ABSTRACT
Many of the more powerful elements in society have a strong interest in continuing to believe in the consulting-room model. This must be so in a society that distributes power pyramidally, with the most powerful being at the apex and the least at the base. Therapists are not sorcerers with magical powers to transform either the person or the world; their influence is minimal, limited for the most part to the simple solidarity they can offer to people in distress. It is infrequent for really great power to be possessed by individuals, and even billionaires depend on large numbers of other people if they are actually to make their wealth count in the world to any significant extent. The conditions of people's lives are determined by the state of the world they live in – in particular, of course, its social organization.
