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Relationship Maintenance:
The Interactional View
(Paul Watzlawick)

Paul Watzlawick (VAHT-sla-vick)

Paul Watzlawick, 86 years old, lived and worked in Pato Alto, California. He was an Australian-
American family therapist, psychologist, communication theorist and philosopher. He published
22 books, as well as receiving numerous awards such as the Lifetime Achievement Award,
American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy in1982, to name a few. Possibly his most
commonly referenced research is his notion of the interactional view

Family as a system

Picture a family as a mobile suspended from the ceiling. Each figure is connected to the rest of
the structure by a strong thread tied at exactly the right place to keep the system in balance. Tug
on any string, and the force sends shock throughout the whole network. Sever a thread, and the
entire design tilts in disequilibrium.

The threads in the mobile analogy represent communication rules that hold the family together.
Watzlawick believes that in order to understand the movement of any single figure in the family
system, one has to examine the communication patterns among all its members. He regards the
communication that the family members have among themselves about their relationships as
especially important.

The Interactional View

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It was developed to focus on the interactions of family units and the miscommunications that
arise from varying situations. When it comes to this theory, miscommunication happens because
all of the communicators are not “speaking the same language". This happens because people
have different viewpoints of speaking.

Every relationship, family and connections has its imperfections. Once we are comfortable with
someone we develop homeostasis patterns. Because of this, it is often that you see deeper
relationships developing more conflict than light relationships. The interactional view explains
why there is a conflict in deep relationship, and how to overcome interchanges.

The interactional view is framed within five axioms which include:

1. One cannot not communicate.Because every behavior is a kind of communication, people who
are aware of each other are constantly communicating. Any perceivable behavior, including the
absence of action, has the potential to be interpreted by other people as having some meaning.
“Symptom strategy” is ascribing our silence to something beyond our control and makes no
communication impossible. Example: A teenage girl does not wish to tell her mother about her
day, so she rolls her eyes and fold her arms.

2. Communication = content + relationship. Content is what is actually said, while relationship is

how it is said. Relationship messages are always the most important element in any
communication, but when a family is in trouble, meta-communication dominates.Example:
Content = Yeah Mom, I like this shake you made! Relationship = Disgusted face.

3. Punctuation develops the relationship. How one marks the beginning of interaction (i.e.,
punctuate it) is based on one's perception. Example, a conversation with your roommate. The
conversation makes you upset, but you do not tell him or hell. The next time you see your
roommate, you are cold to him or her. Your roommate then realizes that you are upset about
something. You have punctuated your feelings during the original conversation. However, your
roommate thinks that you have recently become upset.

4. Communication can be digital or analogic. Digital refers to discrete, defined elements of

communication. These are usually words, but very specific gestures with generally agreed
meanings would also qualify. Analogic it describes a type of communication in which the
representation to some extent evokes the thing to which it refers.

5. Communication is either symmetric or complementary. Symmetrical communication is

communication based on equal power. Complementary communication is communication is
based on differences in power. Within these two communications there are three different ways
they can be used: one-up, one-down, and one-across. One-up communication is trying to take
control of the conversation.  One-down communication is giving up control.  One across
communication is trying to keep the conversation going without taking or giving up control. 
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A term that is used often in the theory of the Interactional View is enabler. An enabler is within
addiction culture; a person whose non-assertive behavior allows others to continue in their
substance abuse. An example of this would be a person letting their sibling continues to act in an
immature manner because that is what the family is used to him doing.
Another word frequently used in the Interactional View is double-bind. Someone in a double-
bind is a person trapped by expectations; the powerful party requests that the low-power party
act symmetrically. An example of this would be a person asking another person, "Why didn't you
like the movie?" or "You like rock 'n' roll, don't you?" The first person is asking the second
person to act in a way that is similar (symmetrical) to them.

Analysis: The interactional view depends on the current situation. People have different points of
view and it is the mismatching of content and relationship that causes miscommunication within
the situation. So every situation should understand first to avoid conflict or miscommunication.

Conclusion: The Interactional View was originally devised to look at family units and the
interaction among family members. However, in today’s society, several of our interactions are
done outside of the family unit. As well, many of our relationships are with individuals in the
virtual world we cannot actually see. We need theories that can be transferred from one setting to
another. With the influx of technology and changing social nature of our society, we are left to
decipher the theory into this new realm ourselves and in doing so, some aspects of the theory fall
short. Every member of family need to obey or respect each other. We have different viewpoints,
that’s why we need to understand the situation to avoid conflict or miscommunication.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Watzlawick

http://educ5102.wikispaces.com/The+Interactional+View+(Watzlawick)?
responseToken=39e6f34a476d44cc43c3614d8a568fa5

http://www.wanterfall.com/Communication-Watzlawick's-Axioms.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELvfyGeSKRk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5p9zgd-0-A