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Therapeutic communities: a therapeutic bridge
1University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
|September 17, 2004
Summary
Therapeutic communities have evolved, with democratic and programmatic models offering distinct paths for personal growth. Understanding these human groups through a biosocial lens reveals shared behaviors and evolutionary principles.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Evolutionary Psychology
Background:
- The therapeutic community (TC) movement has diverged significantly from its original principles.
- Various interpretations of the TC model exist, impacting their application and effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore diverse interpretations of the therapeutic community model.
- To analyze the democratic and programmatic/concept models of TCs.
- To describe a generic biosocial therapeutic community.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of different TC models.
- Application of a Darwinian approach to understand group behavior.
- Description of a biosocial framework for TCs.
Main Results:
- The democratic model emphasizes social learning for maturation and personality change.
- The programmatic model focuses on a behavior code and specific concepts.
- Both models, as human groups, exhibit shared hereditary behaviors.
Conclusions:
- A biosocial perspective, informed by Darwinian principles, offers a unified understanding of therapeutic communities.
- Recognizing shared group behaviors is crucial for effective TC interventions.
- The study describes a generic biosocial therapeutic community model.