In 1988, an American psychologist and sociologist Graham Gibbs published his famous model in his book, ‘Learning by Doing’. Everything that happens in our lives leaves a mark on our minds. Over time, we might forget the less important memories, but the strongest and hardest one always remains; they’re ingrained in our thoughts, at the back of our minds.
Gibbs took charge of these memories and motivated people to think about the different phases of an occurrence or an experience. Reflecting on the specific acts and interactions, he categorized them into 6 different phases, forming the Gibbs Reflective Model. This cycle helps people think in-depth about an event, behavior, or experience, makes them mindful of their own decisions and helps them prepare for the future. Such profound knowledge about oneself changes our negative thoughts into positive actions. People learn a lot and become more accustomed to self-acceptance than self-harm.
Aims and Objectives of Gibbs Reflective cycle
The primary purpose of Gibbs Reflective Cycle is to help you become a better person, learn from your past mistakes, and move forward towards your future with knowledge, wisdom, and optimism. It makes people look at their past actions, analyze what they did wrong, think about how they could have done things differently, and learn from their mistakes. The Gibbs Reflective process prevents our past from overshadowing our present and future.
The benefits of the Gibbs Reflective Model
Unlike the Clinical Reasoning Cycle, which involves a psychologist to find the right treatment for a patient, the Gibbs Reflective Model is more about self-analyzation. It is a very advantageous model because each stage helps you find the details about yourself quickly. Findings that are focused on these questions, play a significant role and helps one become a better person.
That said, the Gibbs Reflective Model has six phases. The model will help you think of each stage as an experience. To explore the model in detail, you must know these stages better.
Stage 1: Description- This talks about the experience and how you were influenced to take the wrong action. Each segment addresses the relevant material about the encounter and what you were experiencing back then. It is, therefore, necessary to provide the information precisely about the moment. The following questions will help you have a thorough assessment.
· Where am I?
· Who else was a part of the event?
· Why did I come here?
· What was I up to?
· How have things changed since then?
· What went wrong?
Stage 2: Feelings– Have you thought of the experience after it?
This segment addresses your emotions, opinions, and behavior. It helps you answer questions or any related questions: How did you feel about the incident at that time? The following are some questions that will help you know more about the situation.
· What have you experienced since the event?
· What do you think now about the incident?
· What perspectives do other people have?
Stage 3: Evaluation- Evaluate your feelings and emotions of what went wrong then and how did you deal with the scenario. Consider whether the experience was good or bad.
Step 4: Analysis- Accept the case, focus on the actions you took, and how they have influenced you over the years.
Stage 5: Conclusion- Was there any other way you could have taken charge of the scenario?
Stage 6: Action Plan- List all the items of the action plan of things that can be done differently in a similar scenario in the future.
