Loughran, TL (2009) Shell-shock and psychological medicine in First World War Britain. Social History of Medicine, 22 (1). pp. 79-95. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkn093
Loughran, TL (2009) Shell-shock and psychological medicine in First World War Britain. Social History of Medicine, 22 (1). pp. 79-95. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkn093
Loughran, TL (2009) Shell-shock and psychological medicine in First World War Britain. Social History of Medicine, 22 (1). pp. 79-95. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkn093
Abstract
Historians have viewed the experience of shell-shock in First World War Britain as a crucial episode in the development of ?modern? psychological medicine, arguing doctors initially believed shell-shock was caused by the physical effects of shell explosions, and only gradually realised these were psychological disorders, treatable by psychotherapy. This article argues that conceptual frameworks of pre-war medicine provided models of mind-body relations which allowed doctors to recognise the emotional origins of shell-shock on the outbreak of war. Distinct schools of ?physical? and ?psychological? thought only emerged in 1916; physical theories persisted beyond 1918; and the war had an uneven effect on engagement with psychodynamic theories. Adoption of psychological vocabulary outstripped understanding, and widespread dissemination also resulted in hostility. Shell-shock marked an important moment in the emergence of the distinct disciplines of psychology and psychiatry in Britain, but this did not involve a radical departure from pre-war concepts of mental health.
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Uncontrolled Keywords: | First World War; shell-shock; psychology; psychoanalysis; psychiatry |
Subjects: | D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D501 World War I D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain R Medicine > R Medicine (General) |
Divisions: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, School of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 21 Aug 2017 11:06 |
Last Modified: | 30 Oct 2024 16:31 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/20231 |