7 wnuctment

O Chestnuttree,gtreatrootedblossomer'
Are you the leaf,the blossomor the bole?
O bodyswayedto music,of brighteningglance'
How can*. ktto* the dancerfrorn the dance?
W. B. Yeats

In family theraPY,Yeats' questior

:li know the dancer from the dance' T
gd.iaf '
ii
entwined inextricably lg1[h
separate one from the other is, as ir
in order to hear it more clearly. It disappearsll
I
l;
into the
But the family members stop the danging -w.bpn.-they-9,0-R[e
ll t ,

sggsloLauq-,try--io--describ to th e lhQ$Pist hovv

e, cg+r4ent' 3Iu4-QEp.tAt$
quality
tiie musicand the dancearg.gfrme. This limits the arnountand
I
;i;;nmm;" r"ppii"a lo iit.-tubjective memoryand the descrip-
"f
tive ability of the informants. ,r
When the therapist asksthe family\q
i, control what they are presenting.In@
II t nicate, they frequently !ry-haul-to-pu!
*ith each
li But when thu th.rupisi getr the family members to @g9
some oltnu problems that they consider dysfunctional
other,r.trangr-gtin$
u"a fuglglp) disagreements, as in trying to establishcontrol over a L
li disobeEen:lc hild, he unleashes sequences"heYoA[Lthe,fa4 l L**ltlgl
ulDvvvu^v-.v v-_-Et

I manit'est
ir The accustomedrules take over, and transactionalcomponents
I
78

I
:.
{3F
 79 Enactment

themselveswith an intensity similar to that manifested in these transac-

asks-lLe
if.t ths-rh,e,rqp-t-sr -fe]B$LJo
qn in!-9p.9_rgg1{
t* _."-oq$tlg!F .pge-
nq_ti_o-naL orrs"emol * faruly
.f"ransacJi
membersare-played-Qul,This transaction occursin the context of the
session,in the present,and in relation to the therapist, While facilitating
this transaction,the therapist is in a position to observethe family rnem-
bers' verbal and nonverbal ways of signalingto eachother and monitor-
ffithe range of tblerable transaciiol
in the processby utq.f:e*?_qg+,gllg_ig[9n

possibility of alternative modalities

---- -
ft"*;*;E.
--.-qhed the family comesinto therapy, there is usually consensusabout
iq'JrgJisthe identified patienti@
,,. t \.

is the problem, and tipooTffiroblem

affectsother family members.The members'prior attempls to find solu-
tions on their own have centeredtheir transactionstoo much around the
"problem," making it the backgroundagainstwhich all other aspectsof
their reality are played. 'Iheir experienceof reality has narrowed down
from overfocusi.re.Tbg.inlq_{rgi_tfqf-th-etrex-p.erienc-e,uaround*thesymp-
tgg1glS_tlglrypt91-b-,earerhascaused.themto.iguor_e_oihensigaifp_e
as-p-gc-t-F-9*t,t!gii...!ranga-cj"i9_l]g.
The family has framed the problem and
3m as the relevant reality for ther-
to gather information that the fam-
-6ow
nt, and evCn inor6:afficift. to

tions, and listen again.They pay attention to the content of the rnaterial
elicited, to the ways in which the different elementsof the plot relate
with each other, to the qualifications of and the disparities between
theseelements,and to the affect of the presentation.T_:q rqsdLqtg_tlh-
eling information cannot,provide therapists -ruit-hlrrj-p:m.ationllr-al-the
family membersdo not have.A corollary of the therapist's over-reliance
on content is a concern for completeness.The therapist tracks the pa-

Lbs
 80 Family Therapy Techniques

tient, requesting further information on the themes that the patient has
already presentedas central, being careful not to intrude into the mate-
rial, so that the history follows its own selectivesequence.The therapist
helps in the unfolding of the material until he has enough information.
This mode of inquiry preservesthe myth of the objectivity of the
tneiep-lstandthe reality-.of the patient. Th-e-!!rgrapis!.i.s L+,":t"a tb an
liqtodan oI=gSg-gJg-glsj.t1ying,.tg ge! all q!-jective re-portingof what is
"fg3lly__thqp. This frqming_gf the lfr-erape.uticprocess has developed
theiap-iJtswho hesitate to qqg_ t-he-ms-elvesin,therapy for fear of distort-
itt": orealizs-tLr.e
ingftre-i:ie6.[i1y,';"in[ contgxtintg two sep-
!,lerap.gutic
'l!ttuy;' the observed,and.iiyF;"
arate ca-mps:
zr:B"ttTfi"tapists' who have beentrainedl"Glhqqqitaftmnn& of
((U"o^municationknowth"tt@llgn*[rfl rrenqesJb-e*-qafuial
andprs-La-
observed,pqllrz$-llrsy-gre-atarays--de"alrneJuithapproxinates.
ble-realities. Dismissing the fantasy of an objective therapist and a per-
manent reality, tbe-haily-6-eranirf creates.in-the"semigs-4L.9-tle*{gqr-
sonal scenario in which a1dy-sJu-r-r-c-t!-o.naltransac-ti,ax-among:Jh€*thmlllr
dvsfunctional. transac-ti,aeamong:.the.-ftmily
members i Instead of taking a history, the therapist ad-
to areasthat the family has framed as relevant
into the session.@ sincc"Jbef.agtlfig.-dygfUneiqnal-onlv
iq ,gII4" glgas, payins attention to_lillegeparticular argaswill nrovitle
i'@Lt_*r" '. rbg_e!:y_*slr":-q-Lp!
!X"
fffi y struct ii" b@ine s-rrg.Adfgq! u$-and"-that t-he
.!q Ltlgsetr-+asaqtiq
,heiapi-stwill tli-ereforecatch a of the te
ffi tE;6mily'Prob-l9sl.ap--well^a*.artennatives-t-hus--be-
mdin-r:.elationtothe.theIAHl
cotoeuuuilableln-t,s3lesqnif
con-
trol their behaviortet* Fd*ith ^" u{1c$44llv-:ilgilg:9%
manifestcdiqthgryggflng.. a!-hsne.Bu@sit*
tralgactions
ntrol of the context, he can test the
t,' erentially with family membersor by
er members.The theraPist can also
(.Qbttt@
ry to the family mernbers,
neattempts of other familY members
to shorten the enactment. Ip..!h-is*'puocegs".Jhe. Jhprapist
ch+nLe the affiliation of family lrembers with each other temporarily,
':Busbss="
This
testins-lhe-fl-e+ib:lihrcitlresrete-mrv*bS-Tr-
!lt-e-t-he-1gitst
maneuver @ abouttttg ggp"-.i!y-qrw
w_r!hr:q_a-pa$ieulaltb,@.Enactmentlgqg-1-e139=19:tt*
lr i
l

l . i
I
; ' I

r:r
i,i
l!i
i i

Asq
 81 Enactment

sinceno, trH#i
ffiTariifii medbutt u""ti their a;"." i" l;;;"" to the rherapist,who
o"ly u:.:bserver,but alsoa musicianand dancer
Hot himself.
\ffiiecond, while the family is enactingits reality within the therapeutic
cclntext, there is a4 concomitant
vvrrvv'.r/drllu c
"tt3!ug;g y. Fami_

li.,t ntified patient and a

bunchoT-Iiealeis or helpers.Bui
c,udenotonv"#;lTilT;H$FHS"J*:*T;il'#:T :
va.tionand inrervention expands.IggtgAd__of a._pgg_ig-l_!.
yt-t_lr__pg!_t
qlsgy,
is"-uqlry*-s-Spsrlv"-r+-ad-"sfrdp"ti;.naGtuafle-;:"Edt*;r,t
-tl-e-fo-cs
challenge. uugir,,
to the family'sideaof what itpronrem is.
,#i
q advantageof enactmentis that, sincemelnbersof
tl"ther the thera-
=til;"i"s
*"LoJv
ed,.y_r!h
-e4ehithelil:-Eag
;i m;r ;
ff *flff-f T:
a-!I-Qlls'
I nrs context rs decidedlyadvantageb'ffiTbtt ,n
iffiffiG;;
or ar differenrdevelopmentat
stages,andwith
I::lg^:hPuT,
farnilies "j:h{e.n
of cuituralbackgrounds
that differd;;il;ffi;ru,s. The
utilization of therapeutic directives and concrete
ranguageand meta-
phors drawn from the transactionsamong
family members facilitates
4l aUd age.boundaries.
lation to the therapist, it may also fa_
ent. Families have great power to in_
ling to the rules of the family. They
r into a centrality that robs him of
of !he sl+ples-t-tsgbptggsp_&*dr€er-
tong f4lqdy"m-e.,Bb,e{s.^.
W.hile-the.fam-
ch other, lhe. th,erapist'can.:distance
reutic leverage.

familvanddecides
whichdystunctionar
areasro highlt*ii.t" ri-Eiffj

)ho
 82 Family Therapy Techniques

o.yglqg5rtof enactment, the therapist organizesscenariosin which

the family members dance their dysfunctional dance in his presence.
And in tn. @_:=1fu)movsrnent of enactment, the therapist suggestsalter-
native ways of transacting. This last -mQ-vq{r_rpnt_mgy-,gve.Bredie-tr-vein-
lorolr-o-uand-bring-hape-f.othe-family.
The three movementsof enactmentare illustrated in the treatment of
the Kuelili family, the family who came to the clinic becausePatti, age
four, is a "monster." She is so uncontrollablethat the parentshave taken
to locking her into the bedroom at night. Otherwise,she will run down-
stairs and light the stove, or run out into the street. The parents are at
their wits' end.
The father, a burly though gentle and unassuming man, can control
Patti adequately by himself. But his wife, a soft-spoken woman, is non-
plused by her daughter. Patti is an alert little girl whose quick and lively
temperament make her a striking contrast to her somewhatplacid par-
ents.
The family has been in therapy for seven sessions.The therapist's
slLrategyfor these interviews has been to have all of the family members
present, including the two-year-old daughter, Mimi. But usually Patti
a:ndher sister have been sent to the playroom after disrupting the ses-
sion, and her parents have remained to talk about their problem with
her. In the eighth sessionMinuchin joins them as a consultant.

T'HE FIRST MOVEMENT: SPONTANEOUS

T'RANSACTIONS
Three minutes into the session,after the episodeof joining reported
earlier, dysfunctional family transactions are framed.

Patti: Is that mine? (She takes Minuchin's papersl.

Minuchin; No! That's mine. (Patti sits on the table.)
Iltother: Don't sit on the table, Patti. What is that?
Patti: That's the table.
Mother: Okay. Don't sit on the table, okay? You sit on chairs. Okay,
honey?
Patti: DocJoc--docioc- (Continues to repeat this in the back-
ground us she runs around the room, hitting the back of each chair.)
Il:[other: She seems pretty wound up lately. (Mimi begins to follow
Patti.) No, Mimi. No, Sweetie.
E'atti: I want to play with-here, Mimi, You play with the dragon. Do
you have any paper?

{tI
 83 Enactment

Iltother: No, not today, sweetheart.No, put that back,we don,t have
any
paper to draw on. Put them back, patti. patti, do what you were
told.
Put them back. Her belligerenceis so_
Minuchin: Is that how you run your life?
ILfother:What's that?
fu.[inuchin:Is that how patti and you spendyour time together?
Iufother:Yes-yes.
ILfinuchin; It takes just a minute and a half to see it.

UAAe**ss*-eont*&*s etl ihe infermatisn nece€ser:rferthe definition

of the problem. During this period.,the mother makessevenineffective
controlling staternents to patti, whose amount of hyperactivity is
rnatchedby the mother's intensity of ineffectivecontrol. To the family's
definition of the problem-that patti is uncontrollable-can now be
acldedanother definition, that the mother is hyper-responsivein her
controlling request, that her control is ineffective, and that she feels
helpless.
Minuchin allows a spontaneousinteraction betweenthe family mern-
bers to take place; this is essentialto seehow the family functions. Al-
lowing such interactions to occur may seerillike a simple thing, but it
often proves difrcult for the beginning therapist, who frequently con-
fusescentrality with therapeutic power.

Mother: It's a continuousbattle, at least for me.

Minuchin: Who wins?
Mother: It varies.If I'm up to fighting with her, at that point, sometimes
I do. You know, I let her win sometimes,too. (?o husband.)But we do
try to get her to do what we say even if it is a fight. Doh't we?
Fq,ther:I make her.
Minuchin (to father); What was your answer?
Fcvther:I make her do it.
Mother: Right.
Fcr,ther:I always win.
P cttti (in the ba ckgr ound); Doc--doc-doc--do c-
Minuchin: I feel there is a little differencethere. you do make her, but
your wife doesn't..
M,other: No, not all the tim+-no.

The definition of the problem is expandedhere. The mother defines

herself as understandingand helpless;the father defineshimself as ef-

&hL
 84 Family Therapy Techniques

fective and authoritative; and they both define the daughter as uncon-
trollable. With this information, the therapist is ready to implement the
enractmentof a transaction around control.
The therapist guides his interventions here by a diagnostic assump-
tion: When a preschoolchild cannot be controlled-when, in effect,he is
taller than one of his parents, he is sitting on the other parent's shoul-
ders.This diagnosticaxiom, though not necessarilytrue with older chil-
dten, seemsto hold true with preschoolers.The parents can be expected
to be in disagreement about the ways of controlling the child. The
therapist doesnot yet know the patterns in which this dysfunction is ex-
pressedin this family, but he has all the information necessaryto frame
the area of control as dysfunctional,and to decideto bring that area into
the session.He asksthe family to take their usual stepsto amelioratethe
problem, thereby underlining dysfunctional transactions.

THE SECONDMOVEMENT: ELICITING TRANSACTIONS

Minuchin; Do you find this presentarrangementa difficult one?For ex-
ample, the two girls going around while we talk? How do you respond
to that? -\
Mother: How do I respondto it? I get tense.
Minuchin; You get tense?
Mather: Yeah, I do get tense.
Minuchin; So, you would prefer that she stay in one place?
Mother: No, I can seethem walking around when there are toys for them
to play with.
Minuchin; What would you like?
Mother: Right now?
Minuchin: Yes, what would make it more comfortable for you?
Mother: For them to sit over there and play with the puppets.
Minuchin: Okay. Do that. Make it happen.

Minuchin tells the mother, "Make it happen."The stageis now set for
a changed sequenceof interaction. Rather than Patti and her mother
playing their accustomedparts, in this scenario the script has been
changed.The therapist-director has given the mother a new part: she
will now act to get her four-year-old daughter to behave in such a way
that the mother is more "comfortable."
JBysaying to the mother, "Make it happen," Minuchin has also con-
veyed an important messageto her; that is, she is in fact capable of

Aql
 85 Enactment

making Patti behave.It would have been quite different if he had said,
"why do you ask your daughter okay at the end of eachcommand?Are
you concernedwith hurting her?" Both interventions,no d.oubt,would
bring up information about the mother-child transaction;one, however,
is a homeostatic maintainer, and the other introduces a destructuring
chrallengeto the mother-child holon.
I

Mother: Patti, go over there and play with the puppets,okay? Go ahead.
No, not here.No.
trmrt: EFhy?
Mother: Go over and play with the puppets.
Patti: I don't love you.
Mother: I love you. Go ahead,go play rvith your puppets.
Ptttti: I don't want to play.
Fu,ther: Patti-
Mother: Mimi is playing with them-
Fctther:Patti, will you sit down? (Speaksfirmty and patti looks at him.l
Minuchin (to father): Let Mother do it. You know she's the one who
does it when you are not there.
Father: Yeah, yeah.
Minuchiu So, let her do it.

When the family enactsa controlling transactions,the three mernbers

ac.tivateeach other in their usual role function. The mother enactsher
helplessness, and this activatesthe father to take over control, to be ef-
fective in his authoritarian style, so that the definitions of each family
member in the family are confirmed. The daughter is irnpossible;the
mother is helpless; the father is authoritarian. The therapist is in-
ter:estedin testing the limits. He wants to explore the flexibility of the
farnily to function in unusual ways. Can the mother be effective in the
presenceof her husband?Can the father not be activated by his wife's
momentaryhelplessness? Can Patti respondto her mother?
'The rashness
by which the therapist organizesthis enactment rnay
rai.sequestions,and the creation of this scenariomav seernrushed on his

Jhq
 86 Family Therapy Techniques

dogs not know. The secondcriticism has to do with the narrownessof

the exploratory search.But ttre episodedemonstratesa generic concept
of gathering information. Through the processof creating a scenario,
the bherapistelicits information by pushing the family membersagainst
the l;hresholdsof their usualtransactions.The therapist then observesthe
responseof the family membersto this pressure.This is a transactional
metlhodfor gaining information, in which the therapist gathers the in-
formation by experiencingthe resistanceof the family members to his
prod. This technique makesfor an immediacy of experienceand givesa
cross-sectionalknowledgeof the way in which family membersfunction
ordi:narily,along with additional information on how they function when
the 1;herapistis producing pressuresthrough his scenarios.This transac-
tional information provides a biopsy of the family. The transactiorN'as
demonstrated !y ttt_gptQ"t are an experientiat distillation of the family
history. The,'advantageof the approach is that, in this small area, the
therapist cari3ain-€-ri.intensiveknowledge of the way the family func-
tions.

TH]I THIRD MOVEMENT: ALTERNATIVE

TRANSACTIONS
Minwchin: Make it happen.What you said should happen.Make it hap-
pen. trt'snot happening.
Mother: Patti, what were you told to do? (patti whines.)No.Go sit down
and play with the puppets.
Patti: Come on, I want to play with this.
Mother: okay. PIay with that then, but why don't you try to play
quietly, okay? While we talk. okay? Go sit down with Mimi now. pull
up your socks.
Patti (pulling up her sochs):These always fall. (Both girls wand,erouer
to the mirror.\
Mother: Sit down, Mimi. Get off that mirror, patti.
Patti: Is this a mirror?
Mother: Yes. Don't touch it.
Patti: Now, Mimi, don't you dare.You daren't do this-you know what?
The last time she caught her finger in the door and I caught my
thumb-
Minuchin: It's not happening.
Mother: WeIl-

LL1{
 87 Enactment

Minuchin; Find whatever way you need to, but make it happen. orga-
nize the two girls to be in one corner playing so that you feel comfort-
able.
Mother: The only way I could do that would be to put them in a corner
with the-
Patti: Mimi, put that back!
Mother: -toys and me to stay with them.
Minuchin; Do it the way in which it is necessaryfor them to occupy
themselvesand for you to be here with us. Make it a differencebe-
tween the g"€srniGpsiltat are talkrag and tite eh*drer-rtitat are playi*g.
Make it happen.
Mother: All right. Patti, come here.
Patti: Doc?
Mother: Go ahead,sit down and play with the puppets.
Patti: I want to play with these.
Mother: Okay, sit down and play with them, then.
Patti (looking at the puppetsl: I can't find the woman and the little girl
and the baby.
Mother: well, maybesomeoneelseis usingthem today. okay? There are
plenty of other toys over there for you to play with. Okay?
Patti: Okay, you play with this, Mimi.

In this segment there are four interventions by the therapist, all of

which represent a variation on the theme: it's not happening,make it
happen.The therapist, seatedon the periphery of the scenariothat he
has created,experiencesthe way in which the mother and Patti activate
each other, but he doesnot interpret or comment on what he is observ-
ing: the transaction between the grls; Patti's acting like her mother in
relation to Mimi or the mother's finding somethingwrong with the socks
when Patti doesobey.His interventionsare presentedin such a way that
he maintains the membersof the dyad working with each other around
the area of the enactment.An intervention that cornmentedon the na-
ture of the transaction between the mother and Patti would have in-
duced the mother or Patti to establish a dyad with the therapist and
would have interrupted the mother-Patti dyad. The therapist is pushing
the mother and thereby gathering information about the flexibility of
the systemto respondwith his help.
The therapist then exploresthe possibility of the developmentof an
unusualtransactionin this family, one in which the mother becomesef-

248
 Family Therapy Techniques

fective in controling the daughter without the intervention of the fa-

ther.

Minuchin: Make it happen.

Mother: AII right. Mimi, put that back. Patti, come here. (Gets up, goes
toward the girls, and takes a toy awaryfrom Patti.)
Patti: Mimi gave the toy to me.
Mother: I know she did. Come on. I want you to bring all the toys over
and play. Patti, bring all the toys over here.
Patti: Why?
Mother: You and Mimi are going to play. Okay?
Patti: Where?
Mother: Right here. (Stands and ushers the girls into a corner.) Right
here. Why don't you play? Play mommy and daddy with the puppets
and the baby. Okay?
Patti: Huh?
Mimi: I want a puppet, too.
Patti: Mimi, here's the father. In here are the two girls.
Minuchin; Very good. Now, relax-feel comfortable.
Mother: But, I know it is not going to last.
Minuchin; No-no, no. Relax. If you really feel that it will last, it will
Iast.
Patti: Come on, Mimi, play. Come on, play. I want to take the cradle
away.
Minuchin; You know, you have been successfulat this point. The gfuls
had a way df distracting you so that you say that something should
happen and then you forget, and I seePatti being an experiencedper-
son in the distracting technique,you know, so that you €ueall the time
busy with her.

The enactment of this situation finished with the mother being effec-
tive. Of course,this outcome is an artifact of punctuation. The therapist
selectsa moment at which the mother has been able, with his help, to
organizethe behavior of the two grrls, and at this particular moment he
declaresthe end of the enactment.The purposeof this strategyis to help
the mother to experienceherself as competent in the presenceof her
husbandand in the presenceof the therapist without the husbandtaking
over or becomingauthoritarian. The therapist assumesthat it is possible
for this mother to be competent with Patti, and he helps the family

J h\L
 89 Enactment

enacttheir reality with certain variations,sinceif the mother is effective,

then the daughter'slabel of impossiblewill disappearas well.
ts perinheral so that interactions be-
)rLa[_*p_*bj"",1rjp h-e.:=e';
'tnjh g-s-e-qsipn,
declaring!.hpUg _impor-
t;ant,and encour.ag.e-s. ii*i* anO
t"hefamilr.t.o-*arscUg-IeJg,.!-hg.Brgbl**,
-:ts* Bv-Ussklpgl-he-ht-be-rls.-en!-mrrce, he-*u149_!_tf"g *".H1=qgd-p_-qlrrt
1mgg"99iUte,fo_r_c_!-q1g_tlte.,msther-and.Pgt!.i.tq
e=o.b,ey_o-nd,,.!h."9*.9.-"_.Ss!om9d
lrS-L":ml-q!hg.pgtqt".whet'e_tt19m-.o=t[er-ac-tually^assds-s=opjr,q.l.',-Th
tfenapis'r,
iherrlabelshe1-eftgs"ueeessfui, undertiqing-gl_ ef
g&_e,geirp-€
g9ggk"ce,andg-ug&q-sjure.that.a.b*a,rge*tq*mible.
sg!q9!mes&rqdy_!lg!qb.9r-s--en!.-el
"rn-.s-,t-r,a-nsaq--tlags3tgt=!!rs*Sl-qrgpsrt
g4_q-freme as hlg.lIghts-qftheir-danee_ts:rediatety. rn t-hb*-c-ass*jlrgff_t
jy-rds-e-c_qnd of.enac.tmenL.ean__b_e_ggmbined*._
.1r-r-ev-9._r-r-ren!S
]FIIGHLIGHTINGA SPONTANEOUSINTERACTION
The Hanson family consistsof father and mother; Alan, age 19, who
has been an inpatient in a psychiatric center for six months; Kathy, 17,
rvho is closeto Alan; Peg, 21, the parental child; and Pete, 12. The seg-
ment occurswithin the first five minutes of the session.Minuchin, again
acting as consultant, has just been introduced to the family.

Minuchin; Do you have a boy friend, Kathy?

Rathy: Yes.
Minuchin; Alan, do you have a grl friend?
'\lan: No.
Minuchin: How long have you been goingwith him, Kathy?
Kathy: One and a half years,now.
Minuchiu My goodness.So, you started young. Alan, is her boy friend
your friend?
Alan: Yes.
Kathy: He wasn't when I met him. I didn't meet him becausehe was
Alan's friend.
IVlinuchin: But at this point, AIan, he is your friend. What is his first
name?
.Alan: Dick.
.Minuchiu How old is he?
.Kathy: Nineteen-
.Alan (answering simultaneously): I don't know-nineteen?

248
 90 Family Therapy Techniques

Minuchin: You are helpful, Kathy. I asked Alan how old Dick was, and
while he was thinking, you said nineteen. She didn't wait for you to
ask her, Alan. She volunteered.Is that somethingshe frequently does?
Alan: Yes.
Minuchiu Anticipating you?
Alan: Yes.
Minuchin; So, she takes your memory.
Alan: I guessso.
Minuchin; Who else in your family acts like Kathy? tr saw your mother
with Pete, just outside. Pete wanted to go to the bathroorn,and your
mother almost entered the bathroom with him, as if he couldn't find
the men's room by himself. Did you notice that, Pete?Did you notice
she went half of the way with you?

The therapist notices that Kathy first amplified Alan's statement and
then anticipated and preemptedhis answerto the questionabout Dick's
age. Adding an isomorphic transaction that he observed between the
mother and Pete, the therapist frames all of thesetransactionsas a fam-
ily pattern that handicaps the individuation of family members.
Again the speedwith which the therapist interprets such scanty data
,,1mayraise a question about his reliability. It is also true that highlighting
l/ a dysfunctional transaction so early in his contact with the family might
I upset them. But the therapist's intervention is soft, supportive, hurnot-
ous, and oblique, allowing him to join the family at the same time that
he frames a dysfunctional pattern.
Having recognized the intrusive quality of the family's transactions
and hypothesizedthat this is a central issuein the family, the therapist
continues to underline intrusiye transactions. The next segment occurs
'fifteen
minutes later. The therapist dir6bt's-Alanto changeseatswith his
mother so that he can sit next to his father and discussa problem. Alan
moves, and then reattaches his lapel microphone. His father reaches
over, picks up the wire that is draped over the chair, and moves it for
Alan.

Minuchin: I want to show you, AIan. (Getsup, stands in front of father

and son, takes the cord, and reproducesthe father's act.) Your father
took the cord and moved it over. Why did he do thrat?What was he
doing?
AIan: I don't know. Trying to correct something,I guess.
Minuchin: Do vou have two arms?

2t/€
 91 Enactment

Alan: Yes.
Minuchin: Do you have two hands?
AIan: Yes.
Minuchin (taking Alan's arm): This arm finishesin a hand. Could you
do that? (Puts the cablefrom the original position to the place where
father had located it.)
Alan: Yes.
Minuchin: At nineteen,I assume,you can do that by yourself?
AIan: Yes.
Minaehin; Why did }re do thet? Isn't it sti'arrgetlrat he sh+i:ld dc that, ae
if you don't have hands?
AIan: Well, he doesthat a lot.
Minuchin: How old do you think he thinks you are? Three? Seven?
TweIve?
Alan: Twelve.
Minuchiu So, that makesyou a little bit younger than Pete. Can you
help him? Can you help him so that he grows up-so that he lets you
use your two hands?
AIan: I don't seehow.
Minuchiu Well, if you don't help him to change,you will not be able to
use your hands. You will always have ten thumbs-you will always
have two left hands-you will always be incompetent becausehe is
doing things for you. He is paralyzingyou. Talk with him about that,
becauseI think that's very dangerouswhat your father did just now.

The therapist balloonsa noneventinto a moment of drama. An auto-

matic, helpful movementof the father is framed as the spontaneousen-
actment of a dysfunctionaltransactionthat is seenas isomorphic to the
previousones.This techniqueof framing a spontaneousand unattended
event usually gains salience,since the family mernbers are surprised
when their attention is calledto the fact that they are acting unwittingly
and frequently in conflict with their wishes.In this segment,the thera-
pist incieasesthe intensity of the intervention by standing closeto the
dysfunctionaldyad, by affiliating with AIan, and by using a seriesof con-
crete metaphorsabout individuation and coping.He finishesthis maneu-
ver by suggestingthe enactmentof a changein the father-son transac-
tion in which AIan, who is alwaysin a position of incompetence,becomes
the father's helper.
Now the therapist beginsto enact alternativesin this family. The first
time, the family rules prevail.

250
 92 Family Therapy Techniques

Alan: Well, I think I know what he means,like sometimes-

Father: I know what he means,too, Alan, and it's the truth.
Alan (to mother); He doesthings for me.
Minuchiu Go beyond that, AIan. I think your father needshelp, and I
don't think that anybody can help him in that better than you.
Alan: I don't know what to say.
Minuchin (to Alan); I am a stranger,you see,and I can't help becauseI
don't know you two. If you need some help, you can ask someonein
the family to comeand join you, but if you don't needto, I want you to
try first by yourself.
Futher: Do you want Peg to help you?
Minuchin (to father): Why did you selectfor him? Why did you select
for him? You just now did exactly the samething. You see,Alan, he is
so absolutely hooked into being helpful that he cannot help himself.
Now I want you to think if you really want Pegto help you or anybody
else<r nobody.

rer'scomplementarity:Alan's hesita-
ness,which is also control and intru-
ntains the son's incompetence.The
ained. The therapist now has infor-
mation about the level of rigidity of this subsystem.He knows experien-
tially that at this juncture, his participation alone is not sufficient
to introduce alternatives. He must changestrategiesor bring up rein-
forcements.He can have one or more family membersjoin the dysfunc-
tional dyad; he can maintain the sameframe but exploreit among other
family members; or he can shift attention to a different aspect of the
family dynamics and return to the sameissuelater on at a point where
he finds himself in a more powerful position within the system.
Not all families plunge into their usual transactionswith such alacrity.
The tlgrap_Sj mqy t *lt_!q .fke a,poqiJ,iog9f leadersh.-ip,-.asking ques-
tions and activating indiyldu_a!famil*.nemhersn in an atternpL to get
gsg;ded, try-
t!1psl started. In -s.o-41e--9a-s-qp*-famrly-q]-e.m-be-{q-s*r-a&.re.-rrrain
iryj-1g1gq-e*lys.Jhslrp_qbli_c-
faqage.Bqt be-caus-e-the ther.apist is prgqgnt
in the room and transactionsarg""1g,!a.!9d.tq.him,
'6-s;i;siine-;ii{l;il,p;il- he gap !_4c1e4sg the in-
t6:*ity
' . -'-:*'-Y-
oi the-tretqqc11eLle
b'sbtghtor by
suggestinga continuationof the enagtme-nt p tlrp_pame a.LulUqggbyays.
The therapist 91n4gterygig_e=!"be_p-alameters-noLonly ef -theproH-e.ulss_
it existsbut alsoof the alternativesavailahle.-testin&thejcJlib-ility_*o_f
_-t_h.g,

JS/
 93 Enactment

Fy_gtgmand gathering pledictive information about the pgqqibility that

lhis family can function in different ways.
In some families the first two movementsof the dance of enactment
are quite easy to elicit, but eliciting transactionsin an unusual way is
not, becausethis movement requires an active participation on the parb
of the therapist in affiIiation with some member before it is possibleto
determine what alternativesare available to the subsystem.
The Gregory family consistsof a mother in her mid-twenties and her
five-year-old daughter, Patrice. As in the Kuehn family, the mother is
unabie to controi her daughter, but sFreis aiso aftaid 'thai she might
physically harm her when she gets angry. Fifteen minutes into the sec-
ond session,the gful is hanging onto her mother and not responding,in
spite of numerousrequestsfrom her mother to sit quietly.

Minuchin (to mother); I think that Patrice has a way of making you
dance to her tune. (Patrice gets up and starts walking around the
room.) Tell her to stay there becauseI'm going to talk to you.

The therapist createsa scenariowhere he assumesthat a controlling

transaction will need to occur. He can use any number of simple situa-
tions, like this one,as a context where the family membersare forced to
enact their transactions. The simplest situation would be to have the
parents ask their young children to do or not to do something different
from what they are doing.

Mother (in u soft uoice):Patrice. Patrice, come over here and sit down.
(Repeatsit louder, since Patrice did not respond the first time.) Pa-
trice, come over here and sit down!
Minuchin: I like that toraeof voice. That is your music. (Patrice conxes
and hangs on to mother.')You seewhat she'sdoing now? She knows
your number and she makes you dance.
Mother: Sit down, Patrice.
Minuchin: Patrice has absolute control over 5rou!

The therapist, who has joined previouslywith the mother in an affilia-

tion of adults, challengesthe mother to take an executiveposition.

Minuchin (stunding up): Mrs. Gregory,can you stand up? Have Patrice
stand next to you. See,Patrice is much smaller than you. Can you pick

I
,
I

R{2,,
I
 Family Therapy Techniques

her up? (Mother picks up Patrice.) And you're,strongeralso. (To Pa-

trice.) Hold my hand, tight. Let's see how strong you are. Very tight.
(To mother.) Can you do that with my hand? No doubt you are
stronger than she is.

The therapist usesa number of concreteoperationsdesignedto high-

// light the ditrerencei" power
rud function betweerrpareRt auclghild. He
expectsthis operation to unbalancethe system,stressingthe mother to
join with the therapist and distancingher from her young daughter.

Minuchin: So, how is it that she controls you? (Patrice again puts her
arms around mother and hangs on to her.)
Mother: Stop! (No response.')Stop itl (DisengagesPatrice and tells her
to sit in the chair. Patrice obeys.) G
Minuchin: She needsto hear that voice.This voice is necessary.You are
afraid of your stern voice,but this voice is good.At times it's soft and
loving and at times ib'sstrong, and she needsto hear both ranges.She
needsto danceto vour music.

- The mother enacts effective control within a context in which the

therapist supports her and puts the daughter down. This maneuver
tends to be distasteful for many therapists,and it is so for the therapist
in this session.But it is necessaryto create distancebetweenthe mem-
bers of this overinvolveddyad, to avoid the danger.ofchild abuse,and to
support the development of autonomy in Patrice, even in an aestheti-
cally distasteful operation.
The therapist's behavior in this transaction is very different from that
in the Kuehn family. There his participation is minin'ral, which facili-
tates the enactment of a functional transaction between mother and
daughter.In the Gregoryfarnily, the mother needsthe therapist'spartic-
ipation as an active member of the therapeutic system before enacting
an alternative transaction.

A "HOW-NOT.TO-DO.IT"EXAMPLE
The Adams family consistsof 24-year-oldmother and her two chil-
dren, ages eight and five. The problem is that five-year-old Jerry is
abusedby the mother. The mother at times losesher temper and beats
him severely.The mother has referred herself to the therapist because
she is concernedthat she might harm her son. This is the initial inter-
view.

zsb
 95 Enactment

The family enters and sits down. The eight-year-old,Molly, goesto

the corner and quietly starts coloring. The boy immediately walks
around the room, starts shouting, and giveshis mother numerous com-
mands.The mother, for her part, givesthe boy various commands,such
as, "sit down and be quiet" or, "Don't say a word." Afber grvingeach of
these commands,the mot;herquickly losesinterest and doesnot follow
through, even though the boy does not seem to hear her. At another
time, the mother tells the boy to do a puzzleby himself. The boy takes
the puzzleand hands it to the mother, who absent-mindedlycornpletes
ihe piizzie.
As the interview continues,the boy commandsmost of the mother's
attention and scarcelylets her either talk to the therapist or attend to
the ghl. For most of the interview, the boy hollers so loudly that the
mother and therapist can not hear one another.At other times,when the
mother's attention is not directed toward the therapist, she is busy giv-
ing the boy numerous instructions. When the mother's attention is
directed to the therapist, she and the therapist discusssuch matters as
how the mother can be more effectiveat home.
The only communicationbetween the mother and the gful occurs at
one point when the girl is busy doing a complete-the-dotpuzzle.The
mother looks down at the girl, seesthat she is not doing it correctly and
,hollersat her, "You're doing your puzzleall wrong!" The therapist again
capturesthe mother's attention, and they go on talking about how things
can be better at home.
After about ten minutes, with Jerry grossly disobeyingthe mother,
and the mother half-heartedly grving commands;the mother losesher
bemper.She hollers at the boy, getsup, grabshim, holds him by his waist
so his head is hanging down unsupported, and brings him over to her
chair. She then puts him on her lap, holds both his hands, at one point
covershis mouth, and goeson talking. At this time, the boy is allowedno
freedom of activity whatsoever,exceptbreathing.
This sessiondemonstratesa serious failure on the therapist's part.
The therapist joins well with the mother and with the children. He
speaksto the mother and joins with her around how difficult her life is.
He speaksto the kids and has a similar rapport with them. He carefully
observesthe interactionsin the family and notes a sequen(:eof behavior
that may and very probably does lead to the boy's being abused.He
notes that the mother givesinstructions and doesnot follow through on
them. He notesthat the rnother either demandsthings that are inappro-
priately mature for a child of this age,such as sitting still and not mov-

,t.ct'
 96 Family Therapy Techniques

i'g, or ignores behavior that is grossly immature on the boy,s parb. He

notes that the mother doesnot react irnmediately in an appropriaueway
to set limits for the boy. Instead, the mother waits and waits for her
limit-setting to be obeyed.when it is not, she continues to wait, while
the boy persistswith his infuriating and antagonisticbehavior.Suddenly
the mother's threshold of patience is reached and she overreacts.
The therapist, noting all this, then tries to set up a situation at horne
where the mother can be a more effectivecaretaker.But instead of talk-
ing about the situation at home, the therapist could have realistically
arssumedthat the sequencewhich transpires at home is essentiallythe
same as what he has just witnessed.He could then intervene to change
the way the mother and chrildreninteract in the session,with the san-
guine assurancethat the changed sequencewould c€ury over to the
home situation.
In order to enact a changed interactional sequence,the therapist
could, for example,say to the mother: "You have a very high tolerance
fcrrnoisefrom your children. It would help our work here if you could get
ttrem to be more quiet so we can talk. Do you think you would be able to
do that?" If the mother says yes, then the therapist can say, "Fine, do
it." If the mother says no, then the therapist can say, "Try, and t will
arlviseyou if necessary,but you need to do it."
There is a tremendoustemptation on the part of the therapist to enter
into a situation and produce the desiredchangehimself. Had the thera-
pi,stin this casesaid to the child, "Be quiet, your mother and I are trying
tc' talk," he probably would have been effectiveto some extent, but the
opportunity for therapeutic changewould have been lost. The goal of
threrapyis, after all, to increasethe complexity of the family's transac-
tions and to facilitate their utilization of more competent transactions,
not to develop a comfortable therapeutic holon.
This therapist lost an opportunity to turn the sessionfrom a therapy
of history, cognition,and affectinto a therapy of experience.Much vital-
ity and intensity were therefore lost. And with a problem as severeas
chrildabuse,the therapist needsall the intensity and leveragepossible.
{
i These examplesof therapeutic sessionsmight give the impressionthat
enactment is used only to createthe major brush strokes,but this is not
th.e case.Enactment is ubiquitous in all the small strokes,the srnall in-
terventions that are repeated countlesstimes in the courseof therapy,
such as blocking the mother and then listening and respondingintently
as the daughter finishesher own sentences,telling the teenageboy to ne-
gc,tiate with his father for the use of the car rather than letting his

c.rs-
 97 Enactrnent

mother do it for him, or encouraglngthe parents to continue their con-

versation and not let their son intrude. Enactment is not a rarefied event
that punctuates the course of therapy only occasionally.On the con-
trary, it should becomea part of a therapist'sspontaneousway of being,
a pervasive attitude that insists on being there, when the family would
be satisfiedwith just telling him what has happened.

,{b