Intensification of defense
By 1993, Fritz Perls had been dead for nearly a quarter century. His theories and therapy lived on. In The Gestalt Journal's Fall '93 issue celebrating the centennial of Perls' birth, Norman Friedman[1], director of the Gestalt Therapy Center in Queens, reviews the genesis of the topdog-underdog dichotomy, explains the rationale for the use of the "hot seat" in topdog-underdog role playing, and provides examples of therapist/patient interplay a la Perls.
FriedmanCite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag, 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
- ↑ Friedman, N. (1993). Fritz Perls's layers' and the empty chair: A reconsideration. The Gestalt Journal, XVI(2), pp. 95-118.
