Mental Illness and Psychology - Softcover

Foucault, Michel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520256395 ISBN 13: 9780520256392

Publisher: University of California Press, 2008

Synopsis

This seminal early work of Foucault is indispensable to understanding his development as a thinker. Written in 1954 and revised in 1962, Mental Illness and Psychology delineates the shift that occurred in Foucault's thought during this period. The first iteration reflects the philosopher's early interest in and respect for Freud and the psychoanalytic tradition. The second part, rewritten in 1962, marks a dramatic change in Foucault's thinking. Examining the history of madness as a social and cultural construct, he moves outside of the psychoanalytic tradition into the radical critique of Freud that was to dominate his later work.

Mental Illness and Psychology is an important document tracing the intellectual evolution of this influential thinker. A foreword by Foucault scholar Hubert Dreyfus situates the book within the framework of Foucault's entire body of work.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Compelling and highly influential, Michel Foucault's Madness is an indispensable work for readers who wish to understand the intellectual evolution of one of the most important social theorists of the twentieth century.

Written in 1954 and revised in 1962, Madness delineates the profound shift that occurred in Foucault's thought during this period. The first iteration reflects the philosopher's early interest in and respect for Freudian theory and the psychoanalytic tradition. The second part marks a dramatic change in Foucault's thinking. Examining the history of madness as a social and cultural construct, he moves into a radical critique of Freud and toward the postmodern deconstruction that was to dominate and define his later work.

About the Author:

One of the most important theorists of the twentieth century, Michel Foucault's (1926-1984) many influential books include Discipline and Punish, The Archeology of Knowledge, The History of Sexuality, and The Discourse on Language.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0520256395
• ISBN 13: 9780520256392
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 133