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Iván Böszörményi-Nagy (May 19, 1920, Budapest – January 28, 2007, Glenside, Pennsylvania) was a Hungarian-American psychiatrist and one of the founders of the field of family therapy. He emigrated from Hungary to the United States in 1950.

Contextual therapy

Böszörményi-Nagy developed the Contextual approach to family therapy and individual psychotherapy. It is a comprehensive model which integrates individual psychological, interpersonal, existential, systemic, and intergenerational dimensions of individual and family life and development.

The Contextual model emphasizes the ethical or "justice" dimension - the relational ethics - of close relationships: in particular, the roles of caring, connectedness, loyalty, guilt, fairness, accountability, and trustworthiness - within and between generations. It sees relational ethics as not just a set of prescriptive norms, nor simply as psychological phenomena, perspectives, or constructions. Rather it sees relational ethics as (i) having some objective ontological and experiential basis by virtue of being derived from basic needs and from real relationships with concrete consequences (ie, as distinct from abstract or "value" ethics); and (ii) as being significant explanatory and motivational dynamics operating - in both beneficial and destructive ways - in individuals, families, social groups, and broader society.

Bibliography

• Boszormenyi-Nagy, I., & Framo, J. (Eds.) (1965; 1985). Intensive family therapy: Theoretical and practical aspects. New York: Harper & Row. (Second edition, New York: Brunner/Mazel)
• Boszormenyi-Nagy, I., & Spark, G. (1973; 1984). Invisible loyalties: Reciprocity in intergenerational family therapy. New York: Harper & Row. (Second edition, New York: Brunner/Mazel)
• Boszormenyi-Nagy, I., & Krasner, B. (1986). Between give and take: A clinical guide to contextual therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
• Boszormenyi-Nagy, I. (1987). Foundations of contextual therapy: Collected papers of Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, MD. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
• Boszormenyi-Nagy, I., Grunebaum, J., & Ulrich, D. (1991). Contextual Therapy. In A. Gurman & D. Kniskern (Eds.) Handbook of Family Therapy, Vol 2. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Further reading

• Buber, M. (1957). Guilt and guilt feelings. Psychiatry. May; 20(2): 114-29.
• Friedman, M.S. (1989). Martin Buber and Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy: The role of dialogue in contextual therapy. Psychotherapy, 26 (3): 402-9.
• Friedman, M.S. (1998). Buber's Philosophy as the Basis for Dialogical Psychotherapy and Contextual Therapy. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 38(1): 25-40.
• Politi Ziter, M.L. (1990). Family therapy and a “good” society: Fit or misfit? Contemporary Family Therapy. 12(6): 515-527.
• Goldenthal, P. (1996). Doing Contextual Therapy: An Integrated Model for Working With Individuals, Couples, and Families. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
• Dankoski, M.E., & Deacon, S.A. (2000). Using a Feminist Lens in Contextual Therapy, Family Process, 39 (1): 51–66.
• Le Goff, J.F. (2001). Boszormenyi-Nagy and Contextual Therapy: An Overview, ANZJFT, 22 (3): 147–157.
• Ducommun-Nagy, C. (2002). Contextual Therapy. In F. Kaslow, R. Massey, & S. Massey (Eds.) Comprehensive handbook of psychotherapy, Vol. 3: Interpersonal/humanistic/existential. New York; Chichester: Wiley.
• Ducommun-Nagy, C. & Schwoeri, L.D. (2003). Contextual Therapy. In Sholevar, G.P. & Schwoeri, L.D. (Eds.) Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy: Clinical Applications. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.
• Hargrave, T.D. & Pfitzer, F. (2003). The New Contextual Therapy: Guiding the Power of Give and Take. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

See also

• Martin Buber
• Justice
• Ethic of care
• Object relations theory
• Existential therapy

External links

• Therapist profile
• Interview with Psychology Today on Destructive Entitlement
• Are trustworthiness and fairness enough? Contextual family therapy and the good family
• Böszörményi-Nagy's response to 'Are trustworthiness and fairness enough?'
• Contextual Therapy with Multiple Personality Disorder
• Obituary: Philadelphia Daily News
• Obituary: New York Times - Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, 86, an Innovator of Family Therapy, Dies.
• Homage by Marlene F. Watson, Drexel University; July 2007.

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