The Divided Self is a unique study of the human situation.
Dr Laing's first purpose is to make madness and the process of going mad comprehensible. In this, with case studies of schizophrenic patients, he succeeds brilliantly, but he does more; through a vision of sanity and madness as 'degrees of conjunction and disjunction between two persons where the one is sane by common consent' he offers a rich existential analysis of personal alienation.
The outsider, estranged from himself and society, cannot experience either himself or others as 'real'. He invents a false self and with it he confronts both the outside world and his own despair. The disintegration of his real self keeps pace with the growing unreality of his false self until, in the extremes of schizophrenic breakdown, te whole personality disintegrates.
Or split into 4x interest-free payments of 25% on orders over R50
Learn more
The Divided Self is a unique study of the human situation.
Dr Laing's first purpose is to make madness and the process of going mad comprehensible. In this, with case studies of schizophrenic patients, he succeeds brilliantly, but he does more; through a vision of sanity and madness as 'degrees of conjunction and disjunction between two persons where the one is sane by common consent' he offers a rich existential analysis of personal alienation.
The outsider, estranged from himself and society, cannot experience either himself or others as 'real'. He invents a false self and with it he confronts both the outside world and his own despair. The disintegration of his real self keeps pace with the growing unreality of his false self until, in the extremes of schizophrenic breakdown, te whole personality disintegrates.
Imprint | Penguin Books |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Release date | August 1965 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days |
First published | August 1965 |
Authors | R.D. Laing |
Dimensions | 197 x 129 x 14mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback - B-format |
Pages | 218 |
Edition | Reissue |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-14-013537-4 |
Barcode | 9780140135374 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-14-013537-5 |