Dialectics and Method

Abstract

This article addresses the question "What is radical therapy?" Should radical therapy be understood as radicals doing good humanistic therapy or is there something intrinsically radical about radical therapy? The lack of a precise definition and practice of radical therapy stems from the numerous and diverse therapeutic practices that are included under its umbrella. Radical therapy can be intrinsically radical to the extent that it is reconstructed on the basis of a Marxist methodology. This becomes apparent when one reviews the contributions and limitations of humanistic psychology and the human potential movement to the development of radical therapy. A critical examination of radical psychiatry, the most prevalent form of radical therapy, also indicates the necessity of using a Marxist methodology for reconstructing radical therapy. The author suggests that dialectics are the most important aspect of the Marxist method for radical therapy and provides several guidelines for using dialectical analysis in a therapeutic encounter. The author further suggests that the successful reconstruction of radical therapy is dependent upon the development of a Marxist psychology, and that the critical theory approach of Frankfurt School Marxism is the most beneficial path for developing a theory and practice of a Marxist psychology.