print-on-demand, non-returnable Affective communion is at the core of our intimate relationships, and their basic unit is the primary triangle. Yet we scarcely know how a family develops as a threesome. The authors conceived the scenario they call the Lausanne triadic play (LTP), as a narrative forum for observing and recording dyadic interactions and the moments of transition between them. Influenced by their psychoanalytic and family therapy practices, they identified six study areas for their research: -the family alliance - properties of the family system with clinical implications for assessing family resources and vulnerabilities;
-the family as a unit (rather than as a set of dyads);
-the family as a 'practicing group' (as opposed to an imagined or represented group);
-triangulation as a normative process;
-the development of the infant's communicative competence in a triangular context;
-micro-analysis of family patterns in triangular interaction. The acclaimed Primary Triangle paradigm ("a landmark in documenting models for interactional systems in psychology and child development," according to child psychiatrist and family therapist Lee Combrinck-Graham), is elucidated here for the first time. Like Daniel Stern's Interpersonal World of the Infant, it will resonate with researchers and clinicians alike. -from the dust jacket | 
