On the Experience of Being Seen Doing

This article is a reflection about the “structure of the situation” in which some specific experiences of suffering take place: performance anxiety, stage fright, and social phobia. These experiences occur in a social setting in which the person feels that she “is seen doing” by others. More specifically, the person's agency becomes figural to others and the presence of others becomes—maybe disruptively—figural for the acting person. The article explores how a sense of I-agency and we-agency can emerge in the joint action, and how this can support the experience. The theoretical background is a radically relational approach to Gestalt therapy. The ideas presented here are illustrated with case examples.