This essay is based on three portrayals of situations that arise when I, as a psychologist, meet clients and colleagues with a different view of psychological well-being than I have. Where I have a humanistic approach and the people I meet have more of a scientific approach to psychological well-being. To understand and reflect on these situations, I use several theoretical concepts that describe the difficulties that arise on both a societal, relational and individual level. These theories are the order of discourse by Michel Foucault, alienation by Rahel Jaeggi, I-Thou and I-It by Martin Buber and bad faith by Jean-Paul Sartre. Foucault's concept of the order of discourse helps to show how the current discourse, in this case the scientific one, both excludes and minimizes alternative discourses, in this case the humanistic one. Jaeggi's concept of alienation shows the experience of being in a relationship but not connecting, which in turn creates an experience of estrangement and powerlessness. Buber's word pairs I-Thou and I-It highlight aspects of how humans are objectified and how this is affected by the relationship with other people and the ability to create genuine encounters. Finally, Sartre's concept of bad faith shows how one can understand the comfort of the self-deception in avoiding taking responsibility for one's life decisions and one's mental health. In the essay, I also take help from the author Janet Frame and her literary work about her time as a patient in a psychiatry ward. Her texts have helped me to show the whole person, not just the role assigned to the individual.