Narrative: Its Importance in Modern Behavior Analysis and Therapy
Use MDML to break a client’s life story into bite-size verbal frames, then treat the frames that hurt.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Barnes-Holmes et al. (2018) wrote a how-to guide, not an experiment.
They linked RFT’s MDML idea to the stories clients tell.
The paper shows you how to break a client’s big story into tiny verbal parts.
What they found
No new data—just a map.
The map says: follow the client’s narrative network down to the smallest frame.
Fix those small frames and the big story can change.
How this fits with other research
Salzinger (2003) first said “verbal behavior is relational framing.” The 2018 paper keeps that spirit but moves past pure definition.
Belisle et al. (2022) took the same MDML lens and plugged it into ACT sessions. They show you what to do after you finish the drill-down.
Barnes-Holmes et al. (2026) will later ask “Is a frame really a frame?” They keep the 2018 ideas alive while testing new language.
Glenn (1983) saw client talk as broken tacts, mands, and intraverbals. The 2018 view keeps the verbal focus but swaps Skinner’s boxes for RFT relations.
Why it matters
You already collect ABC data on actions. Now you can do the same on words.
Map the client’s story, find the tiny relational knots, and target those knots first.
It gives you a clear path from “I’m a failure” to the exact frames that keep that story strong.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The current article considers how the analysis of language and cognition in RFT may be conceptualized as a multi-dimensional multi-level framework (MDML) for understanding how simple units of analysis specified in RFT connect to more complex units, such as the relating of relational networks, which is seen as critical to narrative and story-telling. A brief outline of the framework is used to illustrate the importance of narrative in the treatment of human psychological suffering. In addition, the development of the concepts of verbal functional analysis and the drill-down are presented as examples of how the therapeutic relationship itself can be understood through the lens of the MDML and RFT more generally.
Perspectives on Behavior Science, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s40614-018-0152-y