1985
DOI: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.1985.00165.x
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Paradox and Polarity: The Tao of Family Therapy

Abstract: Taoism is a Chinese spiritual tradition whose central metaphors concern polarity, paradox, and the natural process of change. Taoist ideas offer a particularly useful framework for understanding paradoxical interventions, the stance of the paradoxical therapist, and the new epistemology emerging in the field. The relevance of three Taoist metaphors for family therapists is discussed: polarity, cyclical change, and Wu Wei (noninterference).

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Cited by 15 publications
(13 citation statements)
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“…When Jordan (1985) explains how he applies the Taoist principle of Wu Wei to his therapy, he clearly states that he cannot differentiate between the spiritual and the therapeutic. "Truth," he writes, "lies beyond distinctions, even distinctions between a view of unity and separateness" (p. 172).…”
Section: The Same and Different And The Samementioning
confidence: 99%
“…When Jordan (1985) explains how he applies the Taoist principle of Wu Wei to his therapy, he clearly states that he cannot differentiate between the spiritual and the therapeutic. "Truth," he writes, "lies beyond distinctions, even distinctions between a view of unity and separateness" (p. 172).…”
Section: The Same and Different And The Samementioning
confidence: 99%
“…The adaptive fusionary response of drawing together to seek comfort from one another did not have a foundation of effective mutuality to draw upon within their relationship. Instead, as often happens in families faced with illness or death, David and Sarah intensified their usual and polar‐opposite coping styles (Jordan, 1985). This led to increased conflict and an erosion of the sense of pleasure and cohesion in the family.…”
Section: Impact Of Death On Family Developmentmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Returning from the conference I discovered on the journal shelves a new Family Process with a paper on 'The Tao of Family Therapy' by John Jordan (1985), with many thoughtful comments on the parallels between Taoist wisdom and ideas developing in systemic therapies. On another set of shelves, this time in a martial arts shop, I discovered Zen in the Art of Helping by David Brandon (1976).…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%