Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The "Significant Other" In Marital And Family Therapy, Nathan Hurvitz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The significant other (SO) is derived from the social behaviorism of G. H. Mead which is comparable to contemporary cognitive behaviorism. The SO is defined as an analytical concept by examining interaction in social acts; it includes attributes associated with the family member's role-reciprocity, meanings, affect, self-concept and modeling; and it is associated with concepts such as transformation, attribution and social interchange. The process by which the therapist becomes an SO to the family members individually and jointly, and how he or she utilizes transformation, attribution and social interchange are outlined.