E

Enactment in Structural Family Although enactments are also used in other

Therapy therapeutic modalities, there is an important dis-
tinction. Outside of structural family therapy, the
Michael P. Nichols1 and Jorge Colapinto2 use is generally more directive, with therapists
1
College of William and Mary, interrupting to coach communication skills, often
Williamsburg, VA, USA after almost every client utterance (e.g., Butler and
2
Minuchin Center for the Family, Gardner 2003; Davis and Butler 2004). The famil-
Woodbury, NJ, USA iar tactic of having couples take turns talking and
listening is an example of this approach, as is the
rehearsal in behavioral marital therapy (Jacobson
Introduction and Margolin 1979), the directed dialogues in
emotionally focused couples therapy (Greenberg
In an enactment, family members are asked to talk and Johnson 1988), and the role-playing and
with each other rather than to the therapist. This problem-solving practice in couple enrichment
serves the dual purpose of allowing the therapist programs (L’Abate and Weinstein 1987). By con-
to see firsthand how clients interact, instead of trast, enactments in Structural Family Therapy are
relying on their descriptions, and having clients relatively unstructured. The therapist acts as a
experience different ways of interacting (Nichols facilitator rather than a coach. Although he or she
and Fellenberg 2000). may need to be active in setting an enactment up,
once underway the therapist intervenes only when
necessary to keep it going. Forced to rely on their
Theoretical Framework own devices, some clients will find a way to get
through to each other; others may continue to
Enactments are an essential component of Struc- communicate in ways that are counterproductive.
tural Family Therapy (Minuchin 1974; Minuchin When this happens, the therapist points at what the
and Fishman 1981). They are used to explore and clients are doing that keeps them stuck.
change interactional and organizational problems
in families: how couples talk to each other, how
parents relate to their children, and how relation- Rationale
ship triangles influence family dramas. By bring-
ing the actual dynamics of those relationships to Because family members often describe them-
life in the consulting room, enactments lend selves more as they want to be seen than as they
immediacy and authenticity to family therapy. are, structural family therapy works by doing
# Springer International Publishing AG 2018
J.L. Lebow et al. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_969-1
2 Enactment in Structural Family Therapy

rather than talking. It relies on the observation of Using enactments effectively is more com-
actual family transactions – the “family dance” – plicated than generally assumed (Nichols 1997).
to identify and highlight the dysfunctional pat- Though some clients are all too ready to argue
terns that embed the presenting problems; and on among themselves, most are reluctant to address
the family members’ practice of alternative ways their conflicts directly with each other in therapy
of relating – a new choreography – as the way to sessions. They’ve tried, but it’s been painful and
develop healthier patterns. The purpose of an unproductive. So by the time they get to a ther-
enactment is not necessarily that the family mem- apist’s office, many people are ready to give
bers will reach agreements or the solution to their up on each other and turn to the therapist for
problems, but that they will have the experience of understanding.
a better relationship. New relational patterns need Therefore, it’s useful to carefully prepare the
to be experienced repeatedly until they hold; each groundwork for an enactment. Before staging it,
successful enactment contributes to the expansion the therapist gives everyone present a chance to
of the family’s repertoire, showing that change is share his or her point of view about the problems
possible and what it may look like. that plague them. Unhappy families are often
short on mutual understanding, and therefore the
first task of a therapist is to give each of them a
Description sympathetic hearing.
Once a therapist has acknowledged what each
Enactments can be used as an assessment tool or family member has to say, he or she identifies a
as a therapeutic intervention. When used for as- problematic interaction. Perhaps, for example, a
sessment, the therapist initiates an enactment and father sits back silently while his wife and son
waits to see where communication breaks down. argue fruitlessly. The therapist may probe the
Suppose, for example, that a wife complains that flexibility of this arrangement by asking the father
her husband never talks to her. When the therapist to talk with his wife about her concerns. If the
asks the man to talk to his wife about a project at father’s conversation with his wife is interrupted
his work and she interrupts with frequent criti- by the son, and the father is silenced, this will
cisms, the husband grows silent and the enactment support the hypothesis that the mother and son
comes to a close. In this case, the therapist might are overinvolved and the father is disengaged.
conclude that the husband doesn’t talk to his wife, After a specific subject of concern to both
because when he does, she criticizes him – and parties has been identified, the therapist then ini-
because rather than answer her, he withdraws. tiates an enactment, making a production of it: he
When used as a therapeutic intervention, the or she describes a problem, show that it is an
therapist’s job is to push family members to con- important issue for the family, asks the partici-
tinue talking until there is a breakthrough in the pants if they’d be willing to talk about it, brings
way they interact. In the previous example, when them physically closer to each other, and may
the husband grows silent in the face of his prescribe who should begin the conversation.
wife’s criticism, the therapist could simply say Pointing out a relationship problem that the
“Answer her.” therapist has observed increases the clients’ moti-
In families with young children, enactments vation to engage in enactments. It is important to
may take the form of action rather than conversa- choose a subject that both participants have some-
tion. To see how effectively parents deal with their thing to gain by discussing. Some subjects are a
children, a therapist might ask them to control an no-win proposition for certain family members.
unruly child or encourage a shy child to play a Suppose, for example, a teenager has trouble
game. Are the parents able to get their children to expressing himself to his mother, and she has
sit quietly in the corner if the therapist asks them trouble listening. Asking them to talk about why
to? Can a parent sit and play with his or her child the boy should stay in school is unlikely to lead
without trying to control the game? anywhere because the boy has nothing to gain in
Enactment in Structural Family Therapy 3

this conversation. This discussion is almost cer- understand you.” (To the father:) “Your son is a
tain to take the familiar form of a parent nagging a member of an alien culture that thinks knees are
recalcitrant adolescent. On the other hand, asking beautiful. Who knows?” (To the son:) “Keith, can
the mother to find out what the boy wants to do you explain this to your father?” “Please,” the
after school may give him a better chance to speak father says. As the therapist sits back, this stub-
up, and her a better chance to listen. born and unhappy father and son begin to open up
To use enactments effectively, a therapist to each other. They talk about feeling excluded
should focus on the process, not the content, of and feeling misunderstood, about needing to
communication. When the Johnsons complained belong and not belonging – and what had begun
that their teenage son David had frequent out- as another failure of communication becomes a
bursts of anger, the therapist asked David if his genuine breakthrough of understanding.
father understood what made him angry. The boy When an enactment comes to a close, the ther-
answered, “No. He never listens to me.” The apist can comment on what the clients are doing
therapist said, “This sounds like an important that keeps them stuck, or how they were able to
issue. If a father can’t talk to his son, and a son get through to each other. If a real conversation
can’t talk to his father, how will the boy learn to has taken place, it is a good time for encourage-
get along in the world? David, would you be ment and suggestions for improving communica-
willing to talk to your father about some of the tion and cooperation to resolve family problems.
things that make you angry? Mr. Johnson, would
you be willing to help David explain why he gets
so upset?” They both agreed, and the therapist Case Example
turned their chairs to face each other.
Once an enactment has begun, the therapist sits In the process of raising their children, the Dia-
back to remove himself or herself from the dia- monds have allowed the spark to go out of their
logue. By avoiding eye contact with the person marriage. They work well together as parents, but
speaking, the therapist encourages clients to con- as a couple they have drifted apart. Tony Diamond
tinue talking to each other and not to her or him. complains that his wife is always too busy with
During this phase of an enactment, the therapist the children to spend time with him; she com-
should say only enough to block third parties from plains that he is always complaining about his
interrupting, and to redirect or “jump start” the job and never seems to care how she feels.
dialogue if necessary. After hearing these complaints, the therapist
In the case of “A Father’s Rage” (Minuchin says, “It seems like you’re both feeling ne-
and Nichols 1993), Dr. Minuchin asks a father to glected.” They nod. “Maybe the problem isn’t
talk with his 16-year-old son, Keith. Despite the that you don’t make time for each other, but that
therapist’s best efforts to encourage a supportive unspoken resentment makes you not want to.”
connection between father and son, the father She looks down, he looks away. “This seems
begins by criticizing his son’s choice of clothing. like an important issue. Tony, would you be will-
“So you’d rather go around wearing rags . . . than ing to ask Kristina to tell you what she’s feeling
wear nice slacks and have them think you’re a about your relationship?” “I guess,” he says, not
nerd. . .” Keith nods. The boy and his father have too convincingly.
had run out of lines. The therapist turns their chairs to face each
To restart the conversation, Minuchin says other, and says, “Kristina, can you help Tony
“You see, this was a perfectly good conversation understand why you’ve been feeling neglected;
between two cultures. It happens in this crazy and, Tony, can you try to understand what she’s
culture in which these kids live, ragged pants are feeling?” They both agree, and Kristina talks
in and dressy pants are out.” (To Keith:) “It is your about how she misses the early years of their
job to explain yourself to your father so he can marriage when Tony always seemed willing to
4 Enactment in Structural Family Therapy

listen to her concerns. When Tony counters by References

saying that he also needs to be listened to, it
seems that they are about to revert to the familiar Butler, M. H., & Gardner, H. A. (2003). Adapting enact-
pattern of complaining back and forth with neither ments to couple reactivity: Five developmental stages.
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29, 311–328.
one really listening to the other. Davis, S. D., & Butler, M. H. (2004). Enacting relationship
So the therapist says, “Kristina, can I ask you a in marriage and family therapy: A conceptual and oper-
very personal question?” “Sure,” she says, “I’m a ational definition of enactment. Journal of Marital and
very open person.” Family Therapy, 30, 319–333.
Greenberg, L. S., & Johnson, S. M. (1988). Emotionally
“Are you sometimes too angry for sex because focused therapy for couples. New York: Guilford Press.
you feel that Tony doesn’t care what’s going on Jacobson, N. S., & Margolin, G. (1979). Marital therapy:
with you?” Strategies based on social learning and behavior
“Exactly!” she says. “Whenever Tony listens exchange principles. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
L'Abate, L., & Weinstein, S. E. (1987). Structured enrich-
to me, I just melt.” ment programs for couples and families. New York:
The therapist takes Tony’s hand and had him Brunner/Mazel.
take Kristina’s hand and says, “Keep talking. Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cam-
I think this guy really loves you, and he wants to bridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Minuchin, S., & Fishman, H. C. (1981). Family therapy
understand how you feel.” techniques. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
That simple gesture and the physical closeness Minuchin, S., & Nichols, M. P. (1993). Family healing
it fosters helps the two of them open up their Tales of hope and renewal from family therapy.
hearts to each other. They talk about feeling mis- New York: Free Press.
Nichols, M. P. (1997). The art of enactment. Family Ther-
understood, about missing the good times they apy Networker, 21(6), 23.
used to have, and about feeling that the other Nichols, M. P., & Fellenberg, S. (2000). The effective use
one no longer cares. It is a good talk, and it goest of enactments in family therapy: A discovery-oriented
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26, 143–152.
therapist begins to sense that the conversation is
winding down, and wanting to punctuate their
success, he moves their chairs apart and says, “It
seems that you both miss the closeness in your
relationship. I’m impressed with how meaning-
fully you can talk with each other when you take
the time to hear what the other one has to say.”