The author puts the case for a psychopathology of the various cultures and their vicissitudes. In his view the psychiatrist ought to understand why at times some particular abnormal tendencies come to the surface and why ideals and ideologies are overwhelmed by them. He sees in the overestimation of types one of the most characteristic features of our culture. This tendency results in making types scapegoats for everything that goes wrong. It is a product of the scientific outlook. What is essential for human existence cannot be understood with the help of science, which always has to generalize, and thus leads humanity to self-destruction. By regarding