Glossary
Framing/reframing
What is Framing/Reframing?
Framing or reframing invites a person to adopt a particular perspective on a behavior, such as a different way of understanding its purpose, to change thoughts or feelings about performing it.
How framing and reframing work
In the taxonomy, this is broader than changing how a numerical choice is worded. Merely supplying information about consequences is classified separately. A new perspective does not establish that the behavior or its outcomes have changed.
An example of reframing
A daily walk can be understood as an exercise obligation or as time to explore the neighborhood. Inviting someone to consider the second perspective is reframing. The distance has not changed; the meaning they give the activity may change.
How the technique is defined
The original BCT Taxonomy v1 definitions specify this as technique 13.2. This identifies a perspective-changing technique. It does not mean that the person accepts the new perspective or that their behavior changes as a result.
Why it matters
People can interpret the same activity in different ways. Reframing puts that interpretation into the conversation. It can be a useful question to explore, but it does not remove the practical demands of the task.