Rule-Following and Rule-Breaking (when it works!): Using the RFT Account of Rule-Governance to Shape Context-Sensitive Behavior with Dr. Alison Stapleton

Do any of the following apply to you:

• I want to integrate relational frame theory (RFT) into my existing practice/ways of working and I am not sure where to start.
• I am interested in the RFT account of rule-following, but I find the jargon off-putting.
• I like experiential workshops and want new exercises/interventions to add to my toolkit.

Join us for this jargon-busting workshop on the RFT account of rule-governance.

Rules have a substantial influence on human behavior, with many instances of psychological rigidity seeming to stem from context-insensitive rule-following. Rule-following is a double-edged sword. While it can allow us to bypass trial and error, meaning we respond accurately quickly, it can also reduce our sensitivity to our immediate environment. Reduced sensitivity and awareness of shifting environmental contingencies is highly problematic and can cause us to maintain behaviors that are no longer useful for us, or even cause us to engage in harmful behaviors. And yet, at times we need to promote rule-following. For example, we want people to adhere to guidelines that reduce the spread of COVID-19, we don’t want children to test rules around looking both ways before crossing the street, and in a clinical context, we want clients to test and follow rules that clinicians provide (e.g., rules around valued action). This workshop will introduce attendees to the RFT account of rule-governed behavior and how this account can empower us to facilitate flexible, appropriately contextualized rule-following, while emphasizing the importance of the individual.