ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to describe the therapeutic model on which this book is based. Dialectic metatheory is the philosophical basis for this model. While psychology and systems of family therapy have traditionally borrowed heavily from the natural sciences, such as physics, this chapter begins with the assumption that the natural sciences have been a poor model. The natural sciences view phenomena in linear (cause-effect) terms and strive to break complex phenomena down into fundamental units (a molecular approach). In marital therapy, a theory is needed that allows us to view the couple as an interlocking system and as intrinsically connected to many other social systems. The best metatheory to meet this goal is dialectics. This chapter will describe how to use this philosophical theory in a psychological and pragmatic way.
