[From Bill Powers (921022.1200)]
Bruce Nevin (921022.1046) --
I'm really pleased to hear that you're thinking of writing a paper on
PCT and linguistics.
I've been meaning to ask -- in your latest foray into Achumawi (sp?)
land, did you have any time to check out PCT concepts across cultures?
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David Goldstein (921022) --
The AWOL problem, I think, is a symptom, not something to be treated
in itself. If you deal with the right problems, the AWOL problem will
go away by itself (as much as possible).
[The reason for placement]... includes things such as: does not
report to expected destination, does not remain at assigned
destination, school truancy, general runaway. If this is one of the
areas which require residential placement, it is unrealistic to
expect a miracle cure based on a verbal committment.
In "getting a committment" I don't think that the committment you want
is simply not to do the things that a complainant complained about.
That's just confrontational. It would be like saying "Promise you'll
stop doing those bad things." I agree that this would be futile.
Probably Ed Ford or Jim Graves could put this better than I can. I
would guess that the kind of committment you want is to learn how to
get along better with people, be happier, feel confident, understand
more, avoid things (like being in this institution) that you really
don't want to happen, have some hope in the future. In other words,
get a committment to make a real try at getting things the person
really wants, and to allow others to help where it's needed.
I don't think that not remaining at an assigned destination is a
particularly horrible crime, and the resident probably doesn't,
either. The crime, from the description, seems to be not letting
others have total control over you. I should think you would agree
with the residents that this is a bum rap. But bum rap or not, there
are many good things that can be done as long as the resident has to
go through this -- learning how to survive such a coercive system
without getting in trouble, for example, or even coming out of this a
lot happier than before about a lot of things. That's what you need a
committment for. You just want the resident to commit to having a real
try at a better life.
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Best to all,
Bill P.