care of her son now that her abuse of drugs has grown worse. Barbro then shouts at the social worker and tells her that she can take care of him, seeing as how it’s her job. Finally, however, Barbro decides that her son can be put in the care of a former childminder, and when he comes home from school, she organizes his transfer.

Once the son is in his new home, the social worker helps her client to undergo detoxification. When Barbro returns home from the hospital, the social worker continues her visits. Barbro accepts the fact that her son is in foster care and is active in choosing a family.

Two months later, the social worker discusses with her the idea of staying at a treatment center for drug users. Barbro visits the institution and agrees to apply for a place. Two weeks into her stint there, she asks the social worker to come and meet her and the staff to tell them about her background. The social worker now feels that Barbro is very trusting towards her.

Discussion

For a long time, Barbro is conciliatory towards the social worker, conduct that is possibly accentuated by the fact that she knows they have their eyes on her as a mother. The negative rebound appears nine months on, after the social worker has started to feel that Barbro is genuinely bonding with her. The rebound takes the shape of visits by different men linked to the drug subculture. She also tests the social worker by getting a stranger to tell her she is not at home, which is a withdrawal contact rebus.

There are a number of elements to this test. She denies through the agency of another that she is at home and yet demonstrates clearly that she actually is. The negative rebound then continues as a number of male acquaintances make sure that the social worker is denied any personal contact with Barbro.

Barbro’s positive rebound becomes less and less transmuted, which the social worker notices in Barbro’s increasing openness towards her (for the first nine months there was much more distance between them than when the social worker visited her client at the institution).

In the negative rebound, Barbro makes sure to prevent all contact with the motivational worker. Doing this, she is testing to see how the female social worker deals with meeting men – if she allows herself to be distracted by them or if she maintains her focus on her client. The men’s contact rebuses invite the social worker to feel either afraid or flattered. Meanwhile, the client herself is being indirectly tested. Will the social worker feel violated or disappointed that Barbro constantly obstructs their meeting?

When the social worker has solved these contact rebuses, a negative rebound occurs in which Barbro displays her drug habit and her maternal neglect. In doing this, she is inviting the social worker to take over her parental responsibility, which would constitute negative feedback, as the social worker would be effectively announcing that her client is unable to take over her responsibilities as a mother.

Barbro also tests to see whether the social worker loses her positive attitude when she gets to see firsthand how much danger her son is in. This gives Barbro strong positive affirmation, which reduces the degree of transmutation of the subsequent positive rebound.

Throughout the motivational work, the social worker is able to see her client’s contact rebuses and the positive affirmation that she receives in return. She is prepared for the negative rebounds but is most taken aback by the first (the dealer’s visit) since the compliance contact rebus had lasted for such a long time. Her commitment to Barbro is strong from the outset, and she is able to see the sufferer behind the mask.

The more contact she has with the client, the stronger her resolve to continue her motivational work becomes. She is also given a sense of purpose in being able to help Barbro’s son have a better life. She has regular chats with a colleague about her motivational work and receives additional affirmation for her efforts. We can also note that the social worker is also in a motivational process and is increasing her reserves of life energy.