Assimilation approach to measuring organizational change from pre- to post-intervention

Table 1 Assimilation of problematic experiences scale

0	Warded off/dissociated. Client seems unaware of the problem; the problematic voice is silent or dissociated. Affect may be minimal, reflecting successful avoidance. Alternatively, the problem appears as somatic symptoms, acting out, or state switches
1	Unwanted thoughts/active avoidance. Client prefers not to think about the experience. Problematic voices emerge in response to therapist interventions or external circumstances and are suppressed or actively avoided. Affect involves unfocused negative feelings; their connection with the content may be unclear
2	Vague awareness/emergence. Client is aware of the problem but cannot formulate it clearly-can express it but cannot reflect on it. Problematic voice emerges into sustained awareness. Affect includes intense psychological pain-fear, sadness, anger, disgust-associated with the problematic experience
3	Problem statement/clarification. Content includes a clear statement of a problem-something that can be worked on. Opposing voices are differentiated and can talk about each other. Affect is negative but manageable, not panicky
4	Understanding/insight. The problematic experience is formulated and understood in some way. Voices reach an understanding with each other (a meaning bridge). Affect may be mixed, with some unpleasant recognition but also some pleasant surprise
5	Application/working through. The understanding is used to work on a problem. Voices work together to address problems of living. Affective tone is positive, optimistic
6	Resourcefulness/problem solution. The formerly problematic experience has become a resource, used for solving problems. Voices can be used flexibly. Affect is positive, satisfied
7	Integration/mastery. Client automatically generalizes solutions; voices are fully integrated, serving as resources in new situations. Affect is positive or neutral (i.e., this is no longer something to get excited about)

Note 1: Assimilation is a continuum, with intermediate levels allowed; e.g., 2.5 assimilation level is half way between vague awareness/emergence (2.0) and problem statement/clarification (3.0). Note 2: This table, authored by Stiles, appears in several of his papers. The first version was printed in Stiles et al[22] (1991).