Triangles

The dynamics of three-person relationships are described, with the following versions reviewed: oedipal, caregiver-sibling pair, cross-generational coalition, detouring attacking (scapegoating), detouring concern, distance regulation, and divided-loyalty conflict. Two family therapy cases show how theories of triangulation can inform collaborative practice. More space is given to a specific triad that, to my knowledge, has not yet been described in psychoanalytic or systemic writing: that of a coalition (and hidden primary attachment) between child and grandparent, but where the child is cared for by the mother. A long-term individual therapy case example shows the causal power of this, and other forms of triangulation.