Geek Therapy: The Theory
Geek Therapy® is an affinity-based model and the theory has three key components we call The 3 As: Affinity, Activation, and Awareness.
Which work together as a formula: Affinity + Activation = Awareness.
Affinity + Activation = Awareness
Affinity
The goal of Geek Therapy is to facilitate reaching new insights or understanding about a person, through an affinity. It is an affinity-based model and therefore it’s worth spending some time with the word and why I prefer it to the terms such as interest, like, love, or preference. The key part is the attraction. When I say that a client has an affinity for something, I mean that they may not be able to explain why they like it or prefer it. They just do. It makes them feel something, usually positive.
An affinity can be subtle or intense. A subtle affinity might be a color preference, such as choosing to sit in the blue chair versus the green chair. An intense affinity might look like a room dedicated to Star Wars memorabilia.
Activation
Once we’ve identified an affinity, we look for experiences of activation, resonance, or relatability. In other words, the client reacts to the affinity. The client sees themself in a character or situation, or is reminded about a previous experience.
Activation can be a reaction, positive or negative, to the media/affinity experience. Easiest to identify as a feeling. Any activation can be a conversation starter.
- Neutral: Reaction, Resonance, Relatable
- Positive: Joy, Inspiration, Excitement, Attraction
- Negative: Fear, Sadness, Anger, Repulsion
Awareness
The combination of the affinity and relatable experiences allows the therapist and client to explore thoughts and feelings in a comfortable and meaningful context.
The affinity provides a comfortable, safe context for exploring otherwise uncomfortable thoughts and difficult emotions.
Through reflection and exploration, thoughts and feelings may start to make more sense. New insights can help inform alternative behaviors and beliefs, as well as new potential solutions.
Awareness is the resulting insight, understanding, or realization gained through the exploration of one’s affinity in a meaningful context.
Awareness can take the form of insight, understanding, realization, perception, clarity, an aha moment, a duh, or 🤯.
Want to learn more? Sign up for one of our courses at Geek Therapy U or become Geek Therapy® Certified!