Palo Alto, a small town in California, is known in particular for hosting the prestigious Stanford University. But it has also become the hallmark of one of the most original and fruitful schools of thought of recent decades. Its success is due as much to its theoretical formulations as to its practical applications. It presents three main directions:
– a theory of communication;
– a change and intervention methodology;
– a profoundly innovative therapeutic practice.
What unites these studies is their common reference to the systemic approach. It was in Palo Alto, California, that Gregory Bateson, a researcher with tireless and inventive curiosity, sparked work in fields as varied as communication, change strategies and schizophrenia. His “double bind” theory completely renewed the understanding of this mental illness and gave it deserved fame. Bateson was able to surround himself with talented collaborators and draw inspiration from such prestigious successors as Don D. Jackson, Jay Haley, Virginia Satir, or Paul Watzlawick. In particular, they were at the origin of family therapies and brief therapies.
This book gives an overview of this current of psychology. It summarizes a large number of works and stands out for the clarity of its presentation. Without giving up any scientific rigor, he knows how to make this fascinating research accessible to a wide audience.
