Definition excerpted with permission from Ginger, Serge International Glossary of Gestalt Psychotherapy (Seven languages including English. Order from FORGE at 183 rue Lecourbe; 75015 Paris, France) Paperback 1995.
-a 'resistance' with a rather specific meaning, as defined by Goodman. Artificial over-expansion of the ego, which aims to encourage narcissism and the taking of personal responsibility, as a means of preparing for autonomy. It is thus a temporary therapeutic device. As with transference neurosis in psychoanalysis, this temporary phase must be worked through in the course of Gestalt therapy.
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