Madness: A Brief History 1st Edition by Roy Porter (PDF)

Description

This fascinating story of madness reveals the radically different perceptions of madness and approaches to its treatment, from antiquity to the present day.Roy Porter explores what we really mean by ‘madness’, covering an enormous range of topics from witches to creative geniuses, electric shock therapy to sexual deviancy, psychoanalysis to prozac.The origins of current debates about how we define and deal with insanity are examined through eyewitness accounts of those treating patients, writers, artists, and the mad themselves.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book is a good read and at the end he has a “further reading” section with suggested books and brief comments on those books relevant for each of the chapters in his book. Porter takes a look both from a cultural perspective (i.e. what religion or different thinkers thought about madness) and then, as he moves in the modern period, also from a medical perspective. He also covers the asylum system, then the development of psychology in the late 19th century with Freud and then some into the 20th century. One thing he did mention but did not cover at all was “animal magnetism,” which is a subject I think was popular at one point in history. Also understandably not covered but helpful to know about are any foreign cultures’ views on madness, in particular the views on madness of other spiritual traditions (not just of other well-known religions but also indigenous spiritual healing tradition’s views that are not religiously institutionalized).Pretty much, I think scientists still don’t have a great understanding of the mind-brain and perhaps will continue like this until physics becomes more advanced and scientists stop viewing people as just consisting of a material body and embodied mind, i.e. the mind is just the brain. That said, I am not a doctor/medical researcher and it does seem medical science research is perhaps making at least some progress when it comes to mental issues.Two other books I found around this subject but have not read yet but might be of interest to other people is * Soul Machine: The Invention of the Modern Mind * by George Makari and * The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, from Vienna 1900 to the Present * by Eric Kandel. (Edit: I have now read * Soul Machine * it is a very good book.)I do find this subject of the mind and brain to be very interesting and really hope scientists can make progress of this stuff soon. The world is really in need of this.

⭐For a little book Roy Porter knows how to pack in the information. I purchased this book while taking a course about the history of psychology. It really came in handy when it came time to write my final paper. While it is not the most comprehensive book on the market, it is full of useful and well-researched information. Another book that pairs well with this would be Edward Shorter’s A History of Psychology

⭐What I liked most about Porter’s book was how easy it was to navigate and thumb threw. I could quickly find the information I needed, or use it as a jumping off point. If you’re studying psychology and want to know more about its mad history I recommend this book. It’s entertaining and easy to read.

⭐I am using this book for my dissertation. It is very informative! A great read if you’re interested in this subject.

⭐Good book. Not very extensive (it does say “Brief History” in title, but still). Arrived in time, in great condition.

⭐I had no issues with this book, I suggest it for those who like history. Amazon is a good place to start for required text for any course.

⭐Good

⭐This order was used for teaching students and is used over and over. We need more copies. They were in great condition and shipped very quickly. Recommend this buyer and would use again.

⭐Great read and doesn’t sound like an academic or historian wrote it which is what I was looking for.

⭐This is not a bad book, it definitely does not lack academic rigor despite the fact I believe it has been written with a non-academic or popular readership in mind, while not a recent publication it did mention a number of responses to Thomas S. Szaz’s “Myth of Mental Illness”, including “The Reality of Mental Illness” and one or two others in the introduction.I found there was a lot of historical material here and it is a pretty unflinching look at the origins and earliest days of psychiatry’s developing its practices. It is not a journalistic style of writing or a long winded opinion piece either, lots of good references and content is not unsupported. That said this is a small format, almost hip pocket style hardback, which I think is more of a pop psychology read.Interesting, easy reading too, however, do read some of the other titles that are mentioned in this text and do some reading beyond this single book. Recommended.

⭐I read this book several years ago, before I started working as a college instructor in psychopatholy courses (grad and underg.). At the time I enjoyed it a lot. Now, several years later and with a lot more experience – and with a bigger reading list behind -, I still find this book enjoyable, relevant, humorous but fair minded, well researched and over-reaching – a must read for students, teachers and clinicians alike. You will find the book approach to “madness” a thouroughly refreshing eye opener.

⭐A nice summary of the history of psychiatry and mental illness in Western cultures. While it’s too short to give much analysis of the topic, it does provide a clear sense of how the field evolved.

⭐It is a subject that interests me from a historical perspective.A bit old fashioned but it is an old book.I would recommend to anyone if they had similar interest.

⭐I’ve read Roy Porter over the years and have always enjoyed his work. Found this book as entertaining as his work always is. This book was too brief though. I would have liked more depth. Still it is what the title says it is. I still appreciate all of his works. Love his sense of fun and the lively way he wrote.

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