The divided self : an existential study in sanity and madness / R.D. Laing ; with an introduction by Anthony David.
"His groundbreaking exploration of the nature of madness, R.D. Laing's The Divided Self illuminated the nature mental illness, making the mysteries of the mind comprehensible to a lay audience. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Professor Anthony S. David. Fir...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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©2010
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| Series: | Penguin modern classics.
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| Summary: | "His groundbreaking exploration of the nature of madness, R.D. Laing's The Divided Self illuminated the nature mental illness, making the mysteries of the mind comprehensible to a lay audience. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Professor Anthony S. David. First published in 1960, this watershed work aimed to make madness comprehensible, and in doing so revolutionized the way we perceive mental illness. Using case studies of patients he had worked with, psychiatrist R. D. Laing argued that psychosis is not a medical condition, but an outcome of the 'divided self', or the tension between the two personas within us: one our authentic, private identity, and the other the false, 'sane' self that we present to the world. Laing's radical approach to insanity offered a rich existential analysis of personal alienation and made him a cult figure in the 1960s, yet his work was most significant for its humane attitude, which put the patient back at the centre of treatment."--Publisher's website. |
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| Item Description: | "First published by Tavistock Publications Ltd. 1960"--Title page verso. |
| Physical Description: | xi, 218 pages ; 20 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780141189376 0141189371 |