ABSTRACT
Speculations about the therapeutic value of the "milieu" in which our patients live are neither as new nor as revolutionary as the enthusiasts, as well as the detractors of "milieu therapy" occasionally want them to appear. You will find a much more impressive list of "milieu variables," which certainly need to be influenced by the therapist. Classical psychoanalysis has not neglected concern with "milieu" influences as much as it is supposed to have, relates to our evaluation of failure and success. Since avoiding the traps of early concept confusion is an important prelude to a more rigid examination of meanings and their appropriate scope, we might allow ourselves the luxury of at least a short list of "dangers we ought to watch out for from now on," provided we keep it telegram-style. The worst trap that explorers of the milieu idea sometimes seem to be goaded into is the ubiquitous use of the term "therapeutic," if it is coupled as an adjective, with "milieu" as a noun.
