“Contact” as discussed by Perls, and “intimacy” as discussed by T A theorists, refer to the same concept. Both involve two individuals who risk themselves in a coming-together with an unpredictable outcome. The article discusses the relationship between contact/intimacy and the phenomena of need, expectation, and awareness. It concludes with an exploration of contact/intimacy as a joint function of openness and activity.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BerneE. (1961) Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. New York: Ballantine Books
2.
FrankJ. (1978). Psychotherapy and the human predicament. New York: Shocken Books.
3.
JamesM. (1977). Techniques in transactional analysis. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
4.
KahlerT. (1978). TA revisited. Little Rock, AR: Human Development Publications.
5.
PerlsF.HefferlineR.GoodmanP. (1951). Gestalt therapy. New York: Dell Publishing.