The implications of our investigations into the nature and influence of temperament will be· elaborated by the concepts of temperament-environment interactions, goodness of fit and parent guidance as well as guidance of adolescents and adults in psychotherapy. These formulations will be applied to psychotherapeutic clinical practice with children, adolescents and adults. A 22 minute illustrative videotape will be shown.
This talk proposes to separate psychotherapy approaches into two groups: one called the "psychological therapies," focused on the growth and development of the individual psyche, and the other, the "social therapies," which deal with broader issues of relationship and the social web. My aim is to create a freer field for dialogue between two points of view that are historically independent from each other and that derive from a different conceptual base.
During the five decades that I have been a psychologist, I have seen a series of psychotherapeutic practices come and go. Today, one in three Americans has visited one or another of the 250,000 accredited practitioners making offerings. Not only has the number of therapists burgeoned, but also the varieties of therapy have become a veritable smorgasbord. Assumptions underlying various bursts of therapist zeal will be explored and linked to prominent cultural and social forces in recent history.