Cognitive postrational psychotherapy of the couple: a constructivist proposal

Journal title RICERCA PSICOANALITICA
Author/s Maurizio Dodet
Publishing Year 2011 Issue 2011/2
Language Italian Pages 18 P. 39-56 File size 591 KB
DOI 10.3280/RPR2011-002004
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In this article, the author will introduce the "postrational constructivist cognitive approach" to couple therapy. In this presentation, I will in particular refer to concepts that derive from the work of Patricia Crittenden, Furio Lambruschi and Vittorio Guidano, briefly mentioning them. A more comprehensive presentation can be found in their work. The dynamics that lie beneath the emotional reciprocity of a romantic relationship are considered to be tightly connected with the attachment experienced during childhood that represents the emotional dimension in which the personal meaning is created. This can afterwards develop in a personal meaning organization in which the internal models of attachment are one of the components. The choice of a partner and the creation of a romantic relationship seem to be in relation with the characteristics and the degree of articulation of the emotional and cognitive individual structure. The couple relationship is generated by the engagement of the two romantic styles that are the expression of the individual self meanings. These tend to maintain feelings of continuity and uniqueness of the Self during the intimate encounter of the other from self. In a couple therapy the aim is to increment such articulation in the analysis of how the two personal meanings engage in the various phases of creation, conservation and crisis/rupture.

Keywords: Attachment, couple therapy, postrational psychotherapy, personal meaning, cognitive meaning organization, narrative identity, emotional reciprocity

Maurizio Dodet, Psicoterapia cognitiva post-razionalista della coppia. Una proposta costruttivista in "RICERCA PSICOANALITICA" 2/2011, pp 39-56, DOI: 10.3280/RPR2011-002004