Introduction

The book opens with the Blind Man and the Elephant poem, illustrating the dangers of taking single, naïve realist, theoretical positions. The value of multiple positions is introduced, together with the barriers presented by the institutionalisation of knowledge. The side-lining of John Bowlby’s attachment theory from systemic and psychoanalytic mainstreams, together with valued exceptions, is given as an example. A moment of therapeutic change is used to introduce an alternative, theoretically pluralist, critical realist framework. The author’s motivations, the intended audience for the book, and a guide to the contents of each chapter are laid out.