Ronald D.

Laing (1927-1989)
• Scottish Psychiatrist
• MD, Glasgow University 1951
• Pop-shrink
• Rebel
• Yogi
• Philosopher
• Healer
 The two propositions of
Laing’s Theory
1. For individuals to succumb to ontological
insecurity, there must be a massive
discrepancy between their behavior and their
experience.
2. The discrepancy between inner self and outer
public self is a product of social interaction
that is duplicitous and unintentionally
designed by others to drive one mad.
Central Human Motive in
Laing’s Theory

Need for congruence

between
Feelings
and
Behavior
 Interpersonal perception
l Relies on endless mirroring of
– Subjective images of the other
– In an endless spiral of reflections
 Interpersonal Perception Method
l Dyadic relationship (no isolated individuals)
inherently relational

Paul’s behavior (B) Peter’s experience (E)

PAUL PETER
Paul’s experience (E) Peter’s behavior (B)

l Perception: process wherein behavior is experienced and

interpreted
 Interpersonal Perception Method
Perspectives
l Direct, meta and meta-metaperspectives
– I have an unsuccessful lecture and I
know: DIRECT
how we see others, as well as ourselves
Interpersonal Perception Method
Perspectives…
– Another knows that I am disappointed:
META
how we think others see us or themselves
Interpersonal Perception Method
Perspectives…
– I know that another knows that I am
disappointed: META-META
PERSPECTIVE
How we think others think we see them.
Interpersonal Perception Method
Perspectives…
– This continues on as such
 SPIRALS

l When one or both persons delve into third, forth,

or more levels of meta-perpectives, mistrust for
example.
l Unilateral Jack mistrusts Jill, she tries to prove
her love, he thinks it is a cover and further
mistrusts her
l Bilateral both people move toward extreme
metaperspectives
 PROJECTION
l When a person tries to behave in a way to
purposefully induce the other person to perceive
them in a particular way.
l The theory states "projection is clearly a most
important stratagem and may function in different
ways in an interpersonal system, but in every case
it is one of a class of actions whose primary object
is not the other's experience of me, but my
experience of the other"
Strategies for Coping with Disturbing
and Disturbed Communication....
• Transpersonal Strategies (Laing):
Complementary Identity: Maintaining one’s own
identity by manipulating the identity of another.
Disconfirmation: Failure to respond to another as a
human person, dismissing him or her as an object.
Collusion: The active striving of two or more
persons to deceive and be deceived in accepting
false projected self-images.
 Interpersonal Perception Method
l 60 issues under six categories expressing interaction
and inter-experience:

– Interdependence & autonomy

– Warm concern & support
– Disparagement & disappointment
– Contentions: fight/flight
– Contradictions & confusion
– Extreme denial of autonomy
 IPC: 12 questions
on one issue
l How true do YOU think the following are?
– He understands me.
– I understand him.
– He understands himself
– I understand myself
 IPC: 12 questions
on one issue....
l How would HE answer the following?
– “I understand her.”
– “She understands me.”
– “I understand myself.”
– “She understands herself.”
 IPC: 12 questions
on one issue....
l How would HE think you have answered
the following?
– He understands me.
– I understand him.
– He understands himself.
– I understand myself.
 Reciprocally matched comparisons

l Comparison between one person’s view and

another’s on the same issue: agreement or
disagreement (In agreement and
disagreement we are comparing direct
perspectives on the same issue);
 Reciprocally matched comparisons…

l If one person is aware of the other’s point of

view, we say he understands him. And if he
fails to recognize the others’ point of view,
we say he misunderstands. One person’s
metaperspective being compared with
another’s direct perspective on the same
issue.
 Reciprocally matched comparisons…

l Comparison between one person’s meta-

meta perspective and his own direct
perspective gives the feeling of being
understood or of being misunderstood.
 Reciprocally matched comparisons…

l Comparison between one person’s meta-

meta perspective and the other person’s
metaperspective on the same issue gives
realaization or failure of realization.
Whether or not this is a realization or failure
of realization of understanding or
misunderstanding entails a comparison of
all the three levels.
 Why is Laing ignored?

l Radical notions
l Overstatement
l Too complicated
l Theory of psychopathology
l His personal life