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The traditional psychotherapeutic enterprise is on the decline because the moral and philosophical values implicit in its theoretical formulations are no longer in keeping with the prevailing view of man and his place in society. Conversely, the experiential group faithfully mirrors the aspirations, values, and needs of a growing number of people and seemingly offers solutions which the traditional therapeutic enterprise has failed to provide. The author says that with neurosis viewed as a medical rather than a moral problem, psychotherapy can be considered as a reparative endeavor to restore the patient to a hypothetical state of health.
Strupp contrasts the freudian approach—which respects the complexities of personality development, psychopathology, and therapy—with currently fashionable group-therapeutic attempts that cater to the demand for rapid, inexpensive cures. Encounter groups replace long-range personal goals with immediate experiences, deny the uniqueness of individuality by group members' anonymity, and disparage the role of reason in undertaking interpersonal operations. A strong affect is considered valuable per se. Long-standing interpersonal relations are suspended in favor of superficial affection from strangers, and the experience of strong affect is considered an antidote to a mechanized dehumanized society. Both behaviorist and encounter group therapy depreciate the inner man, the privacy of the individual, and the role of reason.