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America is a mistake

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Freud, Hall and Jung in front row

I recently watched A Dangerous Method, a fascinating drama on the birth of psychoanalysis and the compelling relationships between Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein.  The film mostly focuses on the characters time in Switzerland, but there is a scene toward the end of the film where Freud and Jung come to America in 1909 for a conference at Clark University, sponsored by G. Stanley Hall.  The conference also included William James, who found himself soon overshadowed by these two Europeans.  Apparently, Freud came away with a disconcerting diagnosis of America, but his visit would reshape the way America viewed psychiatry.  Here's more on this famous journey.


Comments

  1. avrdsMay 30, 2012 at 1:14 AM

    The movie looks a little over the top for me, but the link was fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  2. James FergusonMay 30, 2012 at 7:21 AM

    Excellent performances, av. Vincent Cassel was quite the scene stealer as Otto Gross. Really worth watching.

    ReplyDelete
  3. James FergusonMay 30, 2012 at 11:20 AM

    This looks like an interesting book on Freud's influence in America,

    http://books.google.lt/books/about/The_rise_and_crisis_of_psychoanalysis_in.html?id=5EVqAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y

    ReplyDelete

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