Summary
The shift from humanistic to technological approaches in psychiatric treatment parallels
a far broader, dramatic challenge to the future of humanity qua humanity than anything
that happened before in our history. This presentation will mention - and illustrate
with a few concrete examples - the changes in the medical field, and especially in
psychiatric treatment, in the United State, adding a few comparisons with analogous
developments in Switzerland. An attempt will be made to view the medical-psychiatric
problems as expressions of universal problems resulting both from the effects of the
bewildering technological expansion and from the consequent loss of subjectivity upon
current human consciousness. The enormous challenge to, and profound responsibility
of everyone, but especially to the people in the fields of family medicine and psychiatry,
will be underlined.
1 Dies ist die Zusammenfassung eines Vortrages anlässlich der Preisverleihung für Studenten
im Rahmen der Ascona-Gespräche 2001
