The Relational Co-Construction of Selves: A Postmodern Perspective

Abstract

Viewed in postmodern perspective, psychotherapy functions less as a context for self-analysis or self-actualization than as a dialogic sphere for the co-construction of a new sense of identity within and beyond the therapeutic relationship. This article considers some of the implications of this shift for postmodern practice, focusing especially on the place of narrative and performance in consolidating a preferred sense of self.