Which theorist is known for paradoxical techniques in strategic and problem-solving therapy?

Which theorist is known for paradoxical techniques in strategic and problem-solving therapy?

• A. Jay Haley
• B. Milton H. Erickson
• C. Carl Rogers
• D. Albert Ellis

Answer: (A)

Paradoxical interventions in strategic therapy aim to disrupt entrenched interaction patterns by having the client or family engage in a behavior in a deliberate, counterintuitive way. Jay Haley is the theorist most closely associated with these techniques. He championed strategic family therapy and used paradoxical directives—such as prescribing the symptom or instructing a family to continue the problematic behavior for a while—to shake up the power dynamics and patterns keeping the problem in place. The idea is that direct attempts to fix the symptom can reinforce it, whereas a carefully planned paradoxical move can create momentum for change by shifting control and perspective within the system. Milton H. Erickson is known for indirect, hypnotic, and utilization-based approaches; Carl Rogers for client-centered, non-directive therapy; Albert Ellis for rational-emotive behavior therapy focused on cognitive restructuring. But the hallmark paradoxical techniques in strategic and problem-solving therapy point to Jay Haley.

Paradoxical interventions in strategic therapy aim to disrupt entrenched interaction patterns by having the client or family engage in a behavior in a deliberate, counterintuitive way. Jay Haley is the theorist most closely associated with these techniques. He championed strategic family therapy and used paradoxical directives—such as prescribing the symptom or instructing a family to continue the problematic behavior for a while—to shake up the power dynamics and patterns keeping the problem in place. The idea is that direct attempts to fix the symptom can reinforce it, whereas a carefully planned paradoxical move can create momentum for change by shifting control and perspective within the system.

Milton H. Erickson is known for indirect, hypnotic, and utilization-based approaches; Carl Rogers for client-centered, non-directive therapy; Albert Ellis for rational-emotive behavior therapy focused on cognitive restructuring. But the hallmark paradoxical techniques in strategic and problem-solving therapy point to Jay Haley.