Paul Watzlawick: A Contribution
Arthur M. Bodin, Ph.D., ABPP; MRI Board of Directors
Looking back – my first contact with Paul Watzlawick was during the summer of 1963. I was doing a summer internship at the Menlo Park division of the Palo Alto V.A. Hospital and had arranged to have Wednesdays off so I could be at the Mental Research Institute and get to know the staff at its weekly meetings. Paul invited me to try to quantify the results of a little piece of research he was conducting on what was called “The MRI Structured Family Interview” which I dived in. Besides, I found it delightful having discussions with Paul that summer and watching him interact with Don Jackson, Virginia Satir, Jay Haley, Richard Fisch, and – a frequent visitor – Gregory Bateson. Although – my most vivid experience was in reading and simultaneously listening to Paul Watzlawick’s An Anthology of Human Communication: Text and Tape. This brief gem, long out-of-print, tied theoretical conceptualizations to specific illustrative communication segments. Going through this tape was, for me, an emotional and intellectual epiphany! One of its most memorable passages comes not from a therapy session, but from the book Mary Poppins followed by Paul’s summarizing comments. It gave me an aesthetic peak experience unlike any other except from listening — years later – to the audio book version of The Federalist Papers.
For many years at the MRI I had the office next to Paul. Paul was fond of saying, “The fame of the Mental Research Institute varies with the square of the distance from Palo Alto.” I believe that the renown of Paul Watzlawick will vary with the time since his life. Paul often exhibited a dry wit, delivered with deadpan seriousness. For example, at one staff meeting when we were planning the date for a special event Paul said, “I’m sorry; I won’t be there. I’ll be attending a funeral that day.” Paul responded to people with unfailing thoughtfulness and consideration. He breathed new life into the concept of being “a gentleman and a scholar.”
Giorgio Nardone, who had written and made presentations extensively with Paul, included on his website the following gracious tributes to Paul, when he passed away:
. . . the father of constructivism, Heinz Von Foerster, loved calling himself an invention of Paul Watzlawick, in the sense that, he recognized the fact that without Watzlawick’s help, neither his name nor his work would have become so eminent and renowned worldwide. Same goes for Mara Selvini Palazzoli and the Milan School of Systemic Therapy, who owe Watzlawick not only for his technical inspiration but also for helping in the wide-reaching divulgation of their work. This applies also to all those who, even though they did not have direct contact with Watzlawick, have been inspired by the overwhelming light emitted by this comet. In fact, it was sufficient to refer to the School of Palo Alto [MRI] to acquire a respectful scientific and professional status.
Looking from today – Paul Watzlawick was more than a pioneer: He was a philosopher, a systematizer of complex concepts – particularly about communication and human behavior, a popularizer of constructivist ways of viewing human interaction, and an elegant and engaging communicator – both in writing and in person. His influence radiated from the books he authored, but also from the summer trips he took to Europe for many years, usually having more than 30 speaking engagements each trip. The interactional view has kept its relevance and needs to expand in a creative way further on. Looking ahead – the MRI (www.mri.org) will follow the path in order to develope innovative interactional, systemic approaches to understanding and improving human relationships. Pauls spirit will be with us on this new 21st century path.
ZUM AUTOR: Arthur M. Bodin, Ph.D., ABPP; (the new) MRI Board of Directors