Mad men and Medusas : reclaiming hysteria and the effect of sibling relationships on the human condition

This worthy successor to Psychoanalysis and Feminism is both a defense of the long-dismissed diagnosis of hysteria as a centerpiece of the human condition and a plea for a new understanding of the influence of sibling and peer relationships. Juliet Mitchell argues that, because it our first social relationship, the sibling relationship is crucial to development, and that it is a critical failure of psychoanalysis and other psychological theories of development to obscure and ignore the importance of siblings and peers. In Mad Men and Medusas Mitchell traces the history of hysteria from the Greek "wandering womb" to modern-day psychiatric diagnoses, arguing that we need to reclaim hysteria to understand how distress and trauma express themselves in different societies and different times. Using fascinating examples from anthropology, Freud's case studies, literature, and her own clinical practice, Mitchell convincingly demonstrates that while hysteria may have disappeared as a disease, it is still a critical factor in understanding psychological development through the life cycle. -- From publisher's website "This is both a defense of the long-dismissed diagnosis of hysteria as a centerpiece of the human condition and a plea for a new understanding of the influence of sibling and peer relationships. Sibling relationships are crucial to development because they are our first social relationship, Mitchell argues, and it is a critical failure of psychoanalysis and other psychological theories of development to obscure and ignore siblings and peers."--BOOK JACKET. xiii, 380 pages ; 25 cm Includes bibliographical references (pages 353-363) and index Hysteria -- Sigmund Freud: a fragment of a case of hysteria in a male -- Dora: a fragment of a case of hysteria in a female -- Where has all the hysteria gone? -- Sexuality, death, and reproduction -- From hysteria to motherhood -- Emptiness and possession -- The hysterical lie -- Trauma -- Hysteria: from catastrophe to trauma Hysteria -- Sigmund Freud: A Fragment Of A Case Of Hysteria In A Male -- Dora: A Fragment Of A Case Of Hysteria In A Female -- Where Has All The Hysteria Gone? -- Sexuality, Death, And Reproduction -- From Hysteria To Motherhood -- Emptiness And Possession -- The Hysterical Lie -- Trauma -- Hysteria: From Catastrophe To Trauma. Juliet Mitchell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Hysteria, a malady described by the Greeks, was re-invented by Freud who identified it as a female problem. Juliet Mitchell gives a history of the illness, showing that it is a male disease (Freud was himself an hysteric), and its importance in an understanding of sexuality, creativity and death. The Taita people live in the Coast province of Kenya.