I–Thou
adj. denoting a relationship in which a subject (“I”) treats someone or something else as another unique subject (“Thou”). German Jewish philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965), who introduced the term, held that the I–Thou relationship allows for full empathy between subjects that can be transformative, in contrast to the I–It relationship, which objectifies the other. Buber also held that a person’s relationship with God is the ultimate I–Thou relationship, because God is quintessentially Thou. In forms of existential–humanistic therapy especially, I–Thou moments are prized and denote a significant contact and understanding between client and therapist.