What is reframing?
Reframing changes the frame around a situation rather than the facts themselves, much as a new picture frame makes the same painting look different. Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch (1974) defined it as changing "the conceptual and/or emotional setting or viewpoint in relation to which a situation is experienced" and placing it in another frame that fits the same facts equally well or even better.
- Formalized by
- Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch (MRI, 1974)
- Core idea
- Same facts, new frame of meaning
- Purpose
- Open the door to new behavior (second-order change)
- Related terms
- Relabeling, positive connotation, cognitive reappraisal
Why it works
The MRI group argued that problems persist because people’s attempted solutions keep them going. Trying harder within the same frame is first-order change; changing the frame produces second-order change. Reframing is the main tool for that shift. Their communication model also underlies the axioms of communication and double bind theory.
Reframing examples
| Original statement | Reframe |
|---|---|
| "My kid is so stubborn." | "Your child has real determination." |
| "My partner nags me constantly." | "It sounds like they want to share the load with you." |
| "My teenager shuts the door and won’t talk." | "They are practicing independence and need some privacy." |
| "I failed the exam." | "Now you know exactly what to work on." |
| "My mom is so controlling." | "She may be clumsy at showing how worried she is." |
Research supports the effect. In Robbins and colleagues’ (1996) study of families of delinquent adolescents, reframing was the only type of therapist statement after which adolescents’ average response was not negative.
How therapists use reframing
- Listen first. A reframe offered before clients feel understood can sound dismissive.
- Look for intentions behind symptoms, such as protection, care or belonging.
- Move the problem into relationships. "Our son is the problem" becomes "the family is adjusting to a new stage."
- Link the new frame to action. Reframing matters when it makes new behavior possible; it pairs well with solution-focused brief therapy.
The Milan school extended the idea with positive connotation, describing every family member’s behavior as well-intentioned.
Cognitive reappraisal and the framing effect
- Cognitive reappraisal: in James Gross’s (2002) research on emotion regulation, reinterpreting a situation reduced negative emotion with fewer memory and social costs than suppressing feelings. It closely resembles cognitive restructuring in cognitive therapy.
- Framing effect: Tversky and Kahneman (1981) showed that choices shift when the same outcome is described as "200 people will be saved" or "400 people will die." The framing effect describes a decision bias; reframing uses the same principle deliberately in therapy (framing effect).
When not to reframe
- Never use reframing to excuse abuse or violence. Calling harm "a sign of love" is not therapy; it is revictimization.
- Forced positivity backfires. A good reframe must fit the facts as well as the old frame.
Frequently asked questions
- What does reframing mean in psychology?
- It is a technique that keeps the facts the same but changes the perspective used to understand them, so that a new meaning and new responses become possible.
- What are some examples of reframing?
- Describing a "stubborn" child as "determined," or a partner who "nags" as someone who "wants to share responsibility."
- How is reframing different from the framing effect?
- The framing effect is a cognitive bias in which wording changes decisions; reframing is a therapeutic technique that uses this principle to help people see problems differently.
References
- Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J. H., & Fisch, R. (1974). Change: Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution. New York: W. W. Norton.
- Robbins, M. S., Alexander, J. F., Newell, R. M., & Turner, C. W. (1996). The immediate effect of reframing on client attitude in family therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 10(1), 28–34.
- Gross, J. J. (2002). Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(3), 281–291.
- Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981). The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science, 211(4481), 453–458.