Mindful of the maxim, De mortuis nil nisi bonum, the reviewer approached this posthumously published work with some slight trepidation. Happily, the concern proved unwarranted: this short volume stands tall on its own merits.
The initial chapter, concerned with what one might designate the psychological homeostasis of man, deals with theoretical concepts which Cameron regarded as useful toward understanding the workings of psychotherapy. Each human organism, semi-autonomous in nature, in constant interaction within itself and with its environment, reacts differently because of variations in genetic, maturational, experiential, and internal evolutionary factors.
As befits the title of the book, the author pictured the therapist as an active and continual participant in the process, not as a detached observer. Although by no means disregarding the influences of early life, Cameron emphasized especially causative factors operating in the immediate present: "Far too many therapists are still looking only at the earliest periods of