tra persuasione e cambiamento. considerazioni sulla terapia strategica di paul watzlawick

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the role played by persuasion in the therapeutic practice of Paul Watzlawick. This analysis will deal with the two different ways of thinking described by the author: the analytical one and the imaginative one. They are referable to the activity of the left and the right cerebral hemisphere, respectively. Based on this distinction, we will illustrate the distinctive features of the therapeutic approach proposed by the author, which focuses on the imaginative language typical of the right hemisphere. Actually Watzlawick trace the construction of any individual world views back to the right hemisphere, which has a creative nature. Therefore he argues that we must act within this horizon to produce the change of perspective that is the prerequisite for the success of any therapy. The present work is divided into three parts. Watzlawick’s remarks on the problem of therapeutic change are illustrated at first. In the second paragraph, the persuasive method used by the author is introduced, by paying special attention to the ethical issues that it has raised. The article closes with an analysis of Watzlawick’s observations on human existence, by drawing a comparison between his approach and the psychotherapy based on existential communication outlined by Karl Jaspers.