Mental Research Institute

The Mental Research Institute sits behind a low-slung, unassuming facade on Middle Avenue that hides its history as the epicenter of family therapy. In the nineteen fifties, a group of researchers including Don Jackson and Gregory Bateson gathered here to shift psychology away from the solitary mind. They argued that mental illness often stems from dysfunctional patterns within a person’s family interactions. Jackson famously coined the term family homeostasis, claiming that families work hard to maintain the status quo, even if that status is painful.