“Let’s Dance”: A Dialogical Proposal for Analyzing Interactions and Positions in Couples Therapy

abstract

The theory of the dialogical self, which is based upon the metaphor of the self as a dialogue between different voices and I-positions, conceptualizes the structure and functioning of the self as a product of communication and relational processes. The dynamics of the dialogical self imply an articulation between the individual self and the self in relationships with others. However, the theory of the dialogical self has seldom been applied to couples therapy. Therefore, in order to understand changes in relationships from a dialogical perspective, we decided to perform a case study for a couple, Victoria and Alfonso, evolving through four sessions of couples therapy. The Positioning Microanalysis method was applied to depict and characterize the self in relation to each half of the dyad in their continuous flow of positioning and repositioning, as characterized by their usual “dance” around a main theme developed throughout the sessions. The couples’ problematic cycle (Victoria: I as rejected/not being cared for by him; Alfonso: I as rejecting/unable to express my support) was then reconfigured into an alternative, more adaptive cycle (Victoria: I as validating my needs and fighting my sensitivity to rejection; Alfonso: I as caring for her), through the emergence of an alternative position. This new position freed this couple and enabled them to innovate on the interactions that characterized their usual “dance”.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to Jakko Seikkula for making these sessions available to us, as well as to one of the reviewers for making a significant contribution to enriching the analysis.

Notes

1 The couples therapy of Alfonso and Victoria (fictional names) was the focus of a book edited by Borcsa and Rober, (2016) where the four sessions of this psychotherapy process are described in detail. Subsequently, several researchers have analyzed this therapeutic process using distinct qualitative perspectives.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT) through the Grant PTDC/MHC-PCL/1991/2014 (project iCare4Depression). This study was conducted at the Laboratory of Psychotherapy Research at ISMAI – University Institute of Maia, which is affiliated with the Center of Psychology at the University of Porto, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement UID/PSI/00050/2013 - UID/PSI/00050/2019.