Introduction
This book is an introduction to a theory of human behavior that marks a major breakthrough of human knowledge. It presents a solution to the basic problem of human irrationality, a problem which impedes the handling of all the other key questions now facing the world.
Human intelligence is defined concretely as the ability to construct a new, unique, accurate response to each new, unique experience which confronts each human at each moment of his/her existence.
This ability is differentiated explicitly from the ability of plants and animals to “choose” responses from an inherited, restricted list of pre-set response patterns.
Human irrationality is explicitly defined as failure to create and present such a new, unique, accurate response. It is presented as an acquired, non-inherent, unnecessary characteristic of present humans.
The source of human irrationality is located in the distress experiences which the human has undergone and has not been permitted to recover from completely.
The recovery processes, inherent and spontaneous in each human, are retrieved to view from the universal conditioned prejudice which has obscured them and are explicitly presented and described.
Ways of encouraging and assisting these recovery processes to completion and the results following from their use are indicated. These techniques and results are from the counseling practice of the author and his colleagues, a practice set up for the exploration and development of this theory.
This theory of human behavior is in sharp disagreement at many key points with other presently widely accepted theories, but not at any point where these other theories have produced practical results beyond “symptom suppression.”
This book is an introduction only. Later publications will deal with the techniques of applying this theory with individual people and groups of people, and with its wide social implications.
Dec. 1, 1964