Discussions

The longing for unity is a drive inherent in human existence. We see the metamorphosis of this drive in many of the activities and institutions of man.

1. In religion, we see the evolution of the worship of multiple gods to that of one god, a fact of no little importance when we realize that much of our systems of ethics, law, and government stem from religion.

2. In political evolution, the emergence of Willkie's prophetic “One World” may still be a reality—one day.

3. The unifying theories of Einstein, embracing matter, energy, and gravity, have not only furthered our knowledge of the universe, but may eventually revolutionize every aspect of our life.

4. Freud in his own way also tried to evolve theories to account for all the data he collected. He evolved a unifying theory embracing two elemental forces—Eros and Thanatos—to account for all that is life.

5. Horney, in her way, also showed that the neurotic process, as embodied in the Idealized Image, is a unifying attempt to keep a person who is torn apart by inner conflicts from going into many incompatible fragments.

Dr. Kelman has presented us with a unitary theory of anxiety. He is to be commended for his efforts to establish a theory that would encompass and integrate the phenomena of anxiety. His clear, erudite, and concise manner of presenting the material speaks for the great deal of effort he has applied to this piece of work. We are all familiar with Dr. Kelman's extensive interest and knowledge of philosophy and the sciences. My chief interest in evaluating his paper stems from my own experience as a practicing analyst, and in my daily work with the varied manifestations of human anxiety. I shall not, therefore, comment on the implicit philosophy inherent in the paper, but confine my remarks to the clinical implications.

In the first place, I find confusing his basic premise of defining the system organism-environment