Conference Agenda

This project explores the phenomenon of meta-intentionality, defined as “the desire for the other to want what I want”, within the dialogical space of psychotherapy. The project conceptualizes meta-intentionality as a dialogical movement where the therapist’s intentions are aimed at the client’s own intentional structures to foster a genuine, internal desire for change, as well as instances where clients can have intentions for the therapist and therapy process. Drawing on Dialogism, the project frames the therapeutic relationship as a process of coauthorship and epistemic co-responsibility. In this view, meaning and intentions are not unilaterally imposed by the therapist but are co-constructed in the psychotherapeutic space. A successful therapeutic process involves moving from separate "I-positions" toward a “we-mode” of shared intentionality. The project proposes that alignment of intentions is a critical common factor in psychotherapy. When a therapist’s meta-intentions succeed, the client does not merely follow instructions but internalizes the therapeutic goals as their own. This shift from extrinsic compliance to intrinsic motivation is essential for fostering sustainable, longterm therapeutic outcomes. Utilizing a cultural-psychological framework and an idiographic approach, this project explores the nuances of these intentional structures and how they are negotiated within the clinical encounter. By illuminating how therapists may guide clients toward insights, allowing them to arrive at and integrate goals in their own time, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dialogical nature of human change and the professional development of practitioners.