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Paradoxical Theory of Change The Paradoxical Theory of Change
Abstract
For nearly a half century, the major part of his professional life, Frederick Perls was in conflict with the psychiatric and psychological establishments. He worked uncompromisingly in his own direction, which often involved fights with representatives of more conventional views. In the past few years, however, Perls and his Gestalt therapy have come to find harmony with an increasingly large segment of mental health theory and professional practice. The change that has taken place is not because Perls has modified his position, although his work has undergone some transformation, but because the trends and concepts of the field have moved closer to him and his work. Perls's own conflict with the existing order contains the seeds of his change theory. He did not explicitly delineate this change theory, but it underlies much of his work and is implied in the practice of Gestalt techniques. I will call it the paradoxical theory of change, for reasons that shall become obvious. Briefly stated, it is this: that change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not. Change does not take place through a coercive attempt by the individual or by another person to change him, but it does take place if one takes the time and effort to be what he is --to be fully invested in his current positions. By rejecting the role of change agent, we make meaningful and orderly change possible.
... Furthermore, challenging behaviours in people with moderate to severe learning disabilities settings may not always reduce in frequency despite intervention (Emerson, 2011). The paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1970) argues aiming to reduce behaviours, however humanely, may inadvertently promote frustration and thus maintain or aggravate behaviours. It may therefore be most helpful to see team formulation as a staff intervention, which aims to influence staff perceptions and behaviours (Johnstone & Dallos, 2014). ...
... This indicated developmental and relational understandings of challenging behaviour, and seemed to inspire interventions focused more on how staff could contain themselves and clients rather than changing behaviour. This is congruent with the paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1970). Furthermore, distress can mediate the relationship between experiencing challenging behaviour and burnout (Mills & Rose, 2011), so emotional regulation seems vital in providing effective and consistent care. ...
... The final theme of care staff's accounts reflected the conflict between two apparently opposing perspectives: the traditional, individualist view of locating a problem (such as challenging behaviour) and reducing it, contrasted with the paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1970), accepting the problem, thus changing one's relationship with it, often affecting the problem as a result. This dilemma is relevant to two parallel and related contexts: the process of learning (for example via the consultative or therapeutic relationship) and the position of people with learning disabilities in society. ...
Purpose
This study aims to explore how care staff working with people with learning disabilities experienced psychologist-facilitated team formulation sessions in a cognitive analytic style (contextual reformulation).
Design/methodology/approach
Eleven participants attended at least one contextual reformulation session regarding a client their team referred because of challenging behaviour. Post-intervention semi-structured interviews were analysed using qualitative inductive thematic analysis.
Findings
Five themes were developed: multiple roles and functions of sessions and clinicians; challenging behaviour in relationship; making links – understanding can be enlightening, containing and practical; the process of developing a shared understanding and approach; and caught between two perspectives. Findings suggested contextual reformulation helped staff see challenging behaviour as relational, provided them with the space to reflect on their emotions and relate compassionately to themselves and others, and ultimately helped them to focus their interventions on understanding and relationally managing rather than acting to reduce behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
Qualitative methodology allows no causal inferences to be made. Ten of 11 participants were female.
Originality/value
This qualitative study adds to the limited research base on team formulation in learning disabilities settings and specifically that using a cognitive analytic approach.
... Selvet streber i sin natur mot å aktualiseres som «en fullt ut fungerende person» (Kvalsund, 2003, s. 44, vår oversettelse). All endring starter imidlertid med å akseptere det som er; en tilsynelatende paradoksal erkjennelse som har blitt kalt den paradoksale teorien om endring (Beisser, 1970). Vi vil i den videre fremstillingen av den personsentrerte teorien bruke begrepsparene veileder-veisøker, og hjelper-hjelpsøker. ...
... Å skape relasjonelle betingelser for hensiktsmessig selvaktualisering handler om veilederens evne til å møte veisøkeren med tre grunnholdninger; aksept, empati og kongruens (Rogers, 1961(Rogers, /2004. Når disse leves ut i møte med veisøkeren kan hen laere å akseptere seg selv fullt og helt, noe som igjen er startpunktet for endring (Beisser, 1970). Dette skjer ved at veilederen selv aksepterer veisøkeren med alt det måtte innebaere av følelser, tanker og erfaringer. ...
Denne studien utforsker hvordan studenter opplever muligheten til å bygge relasjoner til medstudenter og undervisere i nettbasert veilederutdanning. Forskningskonteksten er et karriereveiledningsemne som ble nettbasert under Covid-19. Resultatene av en fenomenologisk-hermeneutisk analyse av to fokusgruppeintervju med til sammen seks deltakere og 11 refleksjonslogger, indikerer at relasjonsbygging er mulig, spesielt i praktisk veiledningsarbeid i små grupper. Uformell relasjonsbygging oppleves som utfordrende, da studenter savner fysiske sosiale rom i pausene. Tilbaketrekningen fra skjermen i pauser brukes imidlertid til bearbeiding og læring. Til sist viser funnene at undervisere spiller en viktig rolle i å skape en kultur for relasjonsbygging. Resultatene diskuteres i lys av Carl Rogers’ personsentrerte teori.
... Traditionally, Gestalt Therapy used the terms "two-chair" and "empty chair" to describe the basic Chairwork dialogue structures; Kellogg (2004) argued that it would be more useful to use the terms Internal and External as these terms reflected the clinical focus of the dialogue work; the Four Dialogues can be seen as growing out of that conceptual shift. Giving Voice is deeply rooted in Gestalt Therapy (Beisser, 1970) and Voice Dialogue (Stone & Stone, 1989), and it is the dialogue structure that is probably least familiar to most therapists. It takes the form of: "I would like to invite you to move to this chair and I would like you to speak from your heart and speak from your pain" (Kellogg, February, 22, 2020, p. 1). ...
... In the first case, we might ask the patient to move to another chair, to treat the feeling as if it were a part (e.g., "the sad part"), and to go more deeply into it. Staying with, experiencing, expressing, and amplifying an emotion -especially a difficult one -can be healing (Beisser, 1970); it may also serve to uncover the stories or parts that are at the heart of the experience. In the second, the therapist can interview a part to better understand its history, purpose, and function in the patient's life -both past and present. ...
This chapter is about using the Four Dialogue method of Chairwork in the practice of Schema Therapy. We specifically explore eight dialogue structures that can be used in Schema Therapy. These are : (1) Evidentiary Dialogues; (2) Mode Interviews; (3) Cost-Benefit Analyses; (4) Mode Dialogues; (5) Trauma-Centered Chairwork/Third-Person Storytelling; (6) Trauma-Centered Chairwork/Confrontation Dialogues; (7) Relational Self Dialogues; and (8) Working Through the Therapeutic Impasse.
This chapter also provides an in-depth introduction to the Rhombic Dialogues - a four-chair approach that has become increasingly central to our work.
... Such holistic perspective, also referred to as the paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1970;Francesetti and Roubal, 2020) will be discussed within the neurocomputational framework of cognition called Free Energy Principle and its neural implementation called predictive coding (PC), which has recently gathered a wide consensus among neuroscientists (Friston, 2010) and is starting to inform psychopathology (Barrett et al., 2016;Badcock et al., 2017Badcock et al., , 2019Ciompi and Tschacher, 2021;Smith et al., 2021) and clinical practice (Tschacher et al., 2017;Holmes and Nolte, 2019). The basic principle of FEP and PC (Section "Experimental Evidence Linking Aesthetic Pleasure and Learning") is that agents constantly update the predictive representation (Sims and Pezzulo, 2021) of their environment based on Bayesian inference drawn from unpredicted sensory input while inhibiting uninformative predicted input under the imperative of minimising variational free energy (i.e., uncertainty; Friston and Kiebel, 2009;den Ouden et al., 2012). ...
... According to this view, change is not about what the therapist does, but it is triggered by the therapist's aesthetic evaluation of how he/she is "with" the patient (Francesetti, 2015). The expectation of beauty supports the therapist in distancing herself/himself from the desire to change the client and the situation (Francesetti, 2015), a behaviour which, according to the paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1970), would prevent full contact with the situation. Similarly to Gallese's viewpoint, recent approaches in Gestalt therapy describe such attitudinal shift toward aesthetics in terms of freedom: "that shift is generated by curiosity and a feeling of wonder about what is happening" (Bloom, 2009;p. ...
Drawing from field theory, Gestalt therapy conceives psychological suffering and psychotherapy as two intentional field phenomena, where unprocessed and chaotic experiences seek the opportunity to emerge and be assimilated through the contact between the patient and the therapist (i.e., the intentionality of contacting). This therapeutic approach is based on the therapist's aesthetic experience of his/her embodied presence in the flow of the healing process because (1) the perception of beauty can provide the therapist with feedback on the assimilation of unprocessed experiences; (2) the therapist's attentional focus on intrinsic aesthetic diagnostic criteria can facilitate the modification of rigid psychopathological fields by supporting the openness to novel experiences. The aim of the present manuscript is to review recent evidence from psychophysiology, neuroaesthetic research, and neurocomputational models of cognition, such as the free energy principle (FEP), which support the notion of the therapeutic potential of aesthetic sensibility in Gestalt psychotherapy. Drawing from neuroimaging data, psychophysiology and recent neurocognitive accounts of aesthetic perception, we propose a novel interpretation of the sense of beauty as a self-generated reward motivating us to assimilate an ever-greater spectrum of sensory and affective states in our predictive representation of ourselves and the world and supporting the intentionality of contact. Expecting beauty, in the psychotherapeutic encounter, can help therapists tolerate uncertainty avoiding impulsive behaviours and to stay tuned to the process of change.
... According to the paradoxical theory of change within the Gestalt tradition [27], change occurs when individuals become who they are versus whom they persistently attempt to be (which they are not). Accordingly, change does not happen by trying harder, pushing, or similar means. ...
... This process is also in line with the literature alluded to earlier; namely, double-loop learning concepts of espoused theory and theory-in-use [18], generation of new meanings, and generalization of results, and knowing versus doing gap [24]. Given that the client ceased trying harder to change when engaged in therapy, but rather trusted and followed the process, this case is also in line with paradoxical theory of change [27]. ...
Background: Impostor syndrome or impostor phenomenon relates to the difficulty in internalizing success due to feelings of being phony or inauthentic, despite having evidence of the contrary. It is an insidious and pervasive condition that is exacerbated in professional settings, and negatively impacts the mental health and psychological functioning of individuals and across populations. Multiple comorbidities include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, burnout, somatic symptoms and social dysfunction, as well as decreased job satisfaction and performance. Gap: To date, no clear treatment guidelines or specific recommendations exist to treat impostor syndrome, and effective interventions are urgently needed. Objective: To address this treatment deficiency by integrating the Immunity to Change learning process and Schema Therapy into a unified framework. Methodology: This qualitative paper draws on the relevant extant literature, takes a scientist-practitioner stance, and uses a mini-case study that incorporates a client-therapist vignette to illustrate the model's protocol and operationalization. Results: A transdiagnostic, pragmatic model and protocol for short-term individual psychotherapy, to generate rapid change for clients to achieve their goals. Conclusion: This model will benefit psychologists practicing in organizational settings, and those working in career development or with student populations, busy professionals, and high-performing executives, who often experience impostor syndrome.
... According to the paradox of change in Gestalt psychotherapy, change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not. Change is not achieved through individuals or another person's compulsive attempts to change, but if one spends time and effort being himself, fully committed to their current position, change will occur [9]. Change cannot be forced, it will happen naturally after fully experiencing and accepting the present. ...
It is common in psychotherapy to get bogged down in treatment progress because of patients' rigid patterns, and the first step to better dealing with this problem is to understand rigid patterns better. Therefore, it is essential to start with the concept of compensation under classical conditioning to help understand the rigid pattern of patients in psychotherapy. Given that the understanding from this perspective is relatively new and largely fragmented, it is theoretically important to evaluate what is being studied and gain meaningful insights through a structural review of the literature. After reviewing the extensive literature, this study also made some feasible suggestions on how to better understand and deal with patients' rigid patterns to assist therapists in dealing with such issues, combining the approaches taken by different schools of psychotherapy. This article is believed can provide a useful basis of understanding for future psychotherapists to better deal with patients' rigid patterns in practice.
... I wanted to create a healing environment where she could make full internal contact without any requirement for interpersonal contact. Arnold Beisser's (1970) "Paradoxical Theory of Change" served as a constant reminder that I needed to be calm and patient, to find her rhythm, to not attempt to effect any change within Louise, to just accept Louise as she was. ...
This article details a Relationally-focused Integrative Psychotherapy for a female client who originally presented with symptoms of both depression and narcissism. As the psychotherapy progressed the client revealed her Schizoid Pattern of internal criticism, vulnerability, shame, and relational withdrawal. The psychotherapy of the client's schizoid process is highlighted through examples of "therapeutic description", "pregnant pauses", prolonged silence, affect attunement, and countertransference.
... It is through this paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1970) that people engage in their own processes of awareness, choice, and responsibility. The paradoxical theory of change "emphasizes being in contact with what is, with who one is, and allowing growth to develop naturally" (Yontef, 1988(Yontef, /1993. ...
Multiple models of sand therapies have emerged since Margaret Lowenfeld (2007) first described her world technique. Although sandplay has an identifiable theoretical rationale and system for its application based on Dora Kalff’s (1980) original description, the same cannot be said for sandtray therapy approaches. In this article, I review humanistic sandtray therapy, a model grounded in person-centered and Gestalt theories and unique in its purposeful implementation of attitudes, skills, and techniques associated with humanistic approaches.
... Our theory of change (Beisser, 1970) may provide support to enquire into the embodied responses evoked in us when working with a person of the same sex. It supports a way of honouring our moment-tomoment co-created reality, that is inclusive of others' experience and ensures we do not recede into thinking and behaving in ways that are normalised within traditional heterosexist structures of society. ...
"Abstract: This paper addresses the experience of homophobia from a field theoretical perspective, one of the epistemological foundations of Gestalt therapy. It seeks to redefine homophobia as a field event, thus challenging the prevailing conceptualisation of internalised homophobia. The Gestalt field perspective that is most applicable in understanding the phenomenon of homophobia in our intricate person-to-person encounters is clarified. This field is a shared, complex, differentiated, phenomenal field. Some aspects of the shared phenomenal field that tend to be present, lurking for attention, are revealed. These include: the pervasiveness of homophobia; the reductionism of sexuality to sex; practitioners’ responsibility to enquire into their own sexualities; strategies to make shame tolerable; and therapist self-disclosure. Key words: homophobia, sexuality, lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) persons, shared phenomenal field, self."
... • How change occursbeing with 'what is' allows the natural flow of experience. In Gestalt therapy theory, one finds the Paradoxical theory of change which states that change occurs when individuals accept what they already are not when the individuals try to be who they are not (Beisser, 1970). ...
In this study, the researcher investigated the effectiveness of Gestalt Psychotherapy with adolescents engaging in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). Adolescents are sometimes overwhelmed by anger, sadness, anxiety, and self- loathing. Some resort to self-injury as a means of refocusing emotional pain into a physical behaviour they can control. Using a small-sample quasi-experimental design, the researcher offered Gestalt therapy to seven adolescents between 12 and 14 years of age and assessed their NSSI at entry point using ISAS. They were also assessed using ABUSI, GAD -7 and KADS -11 at three different stages. The therapeutic journey of each adolescent was then recorded using a Narrative style of Inquiry. The results indicated that Gestalt Therapy is very effective with this population. All seven of the adolescents stopped self-harming. In the majority of cases, the depression, anxiety, and urge to self-harm disappeared. As an outcome of this research, the author developed the NSSI Gestalt Cycle of Experience which can be used by other therapists to understand NSSI in adolescents.
... The influence of M & E training factor among other activities on achievement on program implementation is expressed by two hypotheses. Theory of change, highlighting a set of essential espousing elements for the success of programs, as affirmed by (Beisser, 1970). Program theory, the utilization of M & E components series for success of programs objects, advocated by (Sidani, 1999,). ...
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) have advanced over the period, reflecting shifts in perspective in administrative projects. Monitoring and evaluation aid in analyzing the progress of the program over time, offering reasons for venture status. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of Monitoring and evaluation factor, based on the performance whoseindicators are delivered on time and within budget. The specific object of the study was to discern the impact of monitoring and evaluation training on the performance of infrastructural projects at Dedan Kimathi University, Kenya. Simple random sampling technique used to sample157 applicants from a representative population of 265 persons by Morgan and Krejcie model. Data collected was correlated and examined for the purpose of cleaning, coding and getting frequency counts on replies condensation fora conclusion on common classifications.From the outcome, this monitoring and evaluation variable have a great influence on the program performance as elements of M & E activities have a sensible role to guide the program success.The researcher recommends, the monitoring and evaluation training should be carried out inclusively guide the implementation of the project and inform re-planning and review where necessary.Akey successful administrative instrument when utilized influences the performance of project success.
... Sigtet med de meditative teknikker er dels at kultivere en åben og accepterende holdning til egne oplevelser uden at styre dem i nogen bestemt retning og uden vurdering, og dels at kultivere evnen til at forlige sig med virkeligheden, som den er, uden at ville lave den om (Wøllestad, 2007;Neff, 2003). Denne indstilling har forbavsende stor lighed med gestaltterapiens antagelse om paradoksal forandring: Forandring sker, når vi bliver det, vi er, ikke når vi prøver at forandre, hvem vi er (Beisser, 1970). Tilsvarende ses forbavsende stor lighed mellem gestaltantagelsen og synet på det dialektiske forhold mellem accept og forandring, som det praesenteres i dialektisk adfaerdsterapi, hvor man eksplicit bekender sig til zenbuddhistisk filosofi foruden det kognitive grundlag (Swales & Heard, 2007;Kåver & Nilsonne, 2004). ...
Artiklen istandsætter et møde mellem centrale dele af det gestaltterapeutiske og det kognitivt terapeutiske begrebsapparat med henblik på at undersøge gensidige befrugtningsmuligheder i de to tilgange, når de tages til efterretning på deres grundforståelser og anskues i deres komplementaritet frem for i deres modsætning. Artiklen er skrevet som led i den ene forfatters pågående arbejde med at udvikle en såkaldt integrativ gestalt praksis og som en viderebearbejdelse af den anden forfatters specialistafhandling i kognitiv terapi. Der introduceres til gestaltterapiens basale begreb om gestaltformationsproces og andre centrale gestaltgrundbegreber, hvorefter den kognitive terapis begreber til belysning af patologi og terapi præsenteres. Dernæst klargøres den mulige komplementaritet mellem de to tilgange og de kliniske implikationer, der følger af en sådan. Afslutningsvist opstilles en skematik til sammenfatning af en række centrale komplementærpunkter mellem de to tilgange.
... It is a theory of psychology that emerges as a reaction to associationism, combating the idea of fragmentation of perception. It has been applied in various scientific areas, from economics (Beisser, 1970), to theology (Thomas et al., 2022), communication and advertising, and the arts in general (Parsons et al., 2020). ...
The use of information technology in the academic environment has grown. Building different didactic techniques to help students learn and practice with Information Technology (IT) resources is common. However, applying these techniques does not necessarily mean that students may acquire knowledge. The differential idea of this work is to create an approach in which students are protagonists and not just absorbers of IT. Based on this perspective, we applied a Gestalt approach to assist students in practicing these technological resources. They produce new hardware and software tools during classes based on their personal needs and worldviews. We analyzed applications of this novel way of computer science teaching in three different schools. It was possible to observe greater motivation from the students to experience new knowledge from technological resources. The common aspect was that solutions were conceived and developed from students’ needs. The development followed a Gestalt approach, which combines the idea of form and imagination. Thus, with this approach, reactivity towards IT was reduced. It helped construct technological tools to acquire propaedeutic knowledge.
... They also inform them about what to avoid or be careful of. The guidelines can be of a paradoxical nature because they are based on the paradoxical theory of change (Beisser 1970), which presents a basic concept for the Gestalt therapy theory of change. For therapists, it means that trying to change the client can fix the pattern that brought the clients to therapy. ...
Case formulation is a frequently used therapeutic tool that helps the therapist develop a better understanding of the client’s situation. Core concepts are strategies applied when sorting information about a client, assessing the importance of specific areas and taking appropriate actions in the therapeutic process. Although the area of case formulation has been explored in many other therapeutic approaches, there is a lack of deeper evidence on its use in the Gestalt approach. This article presents a qualitative research study that uses grounded theory for analyzing interviews with eleven Gestalt therapists. The resulting process model represents a theoretical conclusion about Gestalt therapists’ procedures in formulating clients’ cases. The research findings are discussed with the existing findings about the process of case formulation within Gestalt therapy and other therapeutic approaches. The outcome case formulation model can be helpful for practice, training, and supervision.
... The change happens mainly on the level of the id-function of the situation, the embodied undifferentiated intentionalities not belonging to single individuals, but being rather a function of the situation flow. In this we are happy to find a strong support in the concept of the Paradoxical Theory of Change (Beisser 1970). ...
Conceptualization of change processes presents a significant source of therapist’s self-support in demanding clinical situations. Three perspectives on understanding the process of change used in Gestalt therapy are set forth in a systematic way: mono-personal, bi-personal, and field theory. Changes in psychotherapy in clinical practice, conceptualized from a field theory perspective, are addressed in order to support both the growing edge of contemporary Gestalt therapy and to add a Gestalt therapy contribution to the current emphasis on field theory in psychotherapy. The Paradoxical Theory of Change, as the leading theoretical concept for Gestalt therapy theory of change, is reconsidered from a field theory perspective, and the consequences for clinical work are addressed.
... Some suggest that approaches such as Rational Emotive Behavioural Coaching can help clients 'understand both their values and their emotions' (Fusco, Palmer & O'Riordan, 2011). Gestalt coaching based on the 'paradoxical theory of change' (Beisser, 1970) would also suggest that awareness and acceptance of powerful emotion can be the trigger for change. Emotions can, therefore, provide a 'signpost' to core principles or values that the client has not acknowledged or is unaware of. ...
The role of emotion in coaching has attracted significant recent debate and this article summarises three potential perspectives that coaches may be using in respect of emotion. It then goes on to highlight a number of potential issues that need further exploration. Firstly, defining emotion remains a complex area of debate and without a shared understanding with clients of what is meant by ‘emotion’, coaches may find it hard to work with effectively. Secondly, dealing with emotion in the coaching interaction often relies on the recounting and recalling of a previous event and is therefore subject to memory. The coach is working with the account of the event from memory, rather than the event itself. This has implications for the role of the coach in dealing with the subsequent client meaning making of emotional events. Lastly, the limitations of language may influence the coaching interaction when discussing emotions, leading to unhelpful consequences. Some suggestions are made to help inform coaching practice when working with emotion.
... One of the most eminent psychologists and psychotherapists, Carl R. Rogers, wrote: "[…] the curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I change" (Rogers, 1961, p. 17). A similar idea has later become known as the paradoxical theory of change (Beisser, 1972). ...
Mindfulness is one of today’s buzzwords. Not without reason, I would say. Research in psychology and psychotherapy has shown mindfulness to be related to numerous positive outcomes.
However, mindfulness has received a mixed reception within Christianity due to fears that it might be inconsistent with Christian beliefs. This situation is potentially preventing many Christians to benefit from mindfulness-based interventions.
This book investigates the relationship and compatibility between the psychological construct of mindfulness and Christian faith. Based on a careful analysis, it shows that there is a robust congruence instead of dissonances between the two.
It shows that mindfulness is at home in Christianity.
The main message of the book thus strongly resonates with the words that Jesus addressed to each and every human being: “Watch!” (Mark 13:37 NIV).
Because the book is based on a research project which was carried out at the Sigmund Freud University, it is possible to be offered free of charge in an e-book format and thus contributing to the global efforts toward open science.
... In the face of demanding plants and ambiguous technology, it was helpful to let go of external impositions, expectations, and beliefs and instead rely on consolidating ideas, common sense, and intuition for connecting to what was in the here-and-now. Change here emerges from a trust that the present potential in people and places will supply all that is needed for relevant transitions to be made (Beisser 1970). ...
This report is about an explorative co-crafting course applying the notion of recursive publics to adult learning and pro-environmental activation, which aimed to engage a diverse cohort of learners towards patterns of eating, living, and engaging that promoted wellbeing and a healthy environment. This two-month-long, university-endorsed study in Hong Kong saw 22 participants fermenting their urine in which to grow an edible plant (Lactuca sativa), thereby creating a material relationship between their bodies and the environment. Technologies were employed to bring people physically together for greater emancipatory engagement inside the shared material condition. When analyzed, these technologies revealed their potential for opening or restricting the synergies from combined purpose, expertise, and immanent life processes in recursively profound and playful ways. This civic-tech study offers a recursive self-implication approach to design education as a collective negotiation process for navigating unknown territory to converge a myriad of expertise and intended beneficiaries.
Questo articolo è la versione riveduta dall'autore di un capitolo intitolato "Supervisione esperienziale" tratto dal libro. Handbook of Psychotherapy Supervision. L'articolo parla della supervisione come campo di applicazione della epistemologia della psicoterapia della Gestalt (ad esempio i princìpi della fenomenologia, del dialogo e della teoria del campo) ed esplora in che modo la pratica della supervisione gestaltica segua i princìpi della psicoterapia della Gestalt. La supervisione viene presentata come adattamento creativo e vista in termini di Teoria Paradossale del Cambiamento e di Relazione Dialogica. Ciascuna delle tre funzioni o componenti della supervisione (amministrativa, educativa e consultiva) viene discussa anche in base alle caratteristiche della istituzione committente, della comunità e del livello di esperienza del supervisionato. La teoria della psicoterapia della Gestalt e le pratiche di supervisione sono discusse in riferimento a ciascuna delle tre componenti. Vengono confrontate la supervisione e la psicoterapia e viene discussa la metodologia della supervisione in psicoterapia della Gestalt, compreso il metodo esperienziale, il processo parallelo, il ruolo della teoria nella supervisione, la sequenza della supervisione e le possibili interferenze nel processo di supervisione.
This chapter brings to life the radical edge of knowledge development in organisational work, through the auspices of marginal coalitions of knowledge development like ours: a partnership between a small, regional business school and a specialist consultancy in organisational change. Although I don’t claim that such coalitions necessarily provide learning most fitting for our age, I assert that our liminality puts us in a better position to do so, compared with the behemoths of the Academy and established high-profile consultancies. I aim to show how we have exploited this possibility, especially in our work in the UK Civil Service and beyond.
I am proposing here a re-configuring of how we go about change through a relational practice that gives difference, pragmatism, locality and artfulness their due, an aesthetic of practice that catches what Erin Manning calls ‘the minor gesture’ out of the corner of our eye and brings it front and centre, for the benefit of our relations, our psychic and emotional health and the effectiveness of how we learn, what we think knowledge is and how we can go about change with greater attention to the harmony of the human and more-than-human world (Manning, The Minor Gesture. Duke University Press, 2016).
This volume presents a comprehensive guide to the cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) model. Throughout the volume, there is a balance of established theory and practice alongside a focus on innovation in both direct work with clients and the application of CAT more broadly within teams, organizations, and training, and as a model for leadership. The handbook includes a range of innovations in ‘doing’ and ‘using’ CAT, which are directly applicable for those studying and working in health, social care, and private services, across many specialties encompassing the entire lifespan. This includes: child and adolescent services; those of working age through to older adults; individuals engaged with mental health services and within forensic and prison populations; and those experiencing physical health and neurological difficulties, both in community and inpatient settings. Given the social and dialogic origins of CAT, this volume acknowledges the importance of wider social, cultural, and political factors that can shape an individual’s understanding of self and other; there are chapters that both apply a CAT understanding to key issues, such as racism and social context, and provide a critique to the extent in which CAT engages with these issues in practice. This volume also has a focus on professional standards and governance (encompassing training, supervision, and a competency framework). Throughout the book, the editors have endeavoured to include clients’ voices in various different ways, including personal reflections, extracts from actual CATs, and co-produced chapters, to ensure the book holds true to the collaborative nature of CAT.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate and address the challenges faced by disability grantees in South Africa, particularly focusing on the disbursement of disability grants by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). Through qualitative analysis and theoretical frameworks grounded in transformative paradigms, the study aims to understand grantee experiences and perceptions across different provinces. By identifying key issues such as inadequate grant amounts, poor living conditions, and bureaucratic hurdles, the study seeks to provide insights that can inform policy improvements and institutional reforms within SASSA. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance the effectiveness of disability grant disbursement, alleviate poverty, promote economic transformation, empower individuals, and foster sustainable communities in South Africa. Theoretical framework: This study uses the Theory of Change and Critical Theory to analyze the disability grant disbursement system. Theory of Change (ToC) helps identify change drivers and interventions, while Critical Theory (CT) examines power dynamics and systemic barriers. This comprehensive analysis aims to foster positive change at individual and systemic levels. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study uses a qualitative research approach, grounded in transformative paradigms, to explore the challenges and opportunities related to disability grant disbursement in South Africa. Participants were selected from three provinces, and data was collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. Thematic analysis was employed, and ethical considerations were taken to ensure participant well-being. Findings: The study reveals the challenges faced by disability grantees in South Africa, including inadequate grant amounts, poor living conditions, lack of support services, system disintegration, financial exploitation, abuse and family dynamics, and bureaucratic processes. These issues highlight the need for policy reforms and institutional interventions to promote social inclusion and economic empowerment, highlighting the systemic issues and injustices inherent in the disability grant disbursement system. Research, Practical & Social Implications: This study provides insights into disability grant disbursement systems in South Africa, offering theoretical advances and methodological insights. It informs policy recommendations for improving the system, guiding organizational interventions and capacity-building initiatives. The findings also promote social welfare, empowerment of vulnerable populations, and the promotion of social justice, highlighting the importance of addressing these challenges. Originality/Value: This study provides a unique perspective on disability grantees in South Africa, integrating Theory of Change and Critical Theory. It conducts a comparative analysis across three provinces, identifying common challenges and contextual factors. The study offers practical implications for policy reform and contributes to the scholarly literature on disability grant disbursement systems.
Attraversando la linea evolutiva delle pubblicazioni di Erving Polster, uno degli psicotera-peuti più stimati in campo mondiale e uno degli autori più significativi della Gestalt Therapy, emerge come nei suoi scritti abbia girato attorno ad alcuni concetti fondamentali facendone ve-nir fuori aspetti sempre nuovi, che potrebbero essere riassunti in tre: il fascino, il now-fo next e i life focus groups. La curiosità estetica, l'interesse, il fascino, verso le relazioni umane che lo ha sempre caratterizzato dà forza, in questa sua pubblicazione di cui l'articolo è la postfazione, a una prospettiva nuova, che rappresenta un passaggio epistemologico necessario in un mondo in cui una pandemia ci ha fatto capire quanto siamo biologicamente interconnessi e quanto nes-suno può salvarsi da solo: il cambiamento è generato dalla possibilità di sentire la magia dello stare insieme, dall'incanto che si crea tra le persone unite da un'esperienza comune.
This book emphasizes interpersonal relationship as the central factor in psychotherapy and counselling. The book is rich with theoretical concepts and relational methods the integrate the client's affect, physiology, and cognition so that behaviour is by choice and not stimulated by fear, compulsion, or compliance. This book classic provides unique understandings of client's personal dynamics and offers a solid foundation for practicing a Developmentally-based, Relationally-focused Integrative Psychotherapy.
Successful leaders are the precursors of change and the source of brilliant ideas in any country’s future or global venture. By combining gestalt-related ideas and guidelines, this chapter shows that “good intentions” ahead of personal benefits and indeed ahead of the social realities are crucial. The manner a gestalt group leader puts his/her own time in the perspective of history, character and integrity, wise appointments, and ability to work with allieds and rivals, matters. A case study reflecting on Biblical Joseph’s gestalt analytic work that was rooted in stewardship, service, and divine endowments was utilized. Joseph led from the front with presidential qualities translated to effective business leadership. He had more of a track record to go by and can be rated at the top in comparison with (and perhaps above) Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., Barrack Obama, and so on. Joseph’s management, maintenance, and governance of his group had many similarities to the principles and practices of gestalt group process. The chapter concludes that by exhibiting these exemplary behaviors, Joseph was a role model, an advocate and an ally for building team spirit and work group inclusion. Thus, reaffirming that Joseph possesses everything we can look for in great and strong leaders. The parallels of this advice for leaders are great. Finally, we discuss the possible implications of our model and direction for future research.KeywordsGestalt group process leaderGroupHere and nowDialogueAwarenessBiblical JosephStrategyBusiness ethicsMoral leadershipPaternalistic/Maternalistic leadershipAuthentic leadershipAutocratic leadershipBiblical narrativesCorporate integrityCreativityTeamworkTeam spiritMoney wisdomGestalt group leadershipCharismaExecutive courageSpiritual valuesPowerChangeSituation
This article is designed to scope a possible frame for coaching in response to the emerging and present climate crisis. Drawing on recent and continuous publications about the state of our climate and earth, indigenous wisdom, systems thinking and progressive perspectives, the paper brings together a wide swathe of context and poses explores how coaches and coaching psychologists might respond. A broad framework is outlined for regenerative coaching with examples given from coaching practice with both individuals and teams. The paper closes with a set of curious questions designed to open up the space of regenerative coaching as a framework that enables individuals and the profession as a whole to take an active role in responding to the greatest crisis facing our shared home at this point in time.
*(To celebrate and honour the life of Dr Alison Clare Whybrow, This paper is written by the second author based on her presentation at the 9th International Congress of Coaching Psychology 2019 – Positive and Coaching Psychology: Wellbeing, Sustainability and Achieving Balance, at NCVO, Regents Wharf, London on 11 October 2019. As such, the subject ‘t’ is used to keep the authenticity of the presenter as the first author. Any typos/errors were made by the second author/editor.)
The introduction chapter describes the scope and purpose of this book and summarizes key topics regarding online therapy. We explain that the book addresses most of the main approaches and schools of psychotherapy that are prevalent in the therapeutic field nowadays. Thus, in addition to exploring how each of them adjust to online therapy, we also have created a collection of the most practiced therapeutic approaches nowadays. Beyond the theories, we describe why flexibility and creativity are among the main factors that contribute to the success of online therapy. Also discussed briefly are skills and training required for the successful provision of online therapy.
The introduction also presents the current research about online therapeutic alliance, elements influencing the therapeutic alliance such as the setting and rupture and repair, and the outcome of online therapy. We show that there is enough evidence that online therapy is beneficial no less than in-person. We address the question whether it is suitable for everyone, and summarize how the factors that unify all psychodynamic approaches can be applied online.
L’autrice se demande si la condition humaine telle qu’elle est parfois enseignée en analyse transactionnelle n’est pas une simplification abusive. En s’appuyant sur l’idée de Steiner de l’autonomisation égalitaire accessible à tous et en s’inspirant de la Crip Theory de Robert McCruer, elle invite les lecteurs à réfléchir : l’optimisme inhérent à l’analyse transactionnelle serait-il une forme de validisme obligatoire ? Elle propose des vignettes d’expériences rapportées ou directement vécues au cours de sa formation et de sa pratique psychothérapeutique en analyse transactionnelle, expériences où des clients ou des étudiants se sont sentis mis à l’écart parce que porteurs de handicap. Pour reprendre le titre de l’ouvrage de Joyce McDougall, l’autrice porte son propre « plaidoyer pour une forme d’anormalité » et interroge l’application de certains modèles théoriques (comme celui de la symbiose) qui semblent placer du côté de la pathologie ceux qui ont un besoin vital des autres afin d’offrir une fonction complémentaire.
This chapter discusses an “Equalities Design” approach that informs and guides my practice as a designer. Using the frame of post-normative equity, I have been developing Equalities Design tools, methods and approaches that interrogate and queer normative (including neuronormative) assumptions in order to create alternative bodymind explorations and experimental outputs. These explorations and outputs can be contrasted with design solutions that have been presented as inclusive but are in fact simplistic design responses that fail to take into account intersectionality and thus the profound challenges encountered by multiply-marginalized groups. The chapter argues for the necessity of such an approach, and describes the “Design Exosystem” Framework that guides my work. The chapter also briefly introduces my involvement with the Wellcome Trust's Design and the Mind initiative, focused on co-creation and engagement with neurodivergent, disabled and D/deaf people and groups, and which produced outputs such as toolkits and a public-facing 5-day Program in the Wellcome Collection Hub.
The author proposes a theory of interpersonal development between couples. Using insights derived from Gestalt theory and constructive developmental psychology, he outlines three phases in the evolution of a couple's relational ground: confluence, on which mutuality is initially established; differentiation, characterized by complementarity; and integration, wherein each person assimilates disowned aspects of the self previously projected onto the other. He presents examples and suggests ways to work with each of the three phases.
Traditional treatments of addictions developed over the past 40 years have been based on various theoretical models of development. None of these address the complexities of addictions' impact on all facets of the functional self. This article presents a flexible "multiphasic transformation process" (MPTP) approach valuing Gestalt therapy principles and considers as its basis the "cycle of experience" as it relates to the progressive nature of growth and change in the process of transformation. The meaning of addiction and addict will be redefined from this new MPTP perspective. Case materials will illustrate the treatment process, and appropriate therapeutic tasks will be suggested for each phase.
A process of therapy has emerged through analysis of the author's work with children and adolescents over a span of 32 years. This process fits organically with the philosophy, theory, and practice of Gestalt therapy, beginning with the prerequisite of the relationship between client and therapist. The role of contact and its connection to resistance is examined as particularly applied to the specific characteristics of children. The author has found that the continuous strengthening of the child's inner support structure in the course of therapy is fundamental to the child's ability to work through deep-seated, blocked emotions. Therefore, enhancing the child's sense of self is a crucial step toward healthy emotional expression and optimum growth and development. The focus on self-enhancement through specific experiences inherent in child development is an intrinsic part of psychotherapy with children and adolescents. Even the task of helping the child feel safe and comfortable with expressing feelings requires its own sequence. The author discusses a method for helping the child become self-nurturing, an important component of the therapeutic process and one often neglected in Gestalt therapy, yet particularly critical to the child who has suffered trauma. Finally, the therapeutic process concludes with termination, never actually a final step since children can only deal with specific issues in accordance with their particular developmental stage.
Promoting "negative" strategies? | Why then engage in such an initiative? | How would this provocative mode work? | Examples? | Precedents? | Theory? | Playing games? | But is it already done? | Possibilities? | Seriously? | Surrealistically? | Provocative dramatisation and médiatisation? | Commercialisation? | Reservations -- when to avoid paradox? | Justice? | Conclusion -- Doing the Unthinkable?
When there has been a history of childhood abuse, a survivalist mentality and emotional schema to accompany it necessarily develops and often persists. Therapy with at-risk youth who have experienced trauma can become stuck in predictable patterns. Yet healing happens where growth happens, and growth happens where life flows freely into an open, as-of-yet undefined, and changeable future. There is a kind of play that must be learned or relearned to become creative and integrative in life. Play provides opportunity for relieving stress, reprocessing experience, and integrating learning. There must, therefore, be a dimension of “play” in psychotherapy, a breaking loose of rigid constructs—beliefs and behaviors—in the process of retrofitting a more constructive and contributory meaning. Play, as a literal or figurative activity, is a relationship-building catalyst, spurring development as therapeutic gains are consolidated. When an at-risk youth, their parents, guardians or other family members and supports, or our colleagues become entrenched in problem-saturated narratives and anchored to fears and anxieties, we have responsibility to point them beyond fears and anxieties to the possible person, whose courage we playfully, carefully, evoke.
This reflection presents how certain Gestalt principles of the Cape Cod Model©—Strategic and Intimate Interactions, Well-Developed Competencies/Less Developed Competencies— advanced at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC), along with Beisser's (1970) notion of “The Paradoxical Theory of Change,” can be used to frame the behavior within the “asking and giving” culture of philanthropy. These principles, in offering opportunities for change, would improve the experience of the “asker” and the “giver.” Philanthropy is more than the money. A resilient philanthropic culture is generated when people experience the joy and passion of working together in generous support of community.
The same foundational principles—phenomenology and “The Paradoxical Theory of Change”—underlie Gestalt practice and give rise to common ground, whether the practitioner is a coach or a therapist. The distinctions often made between the two professions are further attenuated when either coach or therapist adopts a fundamental tenet of the Gestalt International Study Center's (GISC) Cape Cod Model©—a focus on the “well-developed.” This article explores common ground shared by these practitioners and challenges the easy distinctions often made between the two professions.
Gestalt Parent Coaching (GPC)© is a new application of the Gestalt coaching model (Simon, 2009, 2012) that specifically focuses on working with families. In the GPC Model, parents are the primary clients of the coach and are encouraged and supported in becoming change agents on behalf of their children. The adults learn safely to explore, practice, and acquire new and more effective ways of behaving as parents. This article presents the GPC model, traces its roots in Gestalt theory, compares and contrasts it with organizational coaching, and gives concrete examples of Gestalt principles in the practice of GPC.
The research proposes an Augmented Reality (AR) for student learning. The learning goal of this Augmented Reality is to help the student stimulate the lessons and understand better. Furthermore, the proposed AR was designed to support various teaching and learning approaches included interdisciplinary learning and project-based learning. This proposed hands-on learning tool integrates the core knowledge for students learning in tourism education. The experimental results showed that students' learning achievement improved by comparing the average T-scores of pre-test and post-test. In addition, the teachers and students showed a good level of satisfaction in using the proposed AR in teaching and learning.
O uso de Tecnologia da Informação (TI) em ações de extensão tem crescido nestes tempos, mas ter ferramentas de TI não representa uma bem-sucedida ação através delas. É necessário haver metodologias que ajudem os participantes das atividades de extensão a aproveitar melhor ferramenta ou recursos, para criar um ambiente no qual eles se tornem protagonistas e não simples absorvedores da TI. Com base nessa necessidade, aplicou-se o Gestaltismo como um método para proporcionar com que vários recursos fossem criados, desenvolvidos e programados pelos participantes das atividades, baseado nas suas necessidades pessoais e em suas cosmovisões. Com base em três aplicações dessa metodologia, em três turmas de extensão diferentes, foi possível observar um incremento na motivação de absorver novos saberes com uma ferramenta de TI que foi construída a partir da necessidade dos participantes, utilizando técnicas do Gestaltismo, de modo que pode ser observado que esse método pode reduzir reatividades na introdução de Tecnologia da Informação nas ações de extensão.
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