Intensification of defense

• Fritz Perls used the Exaggeration Technique to assist the client in understanding his/her defenses.

• The next stage of chairwork, writes Friedman^[1], is to "encourage both the two sides to confront one another and to intensify the conflict. In other words, it aims to produce the "reenactment" of "unfinished business" which, according to Perls' theory, is essential to experiencing and assimilating unacknowledged feelings.

References

1. ↑ Norman, N. (1993). Fritz Perls's layers' and the empty chair: A reconsideration. The Gestalt Journal, XVI(2), pp. 95-118.