Don D. Jackson

Interactional Theory in the Practice of Therapy

by Wendel A. Ray

Don D. Jackson (1920-1968) is best remembered as a brilliant therapist, teacher, and for his leading part in the development of such ground breaking theoretical concepts as family homeostasis, family rules, relational quid pro quo, and, with Gregory Bateson, John Weakland and Jay Haley, the theory of the Double Bind.

Jackson’s theoretical and clinical contribution to the understanding of human behavior is phenomenal for its breadth and scope. Many leaders in the fields of family and brief therapy acknowledge Jackson as the principle founder of Interactional Theory and Conjoint Family Therapy.

In a career that spanned a brief 24 years (1944-1968) Jackson was one of the most prolific authors of his time, publishing more than 125 articles and book chapters and seven books including two classic texts that remain in print today – Mirages of Marriage (Co-authored with William Lederer, and Pragmatics of Human Communication (co-authored with Paul Watzlawick and Janet Bevin Bavelas).

He co-founded with Nathan Ackerman and Jay Haley the journal Family Process. He helped found the publishing house Science & Behavior Books. Jackson won virtually every honor available in the field of Psychiatry, including the Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Award for contributions to understanding Schizophrenia, the first Edward R. Strecker Award for contributions to in-patient treatment of hospitalized patients, and the 1967 Salmon Lecture from the American Psychiatric Association and the New York Academy of Medicine.