Ultimacy and Triviality in Psychotherapy

(Hardback)

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Keen, a professor and practicing psychotherapist, addresses the essential distinction between the truly serious questions involved in human life and the superficial aspects so generally engaging people's concern-and often professional treatment-which he terms, triviality. He considers how contemporary practice of psychotherapy often fails to admit to the critical difference, fails to recognize it in practice, and subsequently treats patients for irrelevancies while neglecting core, essential issues. Keen addressed his concern about the prevalent practices among psychological/medical practitioners vis-a-vis the prescriptive drug control of mental problems in earlier publications. In this work, including a therapy case study, Keen's position-an important one warranting wide attention in the medical and helping professions-stresses that pharmacotherapy threatens our access, and openness to ultimate issues. For professionals and scholars in medicine, public health, clinical psychology, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists.

Reviews

It is my privilege to recommend this book to all who are concerned with the theoretical foundations of psychology as a human science.-Journal of Phenomenological Psychology
Therapists will derive some interesting, unconventional views from this book...-Readings
"Therapists will derive some interesting, unconventional views from this book..."-Readings
"It is my privilege to recommend this book to all who are concerned with the theoretical foundations of psychology as a human science."-Journal of Phenomenological Psychology

Author Bio

ERNEST KEEN is Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Bucknell University, a practicing psychotherapist, and the author or coauthor of several books, including Drugs, Therapy, and Professional Power (Praeger, 1998) and Chemicals for the Mind (Praeger, 2000).