Abstract

enties have become an era in which they are trying to realize themselves in such solitary exertions as jogging. Within the mental health professions this change has been associated with a disillusionment about the benefits of psychosocial treatments and an increased emphasis on biological treatments. The contributors to this collection are aware of the shift in sentiment, but they have not despaired. Instead, there seems to be a maturity and balance that is thoughtfully critical. For example, J. K. W. Morrice, in a brief essay entitled “Basic Concepts: A Critical Review,” examines the four fundamental themes that Rapoport used to characterize the therapeutic community: democratization, permissiveness, reality confrontations, and communalism. In examining the concept of democracy, Morrice points out how frequently it is confused with equality, and how often this confusion results in disruption and a loss of responsibility. He then notes that in a therapeutic community the point is not that everyone is equal but that responsibility for decision-making needs to be located at the place in the system where it can be most therapeutically effective. In examining communalism, he points out that it often can result in phony sharing and the destruction of privacy rather than