ABSTRACT
An impasse is a stuck point, where there are equal and opposing forces present. The Gouldings first elaborated impasse theory following their work with Fritz Perls, the originator of gestalt therapy who understood internal conflict as being an internal battle between the ‘topdog’ and the ‘underdog’. The Gouldings took this understanding and applied transactional analysis (TA) structural theory to understand the conflict as a conflict between ego states. Students who are new to TA often confuse an impasse with the client feeling ‘stuck’. Whereas an impasse will always involve a sense of stuckness, stuckness is not necessarily indicative of the presence of an impasse. Recent TA authors have begun to explore the relational dimensions of impasse theory, and the role of impasses in explaining seemingly intractable stuck points in therapy. Commonly, practitioners seek a rapid resolution of an impasse once an impasse is identified.
