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Osgood, Tony (2017) Every Generation Must Fight the Same Battles Again & Again: RememberingAll The Variables? Why Subjective Should Be The New Objective. In: 2017 BILD PBS Conference. (Submitted)

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“EveryGenerationMustFighttheSameBattlesAgain&Again”:

RememberingAllTheVariables?WhySubjectiveShouldBeTheNew

Objective

TonyOsgood

Abriefpersonalviewpointtoaccompanyakeynote

KeyPoints:

• PositiveBehaviourSupport(PBS)isablendofpersoncentredand

behaviouralapproaches

• Theconstellationoflegitimatedatashouldincludestoriesandsubjective

accounts:‘subjectivedata’canbegivenasmuchauthorityas‘objective

data’[ExplicitlyfavouringoneortheotherwilldamagethePBSproject]

• Technologicalsolutionstohumanproblemsgivesrisetotechnocratswho

holdmorepowerandstatusthanothers:thisisevidentinlanguageused

todescribepeople.Including,asaninherentcomponentofPBS,thevoices

ofstakeholdersmaymoderatetechnocratpowerandimprovedeliveryof

individualsolutionsandstakeholdersatisfaction

• PBSpractitionerscanprovidepracticeleadershipnotonlyinPBSbut

humansystemdesigns

• PBSpractitionerscancontributetotheknowledgeofthoseresponsiblefor

purchasingservices:PBSpractitionersmightthereforeengageinclinical

andpoliticalandsocialjusticework

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AccompanyingpapertoBILDPBSKeynote,May2016

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RememberingWhereWe’veBeen…

Somewillrememberhowbehaviouraltechnologyhasbeenmisusedtosubjugate

individuals(Repp&Singh,1990):“Earlyeffortstoreducechallengingbehaviour

typicallyinvolvedarrangingreinforcersfornotengaginginthetargetbehaviour

andpunishersforengaginginthebehaviour.Thesepunisherswereoftenused

indiscriminately.Thatis,theywerenotreservedforthemostseverebehaviour,”

(Wagner,2002,p.284).AppliedBehaviourAnalysis(ABA)isnotunique:ifthere’sa

hammertobehad,someonesomewherewillwielditasifeveryoneisanail,no

mattertheobviousbenefitsofthetechnology-andmakenomistake,thebenefits

ofskilledapplicationofABAareremarkable.

Leavingasidethenotinsignificantalignmentfallacy(LaVigna&Willis,2016)

implicitinWagner’squote,itisusefultoconsiderhowthebehaviourof

interventionistsarose,wascondoned,andcontinued.PractitionersofPBSare

skilledatexpandingthemodeloffour-termcontingenciesbeyondchallenging

behaviourandtostaffororganisations,sometimeseventhemselves,toexplore

whythediscrepancybetweendescriptionofmoreconstructiveorstatus-

enhancingbehaviouralsupport,andtheavailabilityofitinsystemstookeento

adoptaversives,exists.Wemightsuggestnegativereinforcementofdefault

technologiessuchaspunishing.Wemightsuggestthatsurelythebehaviourof

thoseusingdehumanisingtechniquesislesstodowithpractitionerspersonally

failingtoadheretobestpracticebutthatbestpracticesthemselvesarealwaysset

withinaculturalcontext:itwas‘ok’touseaversivesanddehumanisingtechniques

because“theyworked”withpeopleno-oneelsewaskeentoworkwithatatime

whenpunishmentgenerallywascondoned.(PBSpractitionerswouldraiseaweary

pointhere:“worked”inwhatmanner,andforhowlong–foraslongasthestudy

lasted?Foraslongastheinterventionistwasbeingpaidtobepresent?Andif

otherswereabletoadoptconstructive,non-dehumanisingmethodstoenable

learning,whynoteveryone?)

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Manypeoplefoughtagainsttheuseofdehumanisingtechniquesbydeveloping

alternatives;notaninsignificantnumberofothersadvocatedforthecontinued

useofaversives(seeLucyshynetal.,2015forabriefhistory–butremember

historyhasahabitofrepeatingitselfforreasonsRobertPirsigpointsout;never

thinktheseargumentswonforever).Fromthesedebatesarosewhatwasto

becomePBSanditsplethoraofminimallyaversive,constructiveandfunctionally-

basedinterventionsthataimedforsociallyvalidity(Meyer&Park,1999).

FortheeditedbookBehaviouralIntervention:principles,modelsandpractices,

ScottiandMeyerchosetodedicatetheworkasfollows:“ToKevinCloughand

Danny,whosebehaviour,asthesystemfailedthem,ledtotheiruntimelydeaths,

aloneandwithoutfamilyorsupports”.TheythenciteDante:“Nakedtheywere

blownthroughthecirclesofHell”(1999).Whenitcomestotheirpersonal

dedications,botheditorschosethepeoplewholovethem,andthattheylove.

HowmanyinterventiongoalsindaytodayUKPBSpracticeconsiderfriendships,

loveandbelongingasdidtheseeditors?InthesamevolumeEvans,Scottiand

Hawkinsnoted,“Ithasbeenourexperienceindiscussionwithcolleaguesand

conductingworkshopsthat‘traditionalbehaviourmodification’isstillthe

predominantapproachtotreatingbehaviouralexcessesanddeficits”(1999,p.3).

IntheUKtherearemanyKevinsandDannystwentyyearson.Peoplebuyservices

thatinhibitandconstrainlives.Despiteourknowingmoreandmoreeachyear

abouthowbesttosupportpeoplewhosebehaviourchallengesthesystem,in

practiceweencounterlessandlessunderstandingoftheimportanceofvalues.(It

seemsaninverserelationshipexists:themoreverbiage,thelesstheaction.)

ValuesentwinethetechnologywithintheapproachwecallPBS.(Justbecausewe

coulddoesn’tmeanweshoulddosomethingtosomeone.)Andsoweencountera

‘PBSUnit’thatillegallyholdssomeonewithautism.Weencountera‘socialstory’

thattellssomeonetocomplywithstaff.Organisations‘adopt’PBSlikeafadyet

relationshipsandpracticesremainunchanged.TheUKisnotuniqueinespousing

onething,doinganother.TheUKislikethemusclebuilderonthebeach,often

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glisteninglyshowyandimpressivetocasualexamination:butwhenoneknows

thatmuscle-buildersachievetheirphysiquesbyensuringmusclesworkagainst

oneanother,andaren’tasstrongastheywouldhaveusbelieve,themetaphor

hintsatotheragendas.

Skinnersuggestedbehaviouralprinciplesinthemselvesarevalueless–likegravity,

lawsofbehaviourjustare:theycanbeappliedinmannersthatresultin

subjectivelyharmfulorbeneficialoutcomes–butsocananytechnology.

Therefore‘use’and‘misuse’areeasilyconfused–standpointmattershere.Here’s

themoralcrux:whodecides?Whoholdsthereinforcers?Dotheendsjustifythe

means?Andareallvoicestreatedequallywhenweseektoanswerthese

questions?PBSshouldconsidertheeffectofpowerandstatus.Ifan

interventionistisknowntohold‘thekeystogoodthings’isitthatorthereinforcer

thatmodifiesbehaviour?

ItiseasytoassumesuchthingsasoutlinedbyEvans,ScottiandHawkinsare

consignedtodarkcornersandancienthistory,thatsucheventsillustratehowfara

givensocietyhaschanged.Butabusescontinue,andpeoplewithintellectual

disabilities,childrenwithautism,likemanyminoritygroups,continuetobe

excludedandoppressed,andexperiencecontrollingtechnologies.“Whenthereis

abroadsocialacceptanceofagrouphavinglessaccesstotheirrightsandhaving

difficultyinhavingthoserightsupheld,systemsareseeminglyallowedtodevelop

which,mostlyunintentionally,allowabusetothrive”(RobinsonandChenoweth,

2011,p.65).WhatPBScontributesisachallengetocurrentpracticenormsand

valuesorassumptions.(Itseemseachgenerationmustfightthesamebattles

againandagain.)AsJimMansellwaskeentocommunicatetohisstudents,the

priceofsuccessisconstantvigilance.

Intervention(anyintervention–forcommunication,foractivities,fornewskills)

withoutcontextismerelystickyplastertherapy.Learningnewskillsand

competingbehavioursisrelativelystraightforwardbutiftheindividualstilllives

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withouthopeorloveorpeoplewhoarebotheredaboutthem,thenperhapswe’re

focussingonanimportantbutincompletework,aresponse,notan

accomplishment.“[A]ppliedsciencecannotaffordtoretreatbehindthemaskof

disinterestempiricism”(Evans,Scotti,Hawkins,1999,p.3).

Whobettertocontinuethefightfordecentoptionsforpeoplethanthoseoften

erroneouslyidentifiedascontributingtotheproblem?Isnotus,thenwho?Andif

nowisnotthetimetorememberhowPBScameabout,thenwhen?

…InformsWhereWe’reGoing

ABAisonlyonefoundingcomponentofPBS:apersoncentred,sociallyvalidand

constructivevalues-derivedparadigmwasequallycentral.Indeed,the

rapprochementbetweenvaluesandtechnologyisattheheartofPBS.Atendency

torelyondata(aswecharacterise‘objective’measurementsasproviding)atthe

costofstories(aswethinkofthevoicesofexperienceasbeing)mightprove

counter-productivefortheacceptabilityofPBS.Theinclusionofsubjective

perspectiveswithinPBSisoneofits‘uniquesellingpoints’.(Canweimaginea

scenariowhereaPBSpractitionermightfaceopprobriumfromcolleaguesifshe

forgetstogatherinter-observeragreement(IOA)databutfewerraisedeyebrows

ifshefailedtoconfirmthegoodnessoffitofheradvice?Manyofushave

encounteredplentyofdataminusIOA,plentyofinterventionslackingtheviewsof

thepersonattheheartofwork.Smallhabitsaccrue.)

PBSinpartgrewfromaprofessionaluneasewiththedominationofa

methodologicalbehaviouralparadigm:manyoftheoriginatorsofPBSdiscovered

whatmatteredtofamiliesandpeopleusingserviceswasnotsomuchreliabledata

andreplicabletechnologies,asbeinglistenedtoandinvolved.Theywantedgood

technologyappliedininclusiveways.Itseemsthesamedimensionsand

definitionsofgoodsupportusedbyfamiliesandpeoplewithdisabilitiesremain

unchangedovertheyears(Danforth,2000;Evans&Gore,2016).AsPBSgrows

adherents,practitionersneedtorememberthelessonsofthepastandbalance

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clinicalwithsocialvalidity,valueswithtechnology.PBSisnotanexercisein

rebrandingABA.

PBSisatacusp.Thereisanunderstandabledrivetosetstandardsanddefinitionsof

whatPBSis,howitisdone,andcertificationofcompetencies.Itisnaturaltohave

ourbehaviourandknowledgeaccreditedinordertohelppeoplerecognisetheskills

weclaim.Havingcertificationmeanswe’reconsideredcompetenttopractice.Tobe

certifiedmeanswe’vetakenaparticularprogrammeofstudiesorpassedatest

administeredbyabodyrepresentingtheinterestsofaprofessionalidentity.

Fundamentallycertificationisaboutqualityassurance.Butitisalsoabouta

professionalbodyacquiringcontrolofaskillorprofession.

Thereareconstructivebenefitstothisbutinherentlimitations.AsPBSgrowsin

significanceitwillbecomemoreformalisedandstandardised.Toremainrelevantto

people,PBSmustnotloseitsflexibility,itssystemicapproachtoworkingwith

environmentsandindividuals:asitstrengthensitsbodyitmustnotloseitsheart.To

focusoncollectingreliableandvaliddimensionsofbehaviouratthecostof

measuringsometimesmorenebulousbutneverthelessprizedoutcomes(suchas

qualityoflifeorpersonalgoalsofhumans),PBSrunstheriskofreplicatingtheerrors

ofthepast.Measuringwhatcountstoustoensureaccreditationmustalsoreflect

whatcountstopeopleusingtheknowledge.

TheSubjectiveNatureofObjectivity

StandPointTheory(SPT)seemsthepolaroppositeofpositivism(aguiding

principleofbehaviouralscience).SPTiswhollypost-modernandsuggestsour

individualperspectivesareshapedbyourexperiencesandmostvoiceshavea

relativepositiontoothervoices.Itsoriginscanbetracedtostudiesofslavesand

mastersinthe1800s.Ourbelongingtocertaingroupsorcultures,ourtraining,

accruetomakeusconceiveofwhatweencounterincertainbiasedways.Wesee

throughwhowethinkweare.Someonewhoisnotautisticmightmakea

judgementaboutthevalueofabehaviourshownbyanautisticwoman,for

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example-whois‘right’?Whilstmanyofusmayworkinthefieldofautismor

intellectualdisabilities,wecannotknowautismorintellectualdisabilitiesthrough

anylensotherthantheonewehavelearned.Myunderstandingofautismis

merelyonestandpoint.ThisaccountisbasedonotherstandpointsIcallresearch

orfirsthandaccounts,butalsomyexperienceasafather.Post-modernism*is

perplexingtomanyofusnotschooledinitinpartbecausewehavebeen

indoctrinatedinotherwaysofknowing.

SPTsuggeststheauthorityofpeople’svoicesrestsintheirdirectknowledgeof

dailyexperienceratherthanotherqualifications.Yourpositionimpactsyour

knowledgeandabilitytobeheard.Standpointsarenotfixedbutfluid:aperson

canbeamotherofanautisticchild,aBCBA,andanassociateprofessor.Sucha

personmightholdagreaterwarrantthansomeonewhoisnotofthoseidentities.

Historyhasshownusthatonepointofviewtendstodominate–ascientific

accountofanautisticlife,forexample.Notbecausethescientificstandpointis

right,butbecauseweadherecurrentlytotheideathatscienceholdsmore

warrantthanindividualexperiences.SPTcanbeexpandedtoconcludeone

methodtocounterthedominanceofoneviewistoincludetheexperiencesof

others.Soindescribingautism,anyaccountthatincludestheexperiencesof

autisticindividualsandresearchfindingsmaycarrymorewarrantforaclaimtobe

acomprehensiveaccountofautism.SPTnotesauthorityisoftenvestedinone

groupofviews(say,maleprofessionals)thatdominateanother(say,mothersof

autisticchildren).Subordinategroupsareheardlessthandominantgroups.Tatum

(1997)suggestspeoplemaymaintainbiasesagainstothersinordertostrengthen

theirowngrouporstatus.

*post-modernismisbroadlyskepticalof‘modern’rationalityasitispresented,especiallyinsocial

sciences(Doesatriangleexistonlyinourminds?)Someonequestioningsimplisticaccountsof

absolutetruth(allyouneedtoknowabouthumanscanbegraphed)andnon-relativistideologies

(thisisalwaysthecase),someonequestionningobjectiverealityormorality,ispost-modern.The

claimofpost-modernismisthatscienceisnotwhollyobjective–humans‘spin’thedatatoaccord

withaparticularworld-vieworagenda.Truthiscontextualinpost-modernism.Whereveryousit

alongthecontinuum,post-modernismdoesofferusefulconceptualtoolswithwhichwecan

engagedominanttropes.Suchacriticalstanceisusefulbutsometimesequallyconfounding.!

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Positivistsmighthuffatthispointandbemoan‘socialconstructionists’alittletoo

loudly,andbegintoargueitisofcourse‘self-evident’subjectandobjectare

distinctfromoneother-theymight,asDavidSilvermanadvocates,suggestpost-

modernistsdoanythingotherthanscience;butthentherearethepost-positivists

whosuggestourvaluesandtrainingandculture(ourwaysofbehavinginand

outsideourheads)doinfluencewhatweperceiveandseeandreport,regardless

ofthesulkingpositivistsinthecorneraskingoneanotherhowtheyaredoing.

Post-positivistsacknowledgebiasesontheirjourneytowarda‘fairlyobjective

accountofphenomena’.(Whereaspost-modernistsmightquestionwhether

realityexists,postivitstsmighthuffandsay‘ohcourseitdoes!Leapoutabuilding

toseehowwellyoufly’,whilepost-positivistsmightsay‘well,itdependshowhigh

thewindowis’).Positivistsmightargueknowledgeisbasedonabodyof(often)

replicatedfindingsaboutabaserealitywhereaspost-positivistssuggestthebest

wecanworktowardisanimperfectdescriptionofthisbasereality–theyeschew

absolutesinfavourofprobabilities.(KarlPopper’sfalsificationisanexampleof

post-positivistthinking,regardlessofwhatStephenHawkingssays.)

Regardlessofwhereyousitontheconstellationofparadigmsandfictions,we

mightagreeitseemsapparentthatalltoooftenthosedesigningsupportsystems

havenotmadeuseofthesethemselvesorforpeopletheylove.It’sinterestingto

askifadvocatesofcertaininterventionshaveexperiencedthesethemselves.

Peopledesignsystemsandinterventionsbasedontheirstandpoint.Iftheyhada

childusingspecialistsupportsystems,adifferentperspectivemightcontribute

differentdesigns.Evenifthedesignershavenodirectexperienceofusing

provision,involvingthepeoplewhodomaycontributetoasystemmore

responsiveandfitforpurpose.

Onestandpointaboutoldapplicationsofbehaviouralscienceheldconsequence

manipulationstobedominant,non-functionallydeterminedinterventions

legitimate,applicationofelectricshocks,shoutingandhurtingpermissible,allin

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ordertochangewhateverbehaviourtheyviewedasunacceptable–bethatone’s

smoking,self-harmingbehaviourorsexualorientation.(Ahistoricalodyssey

throughJABAisoftensalutary.)

Fromitsinception,PBSsoughttoincludethevoicesofpeoplewithwhomitis

applied:families,childrenandotherswhohadoftenbeenignoredaslacking

sufficientstatustobeheard.**Thepeoplewhoexperienceatechnologyhavea

vestedinterestintheirsubjectiveaccountsbeingheard.Technocratscanbenefit

fromlistening.PBSbalancestheknowledgeofthetechnocratwiththeexperience

oftheindividual.PBScanlegitimatelyconsidersubjectiveviewsasdata:

standpointsmatterinPBS.Thisis,ofcourse,apositionofcontinualtension.The

powerheldbytechnocratsmighteasilyswampothers.Includingthestandpoints

ofchildrenoradultsorfamiliesorstaffcanhelpcounter-balancethepower

practitionerswield.Powerissometimeseasytospotthroughethnographiceyes

thanothermodesofenquiry(Blaug,2010;Levinson,2010).

Oneobviouscontentionagainstincludingsubjectiveaccountsisreliability:butthe

realityseemstobeinter-observeragreementmeasuresdon’tmakeitoutofthe

classroomtoooften,meaningdatapresentedas‘objective’maynotbeanything

ofthekind.Theotherfactorisvalidity:doeswhatwemeasuremeasurewhatwe

say?WhatifQABF,MASetcmeasureindividualstaffopinionsandperceptions,no

more?Whatifourrecordingshowsachild’sbehaviourgainsattention,butour

analysismissesthechildgainsattentioninordertogainescape,too,oratangible

item,orafeelingofconnectednesswithsomebutnotallcarers?Ourstandpoints

informhowwecollectdata,whatdatawecollect,whichbehaviourwelookat,

andimportantly,howweinterpretwhatwe(subjectively)see.

**ThereisasceneinaMontyPythonfilm-TheMeaningofLife-whereawomanisabouttogive

birth.Sheissurroundedbymachinesandthetrappingsoftechnology,andsurroundedbythe

trappingsofthepoweroftechnocrats.‘WhatshallIdo?’sheasksthedoctor.Thedoctoris

horrifiedandresponds,‘Nothing,dear,you’renotqualified.’

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PracticeLeadership:ACalltoArms

PBSpractitionersoftenfaceacommondilemmainneedingtobeinfourplaces

simultaneously.Knowledgeiscostlytoacquire,expertiseexpensivetohireand

timeismoney:beinginhighdemandtohelpothersunderstandchallenging

behaviourandrespondtoitcoherentlyisbothanindictmentofthelackof

resourcesavailableandreassuringonewillneverbeshortofemployment.SoPBS

practitionersoftenworkthroughothers.

ThismeansoneofthechallengesforPBSpractitionersistobelesshero,more

hosttothelearningofothers.TogeneralisePBStoothers–parents,teachers,

servicestaff,peoplewithdisabilities–weneedtotrain&teachloosely.PBS

pracitionerskeeponeeyeonthetargetbehavioursthey’vebeenaskedtohelp

with,andoneeyeonthecompetenciesoftheecology(what’sreinforcingwhich

mediatorbehaviourthatcompeteswithPBS?)I’mhumblysuggestingwegrowa

thirdeyetokeepinviewouropportunitiestocontributetopracticeleadership.

Practiceleadershipisn’ttrainingasweknowit.Itisteachingbyshowing.(It’sthe

differencebetweentheoldapprenticeshiporlegitimateperipheralparticipation

approachtohelpingpeoplelearnaparticularsetofskills(Lave&Wenger,1991)or

culture,andgoingawaytoUniversity[ordoingstuffonline]fortwoyearstolearn

theoreticalresponsetohypotheticalbehaviours;it’sSkinner’spool-hallhustler

comparedtohisphysicist.)PBSpractitionersshouldthusremembertheverymany

hoursof‘formal’trainingtheyprovidewon’tresultinbetterqualityservice

automatically:“Trainingisonlylikelytobeeffectivewhenitissupportedby

managementleadership”(Mansell,1996,p.57).Trainingisinsufficient.Andhere’s

anissue.

Afteryearsofresearch,myoldbossbegantobefollowedbyalurkingsuspicion:it

followedhimalloverEuropeandAustralia,henoticeditathome,atwork,atplay.

Hesuspected…“Stafffeelthatmanagement’strueobjectivesarenotcongruent

withtheespousedcareobjectivesandthattrainedbehavioursdeterioratequickly

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atwork”(Mansell,1996,p.57).Mansellandcolleaguesbegantosuspectan

inverserelationshipbetweenseniorityandcompetenceregardingdirectworkwith

peopleusingservices:“justashouseleadersbecomelessskilledandlessinvolved

inworkwithclientsbecausetheyspendlesstimewiththem,sotheirmanagersare

evenlessuseasrolemodels”(Mansell,1996,p.57).

Ifmanagersaren’tconsideredlegitimatesourcesofknowledgeorskillsbystaff,if

theyarenotviewedasgoodexamples,leadershipwillcoalescearoundother

practitioners,becausepeoplewillorganisethemselveswhenajobneedsdoing.

Formaltrainingisoftenatoddswithpractice:arecipefordissonanceand

psychologicalcontractssnappingliketwigsinAutumn.IknowGaryLaVigna’s

soundbiteiswittyandoftentrue,thatthosewhodon’tknowhowtomanageare

managingthosewhodon’tknowwhattodo,butweallhaveexperienced

situationswherethosewhodon’tknowhowtomanagearemanagingthosethat

doknowwhattodoifonlytheywereallowed.Thisisthefirstlessonfrom

legitimateperipheralparticipationexperiencenotoftenespousedinthe

literature:toooftenmanagersknowlessthandirectsupportstaff.Oftenitisstaff

notmanagerswhoembodyandenactanenablingculture.

ItturnsoutJim’squalmscouldbetracedbackmanyyearstoothers,including

Gilbert:“Ihavefoundrepeatedlythataculturethatdoesnotworkwell-inwhich

peopleareunhappy,insecure,unproductive,anduncreative-wasdesignedbya

managerwhodidnotbeginwithcarefulanalysisofitsgoalsandvalues.This

analysis,thisteleonomicengineering,pursuesamethodastonishinglydifferent

fromthatofthesciences…Theengineerknowsinthemainwhatthegoalis,and

beginsbymakingadesignofthatendpoint”(Gilbert,1978,p.103).Gilbert,with

hismodel,showshowtoproducecompetentandincompetentecologies.

Gilberthelpfullyprovidedatabletoillustratethetacticsemployedtoengineer

incompetentperformance(Gilbert,1978,p.86);hesuggestsmostpeoplewill

recognisesuchtactics(p.12).

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Sd(Information)

[Antecedents]

R(Instrumentation)

[Behaviour]

Sr(Motivation)

[Consequences]

Environmental

Supports

1.Don’tletpeopleknow

howwelltheyaredoing

2.Givepeoplemisleading

dataabouthowwellthey

aredoing

3.Hideexpectationsfrom

people

4.Givepeoplelittleorno

guidanceabouthowto

performwell

1.Designthetoolsof

workwithoutconsulting

peoplewhousethem.

2.Keepengineersaway

frompeopleusingthe

tools

1.Makesurepoor

performersgetpaidas

wellasgoodones

2.Seethatgood

performersgetpunished

3.Don’tmakeuseof

nonmonetaryincentives

Individual’s

Repertoireof

Behaviour

1.Leavetrainingto

chance

2.Puttraininginthe

handsofsupervisorswho

arenottrained

3.Maketraining

unnecessarilydifficult

4.Maketraining

irrelevanttothe

students’purposes

1.Scheduleperformance

fortimeswhenpeople

arenotattheirsharpest

2.Selectpeoplefortasks

theyhaveinstrinsic

difficultyinperforming

3.Donotprovide

responseaids

1.Designthejobsoithas

nofuture

2.Avoidarranging

workingconditionsthat

employeeswouldfind

pleasant

3.Givepeptalksrather

thanincentivesto

promoteperformancein

punishingsituations

Fig.1Gilbert’sExampleofGrowingIncompetentEcologies(Gilbert,1978,p.86)

PBSpractitioners,becausetheyknowhowtodifferentiatetheirdiscriminative

stimulifromtheirmotivatingoperationwithouttheaidofasafetynet(a

textbook),cancontributetotheworkofleadersbysupportingthemtoactually

organisetheever-populardrinkinthebrewery.Further,becausePBSisablendof

personcentredandmoretechnologicaloptions,PBSpractitionersmaybeunlikely

topropogatetheideaofservicesasmachines;staffmatter(theyarenot

automatons,notyet),andinvolvingstaffisusefulatgainingtacitknowledgeof

what’sreallygoingon.Inpractice,manyPBSadvocatesfindmoreknowledge

amidstthesmokersinthegardenthanfrommanagersinfolder-lined,policy-

riddenoffices.Andallthisknowledgeaccrueswithouttheaidofadegree!(That’s

anothersalutorylesson:ifweonlylistentocertifiedequals,howcanwelistento

peopleusingservices?Ignoringisaslipperyslope,nottakingpeopleseriouslyisa

contagion.)

PBSpractitionersmighthaveinsightsintowhatthereinforcementfor

commissionerandcaremanagerdecisionsis,whatpayoffsoperateforservice

organisations,whatconsequencesariseformanagersgluedtotheirofficechairs.

PBSpractitionershaveanappreciationofthebootlegreinforcmentoperatingfor

staff,andoften,preciselywhatthepunishersandreinforcersareforinnovators

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(Mansell&Elliot,2001).(Innovatorsandwhistleblowersoftenareperceived

equallydoubtfully.)

SkillcomesfromtheAnglo-Saxon,meaningto‘discern’or‘discriminate’.These

daysskillsmeansyouhavebeenobligedtositthroughfourhoursofhealthand

safetytrainingtaughtbythemostboringindividualintheknownuniverseand

receivedacertificateofattendance.Youarepresumedcompetentifyou’ve

passedasimpletest(didthecandidatestayawake?)Itmayalsomeanyou’ve

completedFireTraining,ActiveSupportTraining,De-escalationTechniques

TrainingviatheInternet.Suchprogrammestendnottoresultinpeople

competentatdiscerningordiscriminating,merelyreproducingwhathasbeentold

them.We’velearnedtoteachpeopletocomplywithexpectedanswersmore

economically!(Aswe’velearnedtopassaccountabilityfortheconsequencesof

badteachingtothosetaughtbadly).There’sanarttodesigningtrainingtoensure

peoplepasstheexam,butit’sanartfewpeoplelivinglivesinservicesappreciate.

“Badsystemscreatebadsituationscreatebadapplescreatebadbehaviours,even

ingoodpeople,”(Zimbardo,2007,p.445).

ThirtyyearsagoBlundensuggestedquality-consciousservicesdrawperformance

indicatorsfromtheirvalues.(It’snotthenumberofteachingplansthatcount,but

thequalityoftheminhelpingpeoplelearn.)Blundennotedthatforgood

organisations,theviewsandexperiencesofcustomersarethekeyconcern

(Blunden,1988).Blundenarguedorganisationskeenonmaintainingqualityshould

focusonprocessandoutcomes,andthatthestructureofsuchorganisationsmight

belesshierarchical,moredemocratic,morefluid:“withsmallgroupsandtask

forcesbeingformedaroundthesolutionofparticularproblems.Theformal

structureoftheorganisationwouldnotbeallowedtogetinthewayofachieving

results.Staffwouldbeactivelyencouragedtoinnovateandtochampionnew

ideas.Therewouldberecognitionthatnotallnewideaswouldsucceed.Failure

wouldbetoleratedandlessonslearnedfromtheexperience”(Blunden,1988,

p.109-110).

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Blunden,drawingontheAmericanliteratureconcerningsuccessfulorganisations,

outlinedsomepracticalstepstoachievequality.Hefoundthatallstakeholders

shouldbeinvolvedin“definingandreviewingservicequality”(p.110)andthat

“theiractiveparticipationwillhelpensurethattheirinterestsarerespectedand

thatanydecisionsmadearelikelytobeputintopractice”(p.110).Givingpeople

usingservicesandthosepeopledoingtheworkalegitimatevoiceinhowthings

getdonecanhelpconstructaproductivecultureofpractice,itseems.

Blundenarguedoneofthechallengesforcommunityserviceswasthecreationof

aculturebaseduponsharedvalues;youcouldn’tsimplyemployanyonewithout

activelysupportingtheirlearningthroughtraining,coachingandmanagement.

Thismeantgoodmanagerspaidmindfulattentiontosuchthingsasrecruitment,

supervision,peerevaluation,andtheembodimentbymanagementandleadersof

thevaluestheysoughttoseeputintoaction.Staffandfamiliesandotherother

stakeholders,includingstaff,wouldnothavetosimplylistentotherhetoricofthe

organisation,buttheywouldseetheirmanagersandleadersenactingthevalues

everyday.IntheUKtoday,ifoneisreasonablyuprightandmoreoftenthannot

breathing,you’vegotajob.ArecentNHSleadershipcourseargueddemocraticor

dispersedleadershipwaspointless.It’shardlyencouraging,butsuchistheecology

encountetedbyPBSpractitioners.

BlundenalsocitedGilbert:botharguedhumanorganisationswoulddowellto

focusnotmerelyonbehaviourbutonaccomplishment.O’Brienadoptedthis

modelwhenhewroteoftheFiveServiceAccomplishmentsin1987.Whatpeople

doisthebehaviour.Whatpeopleachieveistheaccomplishment.Thereforewhen

reviewingthequalityofservicesitisimportantnotmerelytoconsiderwhatis

writtenandwhatpeopletellyou,notmerelytomeasurethepresenceofitems

assumedtoindicatequality,butwhatisactuallyachieved.(Doesthepersonhave

acareplan?Yes!Thereforethisisagoodservice!)“Itisunusualtoseeservices

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beingreviewedintermsoftheextenttowhichtheyenableclientstoexpandtheir

socialrelationshipsorlearnandeffectivelyusenewskills,”(Blunden,1988,p.111).

Blundensuggestshelpfulqualityassurancesystemsshouldbegearedtoward

action;alltoooftenthewrongindicatorismeasuredpoorlyandnotmuch

changes.(Ifweeachauditourselves,wetendtocomeoutasprettycoolhuman

beings.)Hierarchiestendtobureacractisesystemsandroutinisethem.Rationales

becomelostveryquickly.Rememberevenadysfunctionalsystemisfunctionalfor

somebody.EvenWinterbourneViewmetsomepeople’sneeds-tocoverup,tonot

bemorallyengaged,toprovideanoutofarea,out-of-sightprovision,tobully.

Blundennotes“theproceduresoutlinedhereseemlittlemorethancommon

sense”(p.114)butcommonsenseassumesalackofpolitics,alackofagendas,and

equitablepowerandfocus.Inthisway,commonsenseisnaive.Whatweknow

aboutpoliticsinorganisations,power-gamesinsystems,isthatresistanceis

fertile.Puttingvaluesintoactionishardanditrequirescompetentmanagement

andvisionaryleadership.“Howoftenismostserviceorganisationsdosenior

managersconcernthemselveswiththedetailsofhowtheserviceisinfluencingthe

livesofitsusers?”(Blunden,1988,p.114).WhatPBSpractitionersknowisthat

whentheyexamineecologies,theyencounterego-cologies.

Itisraretoseeactivepracticeleadership,managementbywanderingabout,

spendingtimeroutinelywithpeopleusingservicesandpeopleatalllevelsofthe

organisations.Thisisrarebecausestaffandpeopleusingservicesarenotreally

viewedasconsumers.Peoplewhobuyservicesareconsumers.Notpeopleusing

them.Notpeopleworkinginthem.

Practiceleadershipisanewnameforanoldskill:showingbydoing,leadingby

example,coaching,teaching,andbeingtheembodimentoftheculturetobe

grown.PBSpractitioners,knowingthefoiblesofhumansystemsaswellasthe

rationalscienceofouroftenseeminglyirrationalspecies,areunqiuelyskilledat

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leadingchangeandmodellingapproacheswithprovenoutcomes.Thereare

differencesbetweenmanagersandleaders:managersfollowthepathsetby

leaders;leadersdotherightthingwhilemanagersdothingsright(Bennis&

Nanus,1985;Shackleton&Wale,2000).

Commissioners:EnemyattheGateorPowerholdingOpportunity?

Ifsomeonedoesn’tknowhowtosingthePolishNationalAnthem,wecanteach

themtosingPolandisNotYetLost.Ifsomeonedoesn’tknowhowtocheckthe

‘facts’spunbypoliticians,wecanteachthemthat,too.Ifpeoplecan’treador

writeorbicycleorswim,that’salearningissuetobesolved.Ifsomeonedoesn’t

knowhowtocommissionaservicethatissuitableforthepersonwhoselifewillbe

livedtherein,canwenotteachthat,also?PBSpractitionersknowsomuchabout

hownottodothings,weshouldpassonknowledgeabouthowtodothingswell

tothoseresponsibleforbuyingsecond-rateprovision.Thisislessaboutresource

thanimagination;lessaboutclinical,moreaboutpoliticalenterprise.

Commissionersareskilledatbuyingthebestvalueprovisionthatturnsoutnotto

bethebestbyanyothermetric.PBSpractitioners,duetotheirknowledgeof

peopleandsystems,cancontributetothemakingofgoodandperson-centred

decisions.Wecanprovidereliableandvaliddataandstoriestohelp

commissionersmakemoreinformedchoices:here’swhyyoushouldfundthis,

here’swhyyoushouldn’tfundthat,andherearetheconsequencesforyouarising

fromboth.PBScanbescientific,person-centred,andpolitical.

BecauseintheUKbeingperson-centredinamanagerialistmilieuisanexercisein

callingbureaucratestomoralaccount-tomakeaccountancymoral-networksof

practiceandsupportarevitalforPBSpractitioners.Beingpartofacommunityof

practicecanprovideaplaceforidentities,aplaceofsanctuary,aplacefromwhich

practitionerscangatherstrengthandshareknowledge.Acommunityofpractice

identitycansupportpractitionerstoremainsaneininsaneplaces.

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WhentravellingaroundtheUK,inmeetingparentsandpeoplelabelledas

“having”behaviourothersfindchallenging,whenspendingtimeinprivateand

statutoryplacesofwork,PBSpractitionersoftenencounterthedominanceof

managerialismovervalues,theprocessingofpeopleasopposedtolisteningto

them,andoldpracticesthatneverwentaway.Thismustleadustowonderifwe’ll

evergettoValuingPeople.Thisalsoteachesusweneedtosupportoneanother

aswestrivefordoingwhatisrightwell.

PBSpractitionersthencancontributetothedecisionscommissionersmakeby

theirknowledgeoftheneedfor:

• Robust,reliable,validdatatoinformourconceptualisationofchallenging

behaviourandhowtorespondthatincludessubjectiveaccounts(wemight

thenseePBSpractitionersquestionthetropesmaintainingarelianceon

medication,restraintandotherarchaicpracticesto‘manage’challenging

behaviour,suchasaneedfor‘assessmentunits’[assesswhat?Assess

where?);

• Arecognitionofthebenefitsoflisteningandactingupontheexperiences

ofchildrenorpeoplewhohavefirsthandexperienceofPBS;

• Knowledgearisingfromexperienceandresearchinformingwhydangerous

culturescandevelop(wemightthenseePBSpractitionerstakealeadin

helpingorganisationsembedintheirstructuresinformedleadersand

methodsfordetectingearlysignsoforganisationaldysfunction);

• Providingcommissionerswithevidenceandstoriesofwhatworksfor

people(wemightseePBSpractitionersoffercommissionersstandpoints

thatcancontendwithdominatebeliefs.Wecanarmcommissionersto

argueforperson-centreddecisions).

PBSpractitionersmightfindthemselvesaddingtheirvoicestothoseofthepeople

theysupport,tocallforhumanrightstoberespected,forvaluestobeenacted,

andforpeopleineducationandservicestobeviewedasconsumersnotcattle;

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PBSpractitionersareengagedinasocialmovementforsocialjustice,notjust

clinicalexcellence.

ThedevelopmentofPBShasenrichedmainstreamABA;itisnowcommontohear

ofsocialvalidity,toembedcontextualfitproceduresintoclinicalwork,whereas

twentyyearsagothesethingswerenotascommon.Inthesamewayfunctional

assessmentandfunctionalanalysisarenowdefactoexpectationsofPBSwork,we

mustrememberthatestablishingthefunctionofagivenresponseisquitearecent

development.ThisisthegiftPBSbroughttotheparty.Perhapswecaninvite

commissionerstotheparty.

WhatPBSCanBringtotheParty

Engineeredsystemsforpeoplewithareputationforchallengingbehaviourneed

toencourageopen,questioningcultures,wherestaffareencouragedtothinkand

bepartofsolutions.Socialpsychologyisclear:groupsworkbetterwhenmembers

trustoneanotherandwhenthereisaclear,unambiguousgoal.Unclearecologies

canpromoteineptitude(Gilbert,1978).Callingonwhatwemighttermancient

history,“Manystudieshavefoundthattheexistenceofcohesivebondsbetween

co-workersisapre-requisiteforhighmoraleandoptimumperformanceofduties,

butthisdoesnotmeanthatallnormsthatariseincohesiveworkgroupscontribute

totheaccomplishmentofofficialtasks,”(Blau&Meyer,1971,p.49).

Bothfunctionalassessmentandpersoncentredplanningappealtothoseseeking

anunderstandingofapparentreinforcersandpunishersimpactingonan

individual’sbehaviour(Wagner,2002).Wherepersoncentredmethodsareartful

andoftenlookat‘thebigpicture’ofgoalsandaccomplishments,behavioural

approachesareembeddedinscientificculture,andoftenfocusonspecific

responsesthatmaycontributeto‘bigpicture’goalachievement.Personcentred

approachestelluswherewe’reheading,behaviouralapproacheshowtoget

there.GoodPBSpractitionersareskilledinboth.

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Whybothertoconsiderwiderecologocial(orego-cology)contexts?Without

understandingthesourceandpurposeofbootlegreinforcement,withoutknowing

competinginfluences,oursuggestions,evenifco-constructed,won’tamountto

much.That’sapragmaticanswer.There’salsothemoraldimension,aswellas

aligningourselveswiththelessonsfromthepast-ofnotcontributingtothe

powerlessnessofpeopleindistress.“Theliteratureshowsahighdegreeof

consistencyaroundthefeaturesofeffectiveapproachestoaccommodationand

supportforpeoplewithintellectualdisability.Theyarefundamentallylinkedtoa

focusonpositivesupportofpeoplewithdisabilityattheindividuallevel,andto

supportingandfacilitatingtheconnectionofthepersoninarangeofrelationships

andwitharangeofcommunitiesoftheirchoosing…Thesefeatureshavealsobeen

demonstratedtobeprotectiveofpeople’spersonalsafety.Thesefeaturesare

connected,however,toastrongphilosophicalandconceptualframeworkabout

controlandchoicebeingvestedinorclosetotheperson.Thehistoryof

accommodationserviceshasbeenoneinwhichcontrolanddecisionmakinghave

beenvestedinthestaffandmanagementwhoworkintheservices,”(Robinson

andChenoweth,2011,p.66).

Therefore,whenweteachPBS,whenwepractice-leadPBS,dowestressperson

centredecologies,attitudesandinteractions,asequallypowerfullyasbehavioural

methodologies?Whenweteachdoweemphasisecritiquesandlimitationsas

robustlyasweadvocateforfunctionalassessmentandanalysis?Whenweteach

PBS,howdoweteachpractitionerstogaintheviewsoffamiliesandpeople

requiringsupport?Whenweteachphysicalinterventions,doweshowthe

researchfocussedontheviewsandexperiencesofpeopleonthereceivingendof

suchapproaches?CouldweasPBSpractitionersdomoretoenhancethequalityof

lifeofpeopleweserve?Canweinfectthosesupportingthepersondailywiththe

passiontoseetheindividual’sgiftsaswellaschallenges?Supportingsomeoneto

learnhownottoneedtohurtthemselvesisnobleandconstructiveworkbut

leavingthemfriendlessandwithoutvoiceinpoorprovisionisunsupportable.

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Itisoftenthecasesurvivorsofmentalhealthprovision,parentsofyoungpeople

sentmilesfromhometosocalled‘assessmentandtreatmentunits’,peoplein

servicesgenerally,speakoftheiropinionsnotbeingconsidered,perhapsbecause

thestandpointofprofessionalsissopowerfulcomparedtopeopleusingservices.

Parentsandpeopleusingservicesareoftenlonelyandunheard.

CanPBSasafamilyofapproacheslearnfromtheseunsavouryandgeneration-

longexperiences?InmanywaysIwouldagreethattoprogress“weneedmore

evidenceandlessideology”(Rowe&Rudkin,1999,p.154)butideologyandvalues

informwhatisresearchedandcitedasevidence.

Wehavelearnedaspractitionerstoaskdifficultquestions,becauseourworkis

notsosimpleassayingJane’sbehaviourisunacceptable,here’showtochangeit

forthebenefitofJaneandeveryoneelse.Janemightbequitehappyself-harming

becauseitisabehaviourthatmakesupJane.Theacceptabilityofself-harmisa

subjectivestandpoint.ThepeoplejudgingJanetobeself-harmingmightdoso

throughthefogofcigarettes,alackofexercise,andanevangelicalbeliefinfree-

love.Janemighthaveanequallyvalidargumentthatthereferrershavetheirown

behaviouralissuestodealwith.

Inpersoncentredplanning,asinPBS,webeginwithahypothesis(abestguess)as

towhatourinformationtellsus.InPBSthistendstobedrawnfromdirect

observations,fromrecordsandtheexperiencesofgroupsofpeoplegained

throughinterviewsorquestionnaires.Wemightalsoasktheindividual

themselves.Inpersoncentredplanning,welike-wisediveintoopinionsfrom

thosethatknowtheperson,andifpossible,thepersonthemselves.Inboth

approaches,wethenintervene.“Somepeople’swaysofcommunicatingleavethe

importantpeopleintheirlivesunabletoheartheirviewsaboutalifethatwould

makesense,”O’Brienwrites.“Theseotherpeoplehavelittlechoicebuttocreatea

storywithavaluedandcentralrolefortheperson,whosepreferencesremain

ambiguous.Then,thesepeoplemakeadjustmentsbasedontheperson’s

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responsestotherealsettingsandexperiencesthatresulted”(O’Brien,2002,

p.412).Andwhilsttheseadjustmentsbasedonresponsesmaynotberecognised

asrobustdata,theapproachis.

Datacanalltooeasilybeconceptualisedasprobesintopeoples’lives.Thedatawe

collectbydefault,trainingormandatedbyouremployersmaynotbethedata

meaningfultotheperson.Thedatawecollectmaybepre-determinedbutthey

mightjustaseasilyberesponsivetothepersonandtheirsituation.Animpressive

exampleofthiscanbefoundinHolburn&Vietze’saccountofHal(2002).

DuringarecentteachingtriptoVeronaideologicaloppositiontoanything

remotelyassociatedwithbehaviourismwasencounteredamongsocialworkers,

thirdsectorworkers,academics,mentalhealthpractitionersandpsychologists.

ProbablyeventhegelatosellerhadanopinionhadIbeensufficientlybraveto

inflictmyItalianuponher.IfoundmyselfdefendingPBSrobustlybeforerealising

thatwithallmydefendingandcitingIhadmanagedtonotlistentotheir

legitimateconcerns.(ToparaphraseSeneca-wearebadpeoplelivingamongst

badpeople-weshouldgoeasyononeanother.)PBShasnoexclusiveonpeople

believingtheyareright.(Onesupposesacademicsareoftenpreytobecoming

argumentative(especiallywhenouridentitiesarecraftedaroundagivenposition)

and“apatheticallycontentiouslot”(Irvine,2009,p.255)bynatureandnurture,

perhaps.)Butlisteningtocriticsishelpful.

PBSpractitionersmaywellcontributeasmanyperson-centredinteractionprofiles,

activityschedules,communicationandrapportsupportplans,personcentred

methodologiesto‘assessment’astheydofunctionalassessmentsoranalyses.PBS

practitionersaremulti-skilled:theydon’tjustknowaboutchallengingbehaviour

butaboutpeople.PBSpractitionerscanusetheirskillsinmeasuringoutcomesto

extendthebenchmarksandproductscurrentlyusedtoincludelifestyle

satisfactionandqualityoflife,notmerelychallengingbehaviour;

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AreWeThereYet?DownstreamResponding&UpstreamAntecedents

Asanyinnovationgrowsinpopularitytheunderlyingprinciplesriskchanginginto

somethingnotintended:theirnamescaneasilybecomespiffyeuphemismsfor

businessasusual(Lovett,1996).Astheoriginatorsofpersoncentredplanning

haveoftenruefullyshared,seeingthemethodstheydevelopedlionised,

popularised,changedandbastardisedispainfulbutinevitable.PBSmethodscan

contributetopractitionersmakingsenseoutofseemingchaosandalltoo

apparentconfusionwhenthisclearunderstandingiscommunicatedtoothers-

thatbehaviourislawfulevenwhenawful.Wecanarriveatsharedsolutionsonlyif

wetakeseriouslythestandpointsofthoseweworkwith.Thoseweworkwithare

resourcesnotcases,partnersnotclients.

ThisbriefviewpointarguesforPBSpractitionerstokeepholdoftheirfocuson

broaderinterventions,tonotlimitthemselvestodiscreteresponsesbutto

lifestylesinsystems.PBSwouldloseitssoulifitdidn’tsticktoitsfounding

principles:subjectiveexperiencesareasvaluableasthedatawesocopiously

collect.Butofcourse,PBSisnotacorporealentity,ithasnonervoussystem,no

body,nosoul:PBSiswhateachpractitionerdoesandhowsheconductsherself

andhowvigorouslysheworksincollaborationwithothers.Sheachievesthisby

applyingtechnologytohumanproblemsinhumaneandinclusiveways.Ifour

fictitiouspractitionersimplystrollsin,collectsdata,graphsthefindings,and

makesrecommendation,withoutmeetingthehumanindistressorlisteningtothe

standpointsofmediatorswhodothehands-onwork,herworkismanythings,but

PBSitisn’t.Equallyobviously,thisviewpointisnothingnew.Meyer&Evans

arguedforsimilarconsiderationsin1993(theresponsestotheirpaperwere

telling,too)–nearlyaquarterofacenturyago.

Intheirwell-citedearlysynthesisofPBSresearch,Carretal.suggestedresearchers

“needtoaddressconsumergoals”(1999,p.85).TodayintheUKconsumersareall

toorarelythepeoplereceivingsupport,butrathercommissionersandoften

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distantcaremanagers.Soitislikelythesynthesis’srecommendationtoproviders

to“fixtheproblemcontexts,nottheproblembehaviour.Problemcontexts(i.e.,

environmentaldeficiencesandskilldeficits)arethefertilegroundfromwhich

problembehavioursprings”(ibid,p.85)havefallenondeafearstoomanytimes:

providersstillgetpaidregardlessoftheoutcomesexperiencedbypeopleusing

services.(Andifaplacmentfails,therearealwaysnewpeopletofillthevoids.

SuchisthemarketofchallengingbehaviourintheUK:here,marketandmoney

trumpspeople.)Despiterenamingaberrantbehaviouraschallengingthesame

explanatoryfictionsabound:theproblemistheperson,sofixtheperson.People

makealotofmoneyoutofthisfiction.

ThisviewpointsuggestsPBSpractitionerscanbringlighttoamurkymarketplace

simplybecauseofthedualdisciplinesentwinedwithinPBS:scienceandsubjective

experiences:

“Thestorygoesthatapersonwalkingalongsideariverseessomeone

drowning.Thispersonjumpsin,pullsthevictimout,andbeginsartificial

respiration.Whilethisisgoingon,anotherpersoncallsforhelp;the

rescuerjumpsintothewateragainandpullsthenewvictimout.This

processrepeatsitselfseveraltimesuntiltherescuergetsupandwalks

awayfromthescene.Abystanderapproachesandasksinsurprisewhere

heisgoing,towhichtherescuerreplies‘I’mgoingupstreamtofindout

who’spushingallthesepeopleinandseeifIcanstopit!’”

(Egan&Cowan,1979,p.3/4)

Theseauthorssuggesthumanservicesareinherentlydownstreamsolutionsin

partduetothemedicalmodel(whereevensocialproblemsaretypesofillness)

andthusrequiretreatment.Upstreamsocio-culturalsystemsimpacton

individualshugely-challengingbehaviourisapublichealthissue.AllthetimePBS

practitionersdealwithdownstreamconsequencesofupstreamantecedents,

we’reclosingthestabledoorlongafterthatparticularhorsehasbolted.Ifwe

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earnedadollareverytimewe’veheardacolleaguesigh‘sowhydidtheywaitfor

bloodtohitthewalls?Whynotcallearlier?’we’dhavetheentrancefeefor

Disneylandatleast.PBSpractitioners–byextendingthescienceofhuman

behaviourtosystems–arepotentialalliestothoseseekingupstreamsolutions.

Becauseweknowthevitalimportanceofabolishingoperations,ofearly

intervention,ofeducational,constructiveandsociallyvalidsolutions.Wewould

sellourknowledgeshortbynotconsideringthereachorapplicationpotentialsof

PBS.

PBSpractitionerscontinuetofightthesamebattlestheirpredessorsdidaquarter

ofacenturybeforethem:tofindthehumanamidstthedata,andtonotonlystop

perpetratingdehumanisingtechniques,butstopperpetuatingthemthrough

offeringevidencedandperson-centredalternatives.

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