Mad men and Medusas : reclaiming hysteria

Bibliographic Information

Mad men and Medusas : reclaiming hysteria

Juliet Mitchell

Basic Books, 2000

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

In this eagerly anticipated new work, the author of the classic Psychoanalysis and Feminism argues that we must reclaim hysteria to have a full understanding of the human condition. . This worthy successor to Psychoanalysis and Feminism is both a defense of the long-dismissed diagnosis of hysteria as a centerpiece of the human condition and a plea for a new understanding of the influence of sibling and peer relationships. Juliet Mitchell argues that, because it our first social relationship, the sibling relationship is crucial to development, and that it is a critical failure of psychoanalysis and other psychological theories of development to obscure and ignore the importance of siblings and peers. In Mad Men and Medusas Mitchell traces the history of hysteria from the Greek "wandering womb" to modern-day psychiatric diagnoses, arguing that we need to reclaim hysteria to understand how distress and trauma express themselves in different societies and different times. Using fascinating examples from anthropology, Freud's case studies, literature, and her own clinical practice, Mitchell convincingly demonstrates that while hysteria may have disappeared as a disease, it is still a critical factor in understanding psychological development through the life cycle.

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Details

  • NCID
    BA51461944
  • ISBN
    • 0465046134
  • LCCN
    00041469
  • Country Code
    us
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    New York
  • Pages/Volumes
    xiii, 380 p.
  • Size
    25 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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