The problems of society result less from an intrinsic “evil” in human nature than from our failure to stop repeating behavior patterns from the past. Change, says Virginia Satir, begins with learning to accept and understand the many parts of oneself.

Many of us are afraid to communicate to others our true feelings. One of the most influential modern psychologists and a founder of family therapy, the late Virginia Satir describes how internalized “rules” for social behavior limit our communication. Ms. Satir demonstrates various communication styles–depreciation, blaming, intellectualizing and irrelevance–which people use to cover up their [...]