ABSTRACT
One of our most powerful motives and one frequently overlooked by theoreticians is the quest for a sense of safety. Our pursuit of a sense of safety is rooted in biology and is to a considerable extent unconscious. We seek this sense through our relations with others. A child seeks it through relations with parents, and patients through relations with their therapists. Moreover, a sense of safety is a precondition for optimal functioning. A child's sense of safety with parents facilitates the child's becoming adventurous and pursuing developmental goals. Patients' sense of safety with their therapists facilitates their overcoming the pathogenic beliefs underlying their psychopathology and pursuing the goals previously inhibited by these beliefs (Weiss, 1993; Weiss, Sampson, and The Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group, 1986). The patient's sense of safety with the therapist is crucial for the success of the therapy.
