Willingness means accepting the world, fully engaging with it, and recognizing our interconnectedness. Willfulness, however, is about seeking control, resisting change, and being inflexible. By replacing willfulness with willingness, young people can achieve radical acceptance — a core principle of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
The DBT Willingness vs Willfulness Worksheet asks clients to reflect on a list of statements, and identify whether each statement falls under the willingness or willfulness attitude. The second half of the worksheet asks questions about situations that trigger willfulness, and how they react. Users are encouraged to explore strategies they can practice to turn their minds to willingness over willfulness.
This worksheet will help kids and teens assess if they’re being flexible or inflexible, and better understand the concepts of willingness and willfulness. It can be used along with our DBT Willfulness vs Willingness handout, which describes five steps for developing willingness.
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References:
- Lp, J. E. P. (2015c). Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training with Adolescents: A Practical Workbook for Therapists, Teens & Parents. PESI Publishing & Media.
- Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT skills training handouts and worksheets. Guilford Publications.
