A radical understanding of these dynamics was formulated by systemic therapist Anne Wilson Schaef in her book "When Society Becomes an Addict."

Her core premise: Modern Western culture itself functions according to the architecture of a compensatory system.

As a counterpoint, she refers to the principles of the 12 Steps, a program of transformation and recovery that emerged in the 1930s. Its origins were influenced by a seminal dialogue involving psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung on the potential of profound spiritual crises to become a starting point for lasting change.

This path was further influenced by the New Thought movement and its understanding that outer liberation begins with a fundamental realignment of inner consciousness.

Today, this program is recognized worldwide—particularly among the international creative, entertainment, and business elite—as an established and respected tool for reclaiming mental sovereignty and overcoming dysfunctional patterns.

Furthermore, the accompanying 12 Traditions, originally developed to provide a framework for meetings, have become a source of inspiration for modern, agile communities of thought and organizational cultures built around anonymity, flatter hierarchies and the protection of a shared space.

More recent trauma-informed and holistic approaches likewise locate the roots of compensatory behavior in a sense of disconnection and being driven.