This is the preferred attitude of a therapist toward all the members of a family in systemic
therapy. Used with circular questioning, this attitude
prevents the therapist from being drawn into "family games," from
being tempted to enter a coalition with one or more family members, or from being
"brought around" to acting in certain ways within the family system. No
family member is given the opportunity to feel that he or she has a special relationship
to the therapist. The therapist maintains the same degree of closeness/distance
to each family member and, thus, stays on the level of metacommunication
during therapy. In this sense, neutrality is not so much an internal attitude as
a "technical maneuver" that enables the therapist to maintain the role of
authority with all the members of the family.*
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*Extracted with permission from Simon, Fritz et al Language of Family
Therapy - A Systemic Vocabulary and Source Book (Family Process Press Series)
Paperback 1985 Family Process, Inc.
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