The Malter Model:
A New Concept in Counseling and Personal Growth

During the past 20 years, therapists Rick and Rosalie Malter, have developed a psychological model which is easy to understand, yet is very powerful in effecting changes in peopleâs lives. In the late 1970s, they were introduced to the concept of the "Judge" in people's personalities. The Judge is that part of our personality that judges and criticizes whatever we do. It is a very negative and destructive part of our personality. We all have this inner Judge component within our personality. The development of the Judge is inherent to our human nature and the manner in which our minds and bodies are connected by means of the stress response. Even though we all have a destructive Judge part of us, we can learn to become aware of its presence and to reduce its destructive power and control over our lives.

As the Malters applied the Judge concept in their work in psychotherapy and counseling, they recognized that if the concept of the Inner Child were incorporated into their work with the Judge, the therapy work became much more meaningful and effective for the client. It became clearer to the Malters that the Judge gains its psychological control by terrorizing our Inner Child outside our awareness. When the Judge becomes activated under stress, it exerts its psychological power and control by threatening our Inner Child, causing us much pain, anguish, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. One of the main goals of the Judge is to block us in our growth and development towards realizing our full potential. The Judge tries to do this by maintaining domination and control over our Inner Child. It is like an inner struggle and drama within us. It consumes a great deal of energy and is highly stressful.

Early in the 1990s, Rick Malter attended a men's conference and was introduced to the Jungian concept of the Warrior archetype. It made a great deal of sense to him and he saw the possibility of adding the Warrior archetype to the evolving psychological model incorporating the Judge and the Inner Child. The addition of the Warrior archetype completed the psychological model by adding a fearless powerful part of personality from which to confront the Judge and to defuse the power it wielded over the Inner Child.

To find out more about the Malter Model, contact them at info@malterinstitute.org.