Symbiosis
Symbiosis, here, is used as a psychological concept. It means that people wish to ensure their wellbeing by permanently letting (and wanting to let) other people execute something which they, themselves, are not able to do. You cannot value yourself and seek another person to do that. You cannot be close to another and seek someone who consistently can be. You do not know what you want and seek someone who tells you what to do. These rather flat and obvious examples may obscure just how subtly and sophisticatedly such symbioses function in daily life. (“But he needs me!”), and how much they are an indication about the limitation of personal responsibility, self-perception and regulation of needs. Therefore, it is extremely alarming if they have to, or ought to, change something about these relationships. This is important in the context of coaching if you seek to avoid unfavourable forms of overburdening and negative effects. At the same time, without changing the symbiotic pattern, or the external conditions, a change in the psychological pattern is only possible to a limited extent.