What is the best way to understand behavior? Life Patterns. Patterns are a recurrent, systematic, strategic process for negotiating life stress. People design their patterns to improve predictability and control in the world and relationships. Patterns maintain continuity in life and exist in every culture, community, family, and individual. Our parents had patterns that they learned from their parents. Each generation teaches the next what they understood about life - good and bad. Once we learn the patterns around us we adapt them to later environments and relationships. When patterns produce what we want, we rarely reexamine them. When they do not we feel lost about what to change because of their unconscious operation. This workbook explains Life Patterns. In a step-by-step process, you learn what patterns are, where your patterns came from, how life stress affects pattern formation and operation, how to see patterns in life, and how to change thinking and behaviors. If repeating actions or events are bothering you, consider taking this course.The workbook is a companion to the Exploring Life Patterns workshop available online.