The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct

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Harper Collins, Jul 12, 2011 - Psychology - 368 pages

“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.

From inside the book

Contents

11 Theology Witchcraft and Hysteria
VGAMEMODEL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR
13 Hysteria as a Game
14 Impersonation and Illness
15 The Ethics of Psychiatry
Conclusions
Epilogue
Summary

4 Breuer and Freuds Studies on Hysteria
5 Hysteria and Psychosomatic Medicine
6 Contemporary Views of Hysteria and Mental Illness
Part TwoFoundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct
IIISEMIOTICAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR
7 Language and Protolanguage
8 Hysteria as Communication
IVRULEFOLLOWING ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR
9 The RuleFollowing Model of Human Behavior
10 The Ethics of Helplessness and Helpfulness
Mental Illness Is Still a Myth
Defining Disease
References
Bibliography
Name Index
Subject Index
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Copyright
About the Publisher
Copyright

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About the author (2011)

Thomas S. Szasz, M.D., is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the State University of New York in Syracuse, where he has taught since 1956.

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