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Mapping the influence of the problem questions

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Mapping the influence of the problem questions

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Short definition

Mapping the influence of the problem questions are narrative questions that explore how a problem affects a person’s life, relationships, identity and future possibilities.

Level

LEVEL 4 — TECHNIQUES AND INTERVENTIONS

Expanded definition

Mapping the influence of the problem questions are used after the problem has been externalised and named.

These questions explore what the problem does.

They help make visible the problem’s effects on:

  • emotions
  • body
  • relationships
  • family life
  • school or work
  • identity
  • self-worth
  • hopes
  • routines
  • future possibilities

The aim is not to increase problem-saturated talk, but to understand the problem’s reach so that the person or family can evaluate its effects and decide how they want to respond.

Purpose of this technique

The purpose of this technique is to make the problem’s influence visible and discussable.

It helps people:

  • understand how the problem operates
  • separate themselves from the problem
  • identify what the problem has taken or interrupted
  • notice the problem’s effects on relationships
  • evaluate whether they accept or reject these effects
  • prepare for resistance and unique outcome work

When to use this technique

Use this technique when:

  • the problem has already been named
  • the person or family needs to understand the problem’s effects
  • the problem feels vague or overwhelming
  • the therapist is using externalising conversation
  • the family needs shared language about the problem
  • the therapist wants to prepare for person influence mapping
  • the problem’s relational effects need to be explored

How to use this technique

Use the externalised name of the problem in the questions.

Ask about different areas of life.

Move gently and avoid turning the conversation into an interrogation.

After mapping effects, invite evaluation.

For example:

“Are these effects okay with you, or are they something you want to challenge?”

This helps the person take a position in relation to the problem.

Example prompts / questions

  • How has the problem affected you?
  • How has the problem affected your family?
  • How has the problem affected your physical life?
  • How has the problem affected your emotional life?
  • How has the problem affected your relationships?
  • How has the problem affected school, work or daily routines?
  • What does the problem get you to believe about yourself?
  • What has the problem taken away from you?
  • What has the problem interrupted?
  • How has the problem affected your hopes?
  • Who else has been affected by the problem?
  • What does the problem try to make others believe about you?
  • Are these effects okay with you?
  • Which effects do you most want to challenge?

Non-clinical example

A person names “the pressure to be perfect”.

The therapist asks how the pressure affects sleep, friendships, work, confidence and rest.

The person begins to see that the pressure has taken away ease, playfulness and self-acceptance.

Clinical example

A family names “the worry”.

The therapist asks how the worry affects the young person, parents, siblings, bedtime, school attendance and family conversations.

The family begins to see that the worry is not only inside the young person. It has influenced the whole family pattern.

What this technique can open up

This technique can open:

  • clearer understanding of the problem’s effects
  • shared family language
  • emotional validation
  • evaluation of the problem’s influence
  • values that have been violated by the problem
  • resistance to the problem
  • person influence mapping
  • unique outcome development

Risks, cautions and ethical considerations

This technique can become too problem-focused if used without care.

The therapist should avoid spending too long mapping problem effects without also listening for values, protest, resistance and agency.

The therapist should also avoid making the person feel responsible for all the effects of the problem.

Questions before using this technique

  • Has the problem been externalised clearly?
  • Is the person ready to explore the problem’s effects?
  • Could this increase shame or hopelessness?
  • How can I keep the person separate from the problem?
  • Which life areas are most relevant?
  • How will I move towards evaluation and agency?

Questions during use

  • Is the person becoming more separate from the problem?
  • Are the questions creating clarity or overwhelm?
  • Are values and hopes becoming visible?
  • Is the family seeing relational effects without blaming?
  • Is it time to ask evaluative questions?
  • Is it time to move towards resistance and person influence mapping?

Questions after use

  • What effects of the problem became visible?
  • What values were affected by the problem?
  • Did the person take a position against the problem?
  • Did the conversation reduce shame or increase it?
  • What acts of resistance can now be explored?
  • What person influence questions should follow?

Narrative epistemology Social constructionism Poststructuralist epistemology Postmodern epistemology Relational epistemology Systemic epistemology

Narrative Systemic Therapy Conversational Dialogic

Externalisation Problem as separate from person Problem-saturated story Dominant story Agency Resistance Positioning Identity construction Meaning-making Relational responsibility

Externalising conversation Problem influence mapping questions Experience-near naming Person influence mapping Unique outcome development

Narrative pathway Conversational pathway Dialogic pathway Power and culture pathway Family and relational dynamics pathway

Key theorists / contributors

Michael White David Epston Alice Morgan Jill Freedman Gene Combs Stephen Madigan

Key texts / references

  • White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. Norton.
  • White, M. (2007). Maps of Narrative Practice. Norton.
  • Morgan, A. (2000). What Is Narrative Therapy? An Easy-to-Read Introduction. Dulwich Centre Publications.
  • Freedman, J., & Combs, G. (1996). Narrative Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred Realities. Norton.
  • Madigan, S. (2011). Narrative Therapy. American Psychological Association.

Notes / source material

Mapping the influence of the problem should usually be followed by questions that explore the person’s influence on the problem.

This prevents the conversation from remaining only problem-saturated.

Review status

Status: Open for review

Review history:

(No reviews yet.)


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