Dear Phil and all of you,
I had to ponder the question some time what a strut might be. Now that I think I've got it, I would like to
contribute to this.
Instead of trying to cover the whole field of what this question relates to in my opinion I would like to
share one "strut" which has become most important and dear to me and my psychotherapeutical practice. For me
this is sort of a practice-oriented condensation of the epistemological point of view of Gestalt psychology,
of its concept of man and of its ethical frame of reference. It is the 'moral epistemology for socially shared
knowledge' of Solomon Asch, in my opinion one of the most eminent American Gestalt psychologists.

Asch's moral norms for socially achieved knowledge are:

TRUST: It is our duty to respect the reports of others and be willing to base our beliefs and actions on them.
HONESTY: It is our duty to report what we perceive honestly, so that others may use our observations in coming
to valid beliefs.
SELF RESPECT: It is our duty to respect our own perceptions and beliefs, seeking to integrate them with the
reports of others without deprecating them or ourselves.

In my opinion this is - put in a nutshell - what psychotherapy is about and Gestalt psychotherapy at its best
can achieve.

Gerhard

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Dr. Gerhard Stemberger          Dr. Gerhard Stemberger
Wintergasse 75-77/7             Prinz Eugen Str. 20-22
A-3002 Purkersdorf              A-1041 Wien/Vienna
Austria                         Austria
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                                Fax. (+43) 1-50165-2627
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