attention. Table of Contents Part 1: The Starting Point: The Malaise in Rural Areas Part 2: Definition of the Problem Part 3: The Change in the Relationship between Humanity and the Environment Part 4: Change in Interpersonal Relationships Part 5: A Practical Example: Reflections on Contemporary Rural Development Policy in Switzerland Part 6: A Guiding Image for the Support and Promotion of Rural Independence with Inclusion of Social Realities Theodor Abt, Ph. D., is a professor of agronomy and economic planning at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and a training analyst at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich. The author of numerous articles and works in German, he is also an internationally known speaker and consultant on problems relating to modernization planning.