A tipoff that you're probably smuggling an implicit solution into the problem
definition is to hear yourself saying, "Aha, but that's not the real problem; the
real problem is . . ." While there are better and worse ways to conceptualize a
problem, or to solve a problem, it stretches ordinary usage too much ro say that
one problem could be "more (less) real" than another.
Be skeptical about the causal claims implicit in diagnostic problem definitions.
I said above that "conditions thar cause problems are also problems." i
However, the causes must be real, not merely assumed. You have to e_vd.gar_e the, '
causal chain that goes from the situation itself to the bad things it is alleged to
cause, and to convince yourself thar the causal chain is real. For instance, for
some people, "cocaine use" is not a problem in itself, but it might be a problem
if it Leah to crime, poor health, family disintegration, and so on. But does it lead
ro these outcomes, and to what degree? The evidence on this question should be
evaluated very carefully before you decide it's okay to work with a problem
definition involving "too much cocaine use.