The Courage to Be: Using DBT Skills to Choose Who to Be in Uncertainty

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique set of circumstances in which most of us are struggling with the same sort of existential questions across our unique contexts and subjective experiences. As we work to answer these questions within the uncertainty of the pandemic, dialectical behavior th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of humanistic psychology Vol. 61; no. 2; pp. 260 - 274
Main Author Shea, Lynne-Marie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2021
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Behavior modification
Bravery
COVID-19
Emotions
Mindfulness
Pandemics
Psychological distress
Subjective experiences
Uncertainty
humanistic psychology
dialectical behavior therapy
existential psychology
critical pedagogy
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique set of circumstances in which most of us are struggling with the same sort of existential questions across our unique contexts and subjective experiences. As we work to answer these questions within the uncertainty of the pandemic, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) provides tools through which to consider and make meaning of these existential questions. DBT skills, which are aimed at increasing our capacity to practice mindfulness, regulate emotions, tolerate distress, think dialectically, and interact interpersonally, provide practical strategies to increase our senses of agency as we consider who we are in our own lives and in our relationship with others. With increased agency, we are more able to respond to the existential questions inherent in a global crisis by building the kind of courage needed to choose who to be.
ISSN:0022-1678
1552-650X
DOI:10.1177/0022167820950887