| Abstract: | Martin Buber is remembered as a philosopher, existentialist, Zionist, and Jewish theologian. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that his theory of interpersonal relations forms a useful tool for categorizing some of the theoretical perspectives and therapeutic techniques within psychiatry. It is neither the intention nor purpose of the authors to judge the relative merits of competing modalities of treatment but to clarify their therapeutic mechanisms in such a way as to identify their purposes more precisely. Additionally, the authors wish to categorize the various schools of psychotherapy and their subdivisions according to the realm in which they are operative. Finally, they hope to demonstrate that Buber's system can be modified or elaborated upon by this connection with some of these approaches to personality theory.T.L. Brink, Ph.D., did his graduate work at the University of Chicago. He taught psychotherapy at Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores del Occidente in Guadalajara, Mexico. Currently he has a private practice in geriatric counseling in the San Francisco Bay area. He serves as a consultant for Midpeninsula Health Services and San Mateo County Mental Health and is on the faculty at College of Notre Dame and Palo Alto School of Professional Psychology.Connie Janakes leads a dream therapy group for the aged at Little House in Menlo Park, and counsels alcoholics at WRA in San Mateo, California. |
