How did Freudian Theory come together as a body of ideas, and how did these ideas attract followers who spread this model of mind throughout the West? Makari contextualises Freud's early psychological work amid the great changes occurring in late-nineteenth-century European science, philosophy, and medicine, showing how Freud was a creative, inter-disciplinary synthesizer whose immersion in pre-existing domains of study led to the creation of Freudian Theory.

He looks at how Freud's followers built a heterogeneous movement in the years leading to 1914, at the growth of the movement, and its subsequent collapse with the departures of Bleuler, Jung and Adler. Finally, Makari examines the critical, but neglected, Weimar period, when there was an attempt to rebuild a more pluralistic psychoanalytic community. This reformation resulted in the broader theoretical reach of psychoanalysis and its greater acceptance across the Western world outside Europe, where the rise of fascism was to lead to the destruction of psychoanalysis and the culture that once sustained it.

About the Author

George Makari M.D. is Director of Cornell's Institute for the History of Psychiatry, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College, and Visiting Associate Professor at Rockefeller University.

Reviews

'Brilliant... A magisterial study that moves beyond the heated disputes of past decades to gives us a detailed, deeply reflective history... The book will serve historians of the field, as well as undaunted readers, for many years to come' Financial Times

'Gripping... At last: a history of psychoanalysis without partisanship or rancour. This neutral and thorough account of one of the most controversial intellectual movements to sweet Europe and the world... is greatly needed today... An impressive achievement' Literary Review

'Rich and even-handed enough for partisans on both sides of the divide to find ammunition for their cause... Makari's lucid and thoroughly researched book is an indispensable guide' TLS

'This history of psychoanalysis aims to display, as they bubble up, ideas that are hardly ideas any longer, more part of our psychic landscape. George Makari... lets us in on the stage where what has since hardened into dogma is still in flux, showing us how Freud took on and discarded theories, tinkering and patching. Similarly fluid, as Makari shows, is the ownership of idea' Guardian

'Not only of high scientific value but also enjoyable to read... Makari has succeeded in writing an important, even brilliant book... An immensely joyful experience' International Journal of Psychoanalysis

'Freud's context is more fully elaborated by Makari than ever before. I admire in particular the sanity and balance of this work, since it shows that Freud's value transcends his scientism' Harold Bloom

'George Makari has written nothing less than a history of the modern mind... an astounding breadth of knowledge and an unprecedented gift for synthesis' Paul Auster

Book Information
ISBN 9780715639627
Author George Makari
Format Paperback
Page Count 624
Imprint Duckworth
Publisher Duckworth Books