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Paradox and Counterparadox: A New Model in the Therapy of the Family in Schizophrenic Transaction
Paradox and Counterparadox introduces the English-speaking public to the first results of a research plan drawn up my the Milan Center for Family Studies at the end of 1971 and put into practice at the beginning of 1972. The book reports the therapeutic work carried out by the authors with fifteen families, five with children presenting serious psychotic disturbances, and ten with young adults diagnosed as schizophrenics in acute phase. Though accepting the Bleulerian term schizophrenia, by now in general use, the authors have used it to indicate not the sickness of an individualDas in the traditional medical modelDbut a peculiar pattern of communication inseparable from the other patterns of communication observable in the natural group (in this case, the family) in which it manifests itself. Starting from the position that modern sciences concerned with communication emphasize the central role of paradox as the source of paralyzing disturbances as well as of creative transformations, the authors demonstrate that it is possible to intervene in a family in schizophrenic transaction by devising original and paradoxical methods in order to release the action-pattern from disturbance to transformation. The counterparadoxes generated in this process, illustrated through a great number of examples, are rigorously analyzed in accordance with the conceptual models provided by general systems theory, by cybernetics, and by the pragmatics of human communication. The reader will recognize, in the cases presented, the stimulating originality and efficacy of this approach, one whose interest exceeds the purely clinical and which offers new points of departure for an ecologic vision of human relationships. A Jason Aronson Book
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2019
Reading books by psychologists can make you question your own sanity. A friend recently asked me to read Paradox and Counter-Paradox by Drs. Mara Selvini Palazzoli, Luigi Boscolo, Gianfranco Cecchin, and Giuliana Prata. This team of psychoanalysts treated the condition formerly known as schizophrenia as the playing out of family dynamics in an attempt to keep things in homeostasis. As I noted in my blog post about the book (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) such studies make me uncomfortable. Most people, I suspect, have psychological issues of one kind or another. Those of us who write tend to put them out there for other people to see. In any case, this book consists of the therapists laying out their theory, followed by several chapters explaining different techniques to utilize that theory.
Their basic premise is that families must be cured of schizophrenia, not a single individual. Families lead to the condition and therefore must be treated for it. Since this was originally written in the 1970s there are some outdated elements. The authors have clear gender expectations and stereotypes—boys should behave one way and girls another. Ashtrays are everywhere. Family situations are quite traditional. Still, the insights are clear; families make us who we are. Their methods of interaction form young minds, and sometimes deform them.
This study doesn’t have lots of detail on specific cases. There are case studies in most chapters, but the prose is more oriented toward explaining what the doctors were doing than dwelling on the pathologies of the patients. For those who’ve had training in psychology, at least at the undergrad level, this shouldn’t be difficult reading. It is a translated book, however, and as such it embeds cultural differences as well as linguistic ones. It left me pondering quite a bit. Our families (some of us knew they were dysfunctional even while we were in them) become our “normal.” We quickly learn to behave differently in public, however, and those who don’t are singled out as mentally ill. These are places I try to go only in my fiction writing. Otherwise, they can be, in a word, depressing.
Their basic premise is that families must be cured of schizophrenia, not a single individual. Families lead to the condition and therefore must be treated for it. Since this was originally written in the 1970s there are some outdated elements. The authors have clear gender expectations and stereotypes—boys should behave one way and girls another. Ashtrays are everywhere. Family situations are quite traditional. Still, the insights are clear; families make us who we are. Their methods of interaction form young minds, and sometimes deform them.
This study doesn’t have lots of detail on specific cases. There are case studies in most chapters, but the prose is more oriented toward explaining what the doctors were doing than dwelling on the pathologies of the patients. For those who’ve had training in psychology, at least at the undergrad level, this shouldn’t be difficult reading. It is a translated book, however, and as such it embeds cultural differences as well as linguistic ones. It left me pondering quite a bit. Our families (some of us knew they were dysfunctional even while we were in them) become our “normal.” We quickly learn to behave differently in public, however, and those who don’t are singled out as mentally ill. These are places I try to go only in my fiction writing. Otherwise, they can be, in a word, depressing.
October 17, 2024
Muy buen libro. Impactante por su similitud a situaciones personales, pero muy recomendable para ser consciente de lo que nos puede pasar en nuestra dinámica familiar.
May 26, 2017
De opgeblazen schrijfstijl (academie jaren '70) en het gebrek aan ruwe onderzoeksresultaten zijn de belangrijkste factoren die eraan bijdragen dat ik er vrij weinig aan heb.
Toch nog 2 sterren want ik heb nog nooit zulke complexe paradoxale opdrachten* gezien. Ik ben een voorstander van eenvoud maar een uurtje of twee stoeien met complexiteit zorgt ervoor dat mijn eenvoud een stevige basis krijgt.
*Een paradoxale opdracht wordt in verschillende vormen van therapie gebruikt om een doorbraak in het ineffectieve gedrag van de patiënt(en) te forceren.
Toch nog 2 sterren want ik heb nog nooit zulke complexe paradoxale opdrachten* gezien. Ik ben een voorstander van eenvoud maar een uurtje of twee stoeien met complexiteit zorgt ervoor dat mijn eenvoud een stevige basis krijgt.
*Een paradoxale opdracht wordt in verschillende vormen van therapie gebruikt om een doorbraak in het ineffectieve gedrag van de patiënt(en) te forceren.
May 10, 2016
A must read for anyone interested in family studies, systems theory and psychology in general. While the authors have made many changes in their way of working since this research, it's still amazing to see how these people designed a research project based on certain family interactions and possible strategies to change them. Furthermore, many ideas, concepts and problems discussed here apply not only to families, but also to other human groups and organizations (making it enjoyable for those engaged in Sociology, Education or Coaching). However, I ask myself if the interventions themselves presented to change families also have the same or similar effects in other type of contexts.
My biggest criticism about it, but it is explained by the historical context of the book and would be later addressed, is the fact that human biology is almost ignored in favour of systemic explanations of social behaviour. Nevertheless, this is a gem for readers of different interests that certainly requires a basic level in psychology, systems theory and constructivism. I strongly suggest to read an introductory book on family therapy first in order to understand (and enjoy) this one better.
My biggest criticism about it, but it is explained by the historical context of the book and would be later addressed, is the fact that human biology is almost ignored in favour of systemic explanations of social behaviour. Nevertheless, this is a gem for readers of different interests that certainly requires a basic level in psychology, systems theory and constructivism. I strongly suggest to read an introductory book on family therapy first in order to understand (and enjoy) this one better.
March 3, 2022
Excelente libro
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews