Thomas S. Szasz The myth of mental illness foundations of a theory of personal conduct Harper Collins eBooks 2014

“The landmark book that argued that psychiatry consistently expands its definition of mental illness to impose its authority over moral and cultural conflict.” — New York Times The 50th anniversary edition of the most influential critique of psychiatry every written, with a new preface on the age of Prozac and Ritalin and the rise of designer drugs, plus two bonus essays. Thomas Szasz's classic book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices. By diagnosing unwanted behavior as mental illness, psychiatrists, Szasz argues, absolve individuals of responsibility for their actions and instead blame their alleged illness. He also critiques Freudian psychology as a pseudoscience and warns against the dangerous overreach of psychiatry into all aspects of modern life. Title Page Contents Preface: Fifty Years After The Myth of Mental Illness Introduction Part One: The Myth of Mental Illness I : GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF THE MYTH 1. Charcot and the Problem of Hysteria 2. Illness and Counterfeit Illness 3. The Social Context of Medical Practice II: HYSTERIA: AN EXAMPLE OF THE MYTH 4. Breuer and Freud’s Studies on Hysteria 5. Hysteria and Psychosomatic Medicine 6. Contemporary Views of Hysteria and Mental Illness Part Two: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct III: SEMIOTICAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR 7. Language and Protolanguage 8. Hysteria as Communication IV: RULE-FOLLOWING ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR 9. The Rule-Following Model of Human Behavior 10. The Ethics of Helplessness and Helpfulness 11. Theology, Witchcraft, and Hysteria V: GAME-MODEL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR 12. The Game-Playing Model of Human Behavior 13. Hysteria as a Game 14. Impersonation and Illness 15. The Ethics of Psychiatry Conclusions Epilogue Summary Appendix 1: Mental Illness Is Still a Myth Appendix 2: Defining Disease References Bibliography Name Index Subject Index ABOUT THE AUTHOR Books by Thomas S. Szasz Copyright About the Publisher

50th Anniversary Edition With a New Preface and Two Bonus Essays

The most influential critique of psychiatry ever written, Thomas Szasz's classic book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices. By diagnosing unwanted behavior as mental illness, psychiatrists, Szasz argues, absolve individuals of responsibility for their actions and instead blame their alleged illness. He also critiques Freudian psychology as a pseudoscience and warns against the dangerous overreach of psychiatry into all aspects of modern life.

Since the modern concept of hysteria was cut from the cloth of malingering, and since the physician most responsible for establishing "hysteria" as a medically legitimate illness was Charcot, I shall start with an examination of his work; and I shall then trace the development of the concept of hysteria to the present time. The most influential critique of psychiatry ever written, Szasz's classic 1974 book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices