title: Moving opposites in the self. A Heraclitean approach.
abstract: Theory and method are presented for the investigation of opposites in personal experience, with particular attention to their unification. The strategy is to invite people to relate actively two strongly contrasting experiences (meaning units) and to combine these into a third unit. Three idiographic studies are reported showing that the third meaning unit, created by the subjects, shifts towards another pair of polar opposites. This phenomenon, called the phenomenon of 'moving opposites', is discussed in view of the relationship between the field of personality and social psychology and the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy. The phenomenon is also discussed with reference to Aristotle's and Heraclitus' conflicting views on opposites.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hermans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality