ABSTRACT
PEOPLE L I V E , but successful l iv ing is an art which is not mastered by al l . Those who feel this failure-the patients-seek improvement, and those who believe that they know about failurethe therapists-attempt to induce improvement. A give-andtake develops when patients and therapists meet, and the events which occur under such circumstances are referred to as psychotherapy. But therapeutic happenings are met in all walks of life. In social relations i t does not matter who is in need of help and who provides the assistance. I t is not necessary, and sometimes not even wise, that people know they are being helped. What counts is the feeling of diminishing failure in the one who suffers and the knowledge of this change in the one who helps. The feeling of relief experienced after successful communication molds people in such a way that they begin to seek the companionship of others. At one time the participants may be mother and child, at another, doctor and patient; in one instance i t may be teacher and pupi l , and in another, worshiper and spiritual adviser. Each of these teams is likely to have a different set of words and symbols and their own scientific or philosophical systems to describe what has happened; however, the nature of the events remains similar, being always an experience which occurs in relation with other people. I t is the task of psychiatry to help those who have failed to experience successful communication, and i t is the aim of psychiatry as a
M U N I C A
failures and to formulate remedial measures.
