Noting that the individualized language of society tends to limit attempts at building community-based interpersonal communication, this paper addresses the dilemma by investigating the therapeutic language of Carl Rogers in light of insights from work by Maurice Friedman and also from "Habits of the Heart: Individualism, and Commitment in American Life" (Bellah, et al., 1985). The paper reveals that Friedman saw psychologism as a problem in Rogers' therapeutic language and as the beginning of society's individualized language. Using interview data gathered by the authors of "Habits of the Heart," the paper also examines how therapeutic language, in general, is aimed at helping the self, not the community, and that the language of individualism is so common and powerful in everyday speech that those who wish to express community concern find they lack the vocabulary to do so. Implications and questions are raised for research on interpersonal ethics, such as the lack of choice in the established, individualized, interpersonal language of society, how a community language of interpersonal communication might be described, and how this language would contrast with and complement current interpersonal communication. (SRT)