Pat Is Evidencing at Least Three Categories

Pat Is Evidencing at Least Three Categories of Self-Destructive Behavior:

She is confusing her various responsibilities, devoting herself to schoolwork at home when she should be caring for her family. Consequently, her family is suffering from lack of Pat's attention and the consequences of this will simply cause Pat to lose more and more grounds in her schoolwork and aggravate her situation.

The case mentions that Pat is a procrastinator. This quality will also give her trouble.

Pat seems to have difficulty in phasing her tasks and her goals, delegating her schoolwork to the evening time when she is likely (although not necessarily) least able to concentrate. Pat may be one of those rare individuals who are best able to work in the evening, but her family and school requires her involvement and participation in the day hours and by being awake at night, Pat may not have the necessary concentration for her family and study.

The four steps to systematic problem solving are:

1. To believe that solutions exist and to write out the situation

Pat may be overwhelmed by her situation and may believe that she is a 'bad' mother, that her children and husband are suffering, and that she will fail in her schoolwork.

Pat's first task, therefore, is to tell herself that she can find a way out. Her next is to detail here situation as clearly and as thoroughly as possible (without needlessly elaborating) so that she gains a clear picture of her circumstances.

2. Find the root cause

To help Pat select the best situation, she is recommended to reflect and attempt to identify the root cause of the problem. It may be that Pat's habit of procrastinating may have led her into the morass of confounding job with family and being inadequate operator in both.

3. Identify all solutions

Solutions exist, but to find her particular solution, Pat is recommended to brainstorm various options and choose the one that she feels most congruent to her situation, best suited to herself and offering optimum results. This may be finding a babysitter, or it may be seeking professional help for goal-setting, or reading some books on the subject, and so forth.

4. Setting a deadline-

Assessing the situation and brainstorming solutions is insufficient to making effective long-lasting changes. The hardest, but most important part, is achieved where Pat actually accomplishes her goals by writing them down, fazing them out, and setting for her deadlines with which to effectuate resolutions to her problem. Pat, in other words, hopes to implement a solution (e.g. seeking professional help) by Friday, December 16. Pat has to record this (preferably in her organizer) and implement it in order to see effective step forward to working on her problem.

These are Pat's three goals in order of priority:

1. She is trying to be an optimum mother / wife (?)

2. She is striving to maintain her excellence in her job