The Shrink’s Links
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Today’s Shrink’s link of the week is
I recently began a new series on relationships. I should say that I haven’t come up with these ideas solely out of my own head. I have my sources. The first is David Schnarch and what he calls Crucible® Therapy. The second is Gottman. More on Gottman later. For me, Schnarch provides much of the theoretical framework of how I work with couples; Gottman helps with the application.
Schnarch didn’t come up with these ideas solely out of his own head, either. He built on a foundation first laid by Murray Bowen, one of the pioneers of family therapy. While Bowen is not a household name, even in households comprised of shrinks, such as my own; he gave us such widely used concepts as boundaries, triangles, ideas about the influence of sibling position, and the differentiation of the self. Alright, maybe you never heard of the differentiation of the self, but you will when you read my series; again and again and again. I believe the concept is fundamental.
I’ve never been one to hand myself over completely to a guru and make his or her ideas and methods my own without adding many idiosyncratic twists. And, in case you were thinking of making me your guru, I don’t think you should either. I only keep the parts that work for me and seem to resonate with the couples who come to me for counseling.
There are two more things about Schnarch that I want to say. Yes, he has a funny name. Let’s get that out of the way first. Although, I must admit that, as a person with a very ordinary name, Wilson, I feel a little jealous of him. It’s distinctive, at least.
The second is this. You’ll see it if you go to his website. He has taken Bowen’s ideas, given them his own clever turns of phrase, and trademarked them so no one else can use them.
I understand why he does it. He’s protecting his investment. I think it’s outrageous. Science (and, yes, counseling psychology is a science, as well as an art) requires that there be a free exchange of ideas. Trademarking one’s expression of them just gets in the way.
So, in my series, I will respect the trademark law even though I don’t respect Schnarch’s use of it. When I use his, and Bowen’s ideas, I use my own phrases. Please feel free to pass them on and use them yourself.
Click here to go to the entire Relationships series.
Keith R Wilson 