This foundational work examines the scientific basis of psychotherapy, insisting that mental life must be treated through a rigorous understanding of both psychology and brain physiology. Münsterberg carefully distinguishes between the purposive view of human existence—where we understand people through their aims, morals, and meanings—and the causal view, which is the true domain of psychology, treating consciousness as a complex system of cause and effect. He argues that every mental fact has a parallel physiological process in the brain, rejecting any mystical notions of a subconscious mind and grounding mental phenomena in biological reality. The author analyzes the mechanisms of attention and habit, explaining how conscious and unconscious states interact within the nervous system.
Moving from theoretical foundations to practical application, he explores how suggestion and hypnotism function not as occult phenomena, but as shifts in motor settings and selective inhibitions. The text provides a systematic framework for treating functional and organic disorders, emphasizing that psychotherapy is a precise applied science requiring both psychological insight and careful clinical diagnosis. Ultimately, the book reconciles scientific determinism with the higher ideals of human life, offering a comprehensive guide to restoring mental equilibrium.
