The theory of psychotherapy develops in general from practical experiences, while we have to hold in mind the views to discriminate the process of therisation from what is effective in practical treatment. This principle applies to the study of 'hypochondriacal basic mood' which is regarded as a significant concept along with 'psychic interaction' to explain the foundation of a type of psychotherapy for 'shinkei-shitsu' or nervosity, called Morita Therapy, which is uniquely Japanese born treatment. Masatake Morita, the initiator, and many of his successors show a tendency to lead the readers to a certain perplexity by confusing theoretical terms with the expression used in treating the patients. Thus those who engage in the clarification of psychological meanings of the therapy are apt to fall in a chasm of overestimating the kinds of expression as if they were of some great significance, even though they are not actually so. In fact, we find the problems in Morita's words to confuse ' shinkei-shitsu ' as a neurotic desease and as a type of personality tendency. This sometimes brings about further perplexity in understanding the nature of his therapy. With this view in mind, I wish to define 'hypochondriacal basic mood' as follows : 1) This mood on which a type of neurotic desease, nervosity, develops is in itself the result of a biased mental state ready to permit the manifestation of various symptoms, 2) This mood may exists possibly in any person, but once manifested, it is no longer called a type of personality but a certain phase of psychological maladjustment. 3) Nervosity, called by the name of Morita Shinkei-shitsu, readily appears on the ground of ' shinkei-shitsu ' personality, though not inevitably. Considering the level of development of psychiatry and clinical psychology when Morita was alive, this mood should be adequately understood in such sense, and it is well advised to avoid to get too much inquisitive by introducing various theoretical findings in later years.
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