In this book, I propose to describe psychotherapy as a social action, not as healing. So conceived, psychoanalytic treatment is characterized by its aim--to increase the patient's knowledge of himself and others and hence his freedom of choice in the conduct of his life; by its method--the analysis ...

In this book, I propose to describe psychotherapy as a social action, not as healing. So conceived, psychoanalytic treatment is characterized by its aim--to increase the patient's knowledge of himself and others and hence his freedom of choice in the conduct of his life; by its method--the analysis of communications, rules, and games; and lastly, by its social context--a contractual, rather than a 'therapeutic, ' relationship between analyst and analysand.