Confrontation: A Dialectical Humanistic Consideration

Abstract

We describe a dialectical humanistic understanding of confrontation; highlight research about traits of effective confrontation; and describe the philosophical notion of dialectics as it pertains to counseling, human existence, and the practice of confrontation. We posit that dialectical humanistic confrontation is a vehicle for empowering clients to examine the tension of intrapersonal contradictions as a way to overcome barriers to self-fulfillment. A case study is used to illustrate how dialectical humanistic confrontation can be applied in practice.