[Psycho-ecologic aspects of supportive psychotherapy].

Supportive psychotherapy is the most frequently applied therapy by practitioners. However, this form of therapy has not been properly conceptualized and theoretically founded yet. Psychoecological terms could be appropriate to integrate the intuitive and unsystematic strategy in an theoretically founded framework. The term "social niche" refers to a person's affective field of action. Being responded to by the members of one's own niche is what constitutes the significance, the function and the role of the respective person. In situations of psychic disorder a person's ability to construct a corresponding niche, and interact and perform within it is severely disturbed. Defense mechanisms are mobilized in order to maintain the relations within the niche. In the case of decompensation a niche is formed, which is reduced to the subject of illness. Some ecologically founded suggestions are given for practical use.