Are Individuals Powerless to Change?

Are Individuals Powerless to Change?

Are Individuals Powerless to Change?

Consider the following perspectives offered in two popular films:

“Our lives and our choices, like quantum trajectories, are understood moment-to-moment. At each point of intersection, each encounter, suggests a new potential direction” (Arndt, Tykwer, Wachowski, & Wachowski, 2012).

“You can’t interfere with destiny, that’s why it’s destiny. If you try to interfere, the same thing is going to happen anyway and you’ll just suffer” (Berger & Payne, 1999).

Legends, fairy tales, books, and movies have long since illustrated the debate between destiny and choice. When it comes to a person’s ability to change, which do you believe: Are individuals predestined to endure their inborn challenges, or can they choose to rise above their tribulations? Is a wealthy son meant to follow in the steps of his father, or can he forge his own path? Can those suffering from addiction overcome their weaknesses, or are they powerless to their vices?

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For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Reflect on people in your own life, as well as those you may have worked with, read about, or seen on TV or through media. Identify whether you perceive change to be possible. Then, consider how your personal perception might impact your work as a counselor. For example, if you perceive individuals to be incapable of change, how might this influence the counseling strategies and approaches you employ with clients?

Post by Day 3 your perspective on whether people are powerless to change, including why or why not. Explain how your perspective might influence your future work as a counselor. Justify your response with references to this week’s Learning Resources and the current literature. Be specific and use examples from your personal experience as appropriate.

Readings

• Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
  • Chapter 1, “Organizing Themes in Development” (pp. 2-38)
• Kandler, C. Bleidorn, W., Riemann, R., Spinath, F. M., Thiel, W., & Angleitner, A. (2010). Sources of cumulative continuity in personality: A longitudinal multiple-rater twin study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(6), 995–1008.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Overton, W. F., & Ennis, M. D. (2006). Cognitive-developmental and behavior-analytic theories: Evolving into complementarity. Human Development, 49(3), 143–172.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Sameroff, A. (2010). A unified theory of development: A dialectic integration of nature and nurture. Child Development, 81(1), 6–22.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Thelen, E. (2005). Dynamic systems theory and the complexity of change. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 15(2), 255–283.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Document:
  Note: This information is also located on the Final Project Guidelines page in the left navigation area.

Media

• Laureate Education (Producer). (2013k). Perspectives: Using lifespan development [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.eduNote: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.The presenter in this week’s media discusses how counselors are using lifespan development to support clients and inform their counseling approaches.Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript