Anatomy of Madness

What is hidden behind normality? Where does personality end and its destruction begin? Where is the boundary between conviction and suggestion, between "e;I think"e; and "e;they think me"e;?Vladimir Bekhterev, an outstanding Russian psychiatrist, neurologist, philosopher and founder of objective psychology, left behind not only a scientific legacy, but also texts that read like a surgical dissection of the human psyche. This book is a collection of his most radical and profound reflections on the nature of insanity, suggestion, split personality, loss of will and scientific analysis of abnormal behavior. The publication includes texts devoted to the experimental study of criminals, issues of individual and social personality structure, mechanisms for the formation of moral and antisocial attitudes, as well as the role of suggestion in psychiatric, pedagogical and social practice. Particular attention is paid to transitional and borderline states of consciousness, disruption of the volitional and sensory sphere, as well as the phenomenon of loss of selfhood under the influence of external and internal influences. The overarching theme of the collection is Bekhterev's attempt to scientifically comprehend those states that were previously perceived as exclusively moral, pathological or religious. The works are published in a scientifically reliable edition, preserving the original structure, terminology and style. The book is intended for specialists in the field of psychiatry, clinical psychology, philosophy of consciousness, as well as for a wide range of readers interested in the history of scientific ideas about the human personality, deviant behavior and suggestion as a psychophysiological and social phenomenon.