There is widespread agreement that depression is essentially an affective state characterized by a loss of esteem. The therapeutic task, therefore, is to examine the circumstances of this loss and of the factors that predispose the patient to it. The goal of treatment is not only the alleviation or resolution of the depressive symptoms but also the development of the kind of insight that will give the patient greater immunity to subsequent recurrences and that will permit a more successful adaptation to life. (27 pp.)