The Motivtional Worker
For the motivational worker, understanding means emotionally conveying to the client that he understands his experiential world. This is not an intellectual process, but an empathetic appreciation of the client’s emotional make-up that places the motivational worker so deeply in his client’s situation that part of him shares the same feelings and experiences as his client. Understanding is thus synonymous with empathy (Motivational Work, Part 2, Motivational Relationship, pages 45 – 52).
The Client
Through emotional transmutation, the latently motivated client is more alone with his pain in regard to both himself and in relationships with other people. Feeling understood is therefore a much more powerful experience for him than for a manifestly motivated client because it induces a dual sentiment – that of having his feelings shared and that of loneliness. Moreover, the client gets more in touch with the pain that the motivational worker understands, inducing powerful experiences, both positive and painful.
Case Study
40-year-old Fredrik lives in a hostel and has on several occasions threatened to hit the staff. Most of the staff and clients are scared of him. One evening, Fredrik has an aggressive outburst and starts smashing the furniture in the day room. The staff on duty call the hostel manager, who is on call.
Fifteen minutes later, he arrives at the institution and sees Fredrik continuing his demolition job, which the manager interprets as an expression of something Fredrik is upset about. Soon, Fredrik has smashed everything in the room, at which point, the manager goes up to him, puts his arm around his shoulder, and asks how he is. Fredrik starts to cry and then talks to him for some time. It should be noted that the manager is a sturdy man.
Discussion
We see here how the manager’s words are not what matters, but the feeling he conveys. He conveys all the emotional attitudes of the motivational relationship. He demonstrates a commitment by having the courage to go up to the client and lay his arm around him, something which is both endearing and prevents continued aggression, and his way of talking to Fredrik demonstrates that he understands that he is upset and is in pain.
When the manager demonstrates the motivational relationship, Fredrik switches to his positive rebound, but with a lower degree of transmutation than the previous negative one. Fredrik has now received a boost of life energy from the manager.