Abstract
Action theory (AT), an emergent paradigm in academic psychology, depicts individuals as actively shaping their environment, development, and well- being. Although implicit in several psychoanalytic and integrative formulations, to date A T has not been formally linked to the psychotherapy integration movement. Focusing on a relatively overlooked tenet of AT whereby human action is pervasively "political" (i.e., power related), the author proposes that in the context of transference-countertransference exchanges, patient and therapist exercise power over each other to realize core personal projects. Awareness of this "2-person politics" has the potential to enhance integrative psychotherapy by increasing (a) sensitivity to, and use of, inevitable patient-therapist power struggles; (b) appreciation of the simultaneously oppressive and empowering nature of cognitive, behavioral, and strategic techniques; and (c) reliance on supervisors, peers, and consultants who serve as mediators of patients' and therapists' political agendas.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 371-396 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Journal of Psychotherapy Integration |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health