Dr. Fogarty focused his work on the individual and the development of valuable structural
concepts relating to the individual. His structural concept of the individual as a
"four dimensional self" in Compendium I explores four major aspects of an individual's life:
interactions with others (their lateral dimension); their productivity ( their vertical dimension);
their relationship history and feelings (their depth dimension;);and their experience of time as
it relates to both the pace at which they live their life and the way they handle past, present
and future stress ( their time dimension). Fogarty worked with this structural model to aid the
individual in reaching an emotional balance and higher level of functioning. A "centered"
individual would be in touch with and regulate the appropriate balance among each of the
four dimensions of self in his or her life. Drawing on this concept, Fogarty explored the
relationship dance of emotional pursuit and distance in the marital relationship in
“The Distancer and The Pursuer” in Compendium II. The pursuer/ distancer concept,
perhaps the most well known of Fogarty's concepts, has been incorporated in the work
of most practicing family therapists. Fogarty also contributed extensively to the concept
of triangulation by focusing on the structural aspect of triangulation and was perhaps the
first to alter strategically the child-centered triangle. It is our privilege to offer a compilation
of his writings over thirty years.
