Psychotherapy and postmodernism: agency, authenticity and alienation in contemporary therapeutic discourse

Abstract

Since the advent of postmodernism, terms like agency, authenticity and alienation have fallen into disuse in psychotherapeutic discourse. The causes and consequences of this profound semantic shift are examined. While postmodernism has contributed considerably to our understanding of the impact of language and of power relations on society, it has little or nothing to say on the subject of human needs, which provided the original impetus for ‘critical theory’, historically, and is still vital to fostering our patients' welfare.