ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the feelings of exclusion and separateness commonly experienced by the young child as he moves away from the exclusive relationship with his primary carer, usually mother, and towards a triangular relationship, most notably with father, but also with siblings, and often a new baby. It describes therapeutic work with a family struggling with conflicts, anxieties, and defences associated with the triangular constellation of mother, father, and child—the oedipal situation. The chapter focuses on the nature of these defences and shows that one way of alleviating such paralysis is through the creation of a “triangular space” for observation and reflection by the therapist who can provide a “third position” on the various points of view within the family. The resolution of the oedipal situation through relinquishing the sole possession of mother and the acceptance of the parents’ relationship with each other creates what Ronald Britton calls “a triangular space”.
