Moving from the secure sense of boundaries a person has established within the institutional self, the inter-individual self now embarks upon a relinquishing of his/her hard won independence for a complex and subtle surrender into a form of mutual inter-dependence with another intimate adult partner. From a well established ego identity, a person may now move to a level of relation never before possible.
No longer dictated by the unconscious or even conscious needs and motivations of the previous selves, a person who has reached this stage comes to the ability to consciously sacrifice her/his individual needs and even role definitions for the benefit of the larger soul of the relationship. Perhaps we might consider an example form the charecter of Star Trek's Mr Spock when he surrendered his life stating The good of the many, outways the good of the few.
| Characteristics of Stage Interpenetration |
Culture of Embeddedness Intimate |
Confirmation: Supporting Stasis Interdependence, |
Contradiction: Moving Beyond
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