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Pages 31-39
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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Human life is an emotional roller coaster, and when confronting emotionally charged events, individuals, groups, and larger collectivities instinctively frame their predicaments in a binary way–as a polarity encompassing a dimension of choice with two mutually exclusive alternatives. Events are thus construed as dilemmas to be resolved in favor of one alternative or the other. However, the inherent tension leading to polarization conceals an important developmental opportunity, if we “hold” the tension long enough to permit exploration, differentiation, and resolution by a third, “mediating” element. In this article the authors explore the regressive (defensive) and progressive (developmental) functions of the archetypal human propensity to polarize. The neural underpinnings and the psychology of binary thinking are considered followed by an examination of the dialectical patterns found in various schools of psychotherapy and the ways in which they represent attempts to harness the energy of polarization for healing and growth.

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Author information

Gianpiero Petriglieri

Jack Denfeld Wood, Ph.D., American, is professor of organizational behavior at the International Institute of Management Development (ICD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a psychotherapist in private practice. He is completing his training in analytic psychology at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland. He is a Regular Member of ITAA and a member of the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems. He can be reached by email at .
Gianpiero Petriglieri, M.D., Italian, is visiting professor at the Centre for Executive Learning and Leadership, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, and a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in private practice. He is currently ITAA vice president of research and innovation. He is a member of the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems and the National Training Laboratory (NTL) Institute for Applied Behavioral Science. He can be reached by email at .
Dr. Wood and Dr. Petriglieri collaborate in leadership development, group dynamics, and psychotherapy. Their current research focuses on unconscious processes in individuals, groups, and organizations.