ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores and discusses some of the ways in which a harmful inequality between parent and child leads to false ways of experiencing life which later may be adjusted in a psychotherapeutic setting. It also discusses some aspects of the origin and nature of psychological disturbance. Although the traditional approach to mental disturbance is still dominant in our society, it has met with severe criticism in recent years. The significant characteristic of the psychotherapeutic situation is that it is, or should be, a place where it is possible to be ordinary in a society that for the most part requires people to relate to each other by means of special roles, as for instance – doctor and patient, social worker and client.
