Gender Differences in Gestalt Therapy

Abstract

AbstractIn their specific ways of being in the world, men and women, as therapists or patients, have been influenced by the interdependence of traditional gender roles in the particular society in which they live. This article explores relevant aspects of gender differences within the context of Gestalt therapy: transference and countertransference phenomena, male-female constellations and the choice of a therapist, forms of abuse, psychotherapeutic efficacy, disorders, and the central role of the dialogic I-Thou relationship. Case examples from clinical practice illuminate the theoretical considerations. The need for explicitly reflecting the specific effects of gender differences on the course of therapy is emphasized.