Gaudenzia, Incorporated: Historical and Theoretical Background of a Self-help Addiction Treatment Program

Abstract

Preliminary investigation indicates that self-help programs such as Gaudenzia, Incorporated, did not simply materialize out of nothingness. Rather, they have a definable, if not yet fully defined, historical and theoretical background. From a general viewpoint there are significant similarities between their basic principles and the thought of such men as Alfred Adler and Kurt Lewin. More particularly there is a direct line of descent which is well documented from Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in 1935, to Gaudenzia, Incorporated, founded in 1968. From participant observation of the Gaudenzia program and other self-help programs it appears that there are close similarities between the basic ideas of these programs and current thought in at least the areas of existential philosophy and learning theory. As indicated, this is almost certainly not an exhaustive compilation of the theoretical sources of the program. But it may be sufficient to demonstrate that such programs are grounded in substantial thought a...