Paul Watzlawick: biography of this psychologist and philosopher

This psychologist and thinker began his research by asking himself what reality is.

Paul Watzlawick (1921-2007) was an Austrian psychologist, philosopher and theorist naturalized in the USA, in addition to being the author of the well-known theory of human communication, he establishes five axioms that govern language in interactions.

In this article we will see a brief biography of Paul WatzlawickWe will briefly know his academic and professional career, his thought, his theoretical orientation and his work.

Brief biography of Paul Watzlawick

Paul Watzlawick was a psychologist, philosopher and theorist who was born in Villach (Austria) in 1921.. He studied philosophy and modern languages at the University of Venice and did psychotherapy practice at the Carl Jung-Institut in Zurich, Switzerland. He holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Liège, Bordeaux and Buenos Aires.

Professional career

Paul Watzlawick made important contributions to the field of psychology with his theory of human communication and radical constructivism. and radical constructivism. He was also a reference author in the field of family therapy, systemic therapy and psychotherapy in general.

Paul Watzlawick worked as a professor between 1957 and 1960 at the University of San Salvador, and later joined the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto (California). There he remained until the end of his academic career, also teaching at Stanford University.

He worked closely with Jackson and Bateson. In fact, in 1969 published with Jackson and Beavin Human communicationa paper in which they laid the foundations of systemic constructivism, dealing with topics such as communication and the perception of reality.

He died in Palo Alto (California) on March 31, 2007.

Books

Paul Watzlawick's books that were translated into Spanish were:

• Teoría de la comunicación humana (with Janet Beavin and Don Jackson), 1981
• Cambio (with John Weakland and Richard Fisch), 1976
• Is Reality Real? Confusion, Disinformation, Communication, 1979
• The Language of Change, 1980
• The invented reality: How do we know what we want to know? (ed.), 1988
• The construction of the universe. Introductory concepts and reflections on epistemology, constructivism and systemic thinking. (with Marcelo R. Ceberio), 1998.

Thought

Paul Watzlawick's thought is situated within the current of systemic constructivismand defends an analytical orientation, centered on the psychological processes of communication.

On the other hand, this author establishes the five basic axioms of the process of human interaction in his book Pragmatics of Human Communicationpublished with Janet Beavin Bavelas and Donald D. Jackson.

Types of communication

Paul Watzlawick distinguishes two concepts in his second axiom: analog communication and digital communication..

Analogical communication refers to everything "non-verbal" (gestures, use of space, intonation...) while digital communication encompasses verbal language, and has a more abstract character.

Theory of human communication

Regarding analogical communication, Paul Watzlawick alludes to the similarity between what is to be transmitted and the mode of communication. This is part of the human essence and of human relationships.

Thus, communication between people of two different languages, even when they do not understand each other, allows for a high degree of gestural and expressive understanding.. There would be, then, a communication context that would give meaning to human interactions. Such a context would include cultural values such as personal manners, shared sensibility, etc.

Furthermore, Paul Watzlawick distinguishes in human communication the content of the message (that which is to be communicated) and the context of the communication (the environmental circumstances that occur in the interaction). The context envelops the message and acquires the character of metacommunication (that communication that talks about the communication itself).

Paul Watzlawick's 5 axioms

Based on his theory of human communication, Paul Watzlawick establishes several axioms that govern language from a constructivist-systemic perspective:

1. Impossibility of not communicating

Paul Watzlawick's first axiom states that "it is impossible not to communicate". He believes that no one can fail to behaveand that any behavior is in itself an act of communication.

2. Existence of content and relationships in communication

There are two "levels" in any communicative act: the content and the relations of communication. Thus, the relationship or relationships influence the content that is transmitted.. The content provides what is said and the relationship, how it is to be interpreted.

3. Roles of the interlocutors

According to Paul Watzlawick, there is always one interlocutor who takes the initiative and another who acts in response to the first one. and, depending on the role, communication is structured.

4. Digital and analog communication

In the interaction between two or more people both verbal and non-verbal communication influence the interaction between two or more peopleand both give meaning to the message.

5. Symmetrical and complementary interaction

Two types of relationships in communication must be taken into account, which affect the way messages are sent and understood: a symmetrical one, where the parties are in an equal position (for example, two members of the same team), and a complementary one, where there is a union of authority-follower (the boss with respect to the employee).

The concept of reality

Throughout his career, Paul Watzlawick has always focused on analyzing reality in order to understand it.. He distinguishes between first-order realities, described by the objectivity of their physical state, and second-order realities, where the complex subjectivity of the meaning we attribute to these realities intervenes.

Thus, there is no "real reality", but instead, there are representations of reality specific to each individual.. The pathological imaginaries of people are also involved here, that is, the distorted visions we have of reality.

Thus, mental health and mental illness are related through "codes" or social and cultural norms, and are not assessments of a single, certain or immutable interpretation.