A conqueror by stealth: Introduction to the special issue on humanism, existentialism, and psychotherapy integration

In the last few decades, the existential-humanistic tradition in psychology-also known as the third force-has taken over the field of clinical psychology. It did so quietly, almost unassumingly, without resorting to monumental political arrangements ("empires") or bombarding psychologists with decisive messages about the approaches superiority. Evidence as to this "conquest by stealth" abound, and some are noted in this introduction. The purpose of this special issue is to appraise the link between The third force and the psychotherapy integration movement. Five articles touching on the links between humanistic-existential psychotherapy and, either other forms of therapy or explicitly integrative treatment modalities are published. A commentary by Barry Wolf addresses these articles and the potential for an additional impact of the humanistic- existential tradition on psychotherapy integration.