A View of the Symbolic-experiential Family Therapy of Carl Whitaker through Movie Analysis

Abstract

AbstractThe movie Ya Sonra is evaluated in respect to the basic concepts and principles of symbolic-experiential family therapy. Carl Whitaker, who called his approach Psychotherapy of Absurdity mainly emphasized the concepts of absurdity, experientiality, and symbolism. Based on the hypothesis that film analysis supports and develops theoretical information, this study aims to reveal the theoretical perspective of symbolic-experiential family therapy, and through the method of film analysis, exemplify the assumptions, perspectives, and emphases of therapy. Emotional deadness, pathology as a symptom of development, the focus person of the problem in the family, marriage greater than its parts, blind marriage, flexibility of roles, the role of therapist, seeing family and client, the objectives of therapy, and the techniques used in therapy are among the theoretical concepts of symbolic-experiential family therapy. To this end, these topics were addressed in the movie Ya Sonra, which is about a woman in her seventh year of marriage who starts to feel that she does not belong in her marriage with her spouse and that she is seen as insignificant by her spouse. Therefore, she becomes identified as the patient in the family. The sensitivity of the spouses increases as the problem becomes more serious, eventually leading her to leave the house. The breakdown of communication between the spouses during the ensuing process finally results in divorce, due to a gradual increase in misunderstandings between the two. The previously described concepts were exemplified through analysis of the film. As a conclusion, it is believed that this study can serve as a resource to specialists by supporting the theoretical information concerning symbolicexperiential family therapy and exemplifying this approach in practice through the method of movie analysis.Keywords: Symbolic-experiential family therapy * Carl A. Whitaker * Film * Family therapyThe background of family therapy resembles an exciting novel. Several models of family therapy abundantly suggest creative ideas and new techniques. The leaders in creativity, such as Minuchin, Ackerman, Whitaker, Haley, and Satir are quite distinct in this field (Carson, 1999). It can be suggested that experiential theories are more prominent in terms of creative ideas. Although it is called non-theoretical experiential therapy, this approach facilitates creative experiences in families. Creative, spontaneous, non-rational is a significant objective of experiential family therapy (Piercy, Sprenkle, Wetchler, & Associates, 1996 as cited in Carson, 1999). According to experiential therapists, This therapy depends on the interactive process of intellectual understanding, metaphoric language, and personal interaction (Keith, 1982, p. 331 as cited in Bermudez, 1997). The main objective here is growth (Neill & Kniskern, 1982; Mitten & Piercy, 1993; Whitaker & Bumberry, 1988 as cited in Bermudez, 1997).Experiential family therapy evolved in the decades following the humanistic psychology movement. At first, founders of the approach were very interested in the structures of treatment based on experience. Certain theorists of experiential family counseling such as Carl Whitaker relied more on their own characters, creativity, and spontaneity in respect to timely and effective responses in their studies with families. The most significant roles adopted by these therapists include the roles of process facilitator and source person (Gladding, 2012). Whitaker appreciates and adopts the absurd aspects of life.One of the experiential theorists who defends the suggestion One can only learn through experience is Carl Whitaker (Whitaker & Bumberry, 1988, p. 73 as cited in Bermudez, 1997). Whitaker was born on a farm in New York in 1912, grew up as a very shy child with only his family in his social circle. Whitaker started to lay the foundations of symbolic-experiential family therapy and its theoretical structure (Martin, 2011). …