PSYC 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 18: Franz Mesmer, Aversion Therapy, Dorothea Dix

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Meredith Chivers

Document Summary

Chapter 18: the treatment of psychological disorders: 588-625. Odd behaviour was viewed as the presence of the devil/evil spirits. Trephining: earliest attempts of treatment by drilling into skull to allow evil spirits to leave the head. Exorcisms, beating, starving, drowning, etc. were rituals to rid of evil. Johann weir argued against the idea of evil spirits; said odd behaviour indicated suffering mental illness. Mental illnesses were later accepted, but people suffering were shunned from society, usually in asylums. Most asylums were extremely inhumane, patients kept in chains. Philippe pinel said most mental patients would respond better to positivity. Dorothea dix, based on pinel s success, led the campaign for humane treatment of mental patients. Modenrn approach traced to franz anton mesmer practiced mesmerism (hypnosis) to treat patients; jean charcot studied hysteria and used hypnosis in his treatment; freud later worked with charcot leading to his approach of psychoanalysis.