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Resistance in Couple and Family Therapy

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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

Name of Concept

Resistance

Introduction

Resistance in family therapy has been defined as all behaviors of individuals within the system which prevent the progress of the system as a unit. Such behaviors can be manifested through each individual, the relational aspect to family dynamic, or even from therapists’ level of engagement with the family (Anderson and Stewart 1983). A couple and family therapist will encounter a level of resistance from a client at some point in their career. For beginning therapists, the concept of resistance is one that can be particularly frightening. Novice therapists have the tendency to internalize a family’s resistance and subsequently becoming hostile, frustrated, or hopeless (Anderson and Stewart 1983). Nevertheless, resistance is not always an indication that the therapeutic relationship is flawed or at risk; many times individuals and families become resistant due to their behaviors being challenged or subject to change. That resistance then can...

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References

  • Anderson, C., & Stewart, S. (1983). Mastering resistance. New York: Guilford.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Sandra Espinoza & Melani Kovarkizi

Authors
  1. Sandra Espinoza
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  2. Melani Kovarkizi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra Espinoza .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Sean Davis Ph.D., LMFT

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Espinoza, S., Kovarkizi, M. (2017). Resistance in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_547-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_547-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

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