Thomas Szasz: Primary Values and Major Contentions

by Lee S. Weinberg (editor), Thomas Szasz (Foreword), Richard Vatz (Editor)

Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz has been challenging the very existence of "mental illness" for over twenty-five years. His landmark book The Myth of Mental Illness won him recognition as America's leading opponent of conventional psychiatric practice. Szasz argues that "mental illness" and its supposed "cure," psychotherapy, are myths and that there is no medical basis for treating people labelled "mentally ill" as sick. He opposes involuntary hospitalization and insists that people be held responsible when they break the law.

Thomas Primary Values and Major Contentions is the first book to contain Szasz's essential values as well as criticism of Szasz and responses from his defenders. No other book organizes Szasz's major contentions in a readable and structured manner. Szasz's own words comprise the bulk of the book, which is designed as a means of introducing readers to Szasz without having to read all of his original works.

The editors have selected essays and excerpts from his major works that illustrate his value system, his central arguments about human behavior and human responsibility, and also the nature of the debate generated by these views. For students, professionals, and interested lay persons, this book contains the very best of Szasz as he grapples with such issues as


- mental illness as a myth
- autonomy

- authenticity
- humanism

- drug addiction and alchoholism
- schizophrenia

- sexual deviance
- crime and delinquency

- the insanity defense
- civil commitment

A complete bibliography of Szasz's publications is included.

Genres: Nonfiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1982

Reviews

[Alan Gerstle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Szasz at the time of his influence srgued that mental illness only existed among people who had organic brain disorders and otherwise the individual was labeled as mentally ill so as to maintain a homeostatic society. Rather than being mentally ill, those people who were labeled as such actually had 'problems of living'. meaning they don't or didn't learn the skills to fit into rhe social realm of discourse and behavior. In other words, they hadn't learned how to play rhe 'game' of social life. Interesting perspective athough what would be considered ' organic' today would include broader disorders thatcwere unknown during Szasz's era. It has also been observed that using the possessive form of his surnamecwas really cool ;* )