Arieti undertook psychotherapy of schizophrenic patients, an unusual approach that few of his colleagues chose to pursue. His work was considered in his time as a major revision of the concept of schizophrenia after Kraeplin and Bleuler.
Arieti treated patients with schizophrenia using unconventional methods that were not commonly pursued by other experts. His contributions were considered an important update to the understanding of schizophrenia after Kraeplin and Bleuler.