From: Jfvirey@aol.com
Date: Mon May 17 1999 - 23:50:27 MDT
In many science-fiction novels, psychoses and neuroses are presented as a
things of the past, and the humans of the future are shown to be much more
sane and psychologically balanced than those of today.
Has any good novel ever tried to envision what a psychotherapy of the future
would look like, or what conditions would make this general increase in
sanity possible?
I remember being fascinated by Van Vogt's "World of A", and the idea that a
kind of mental discipline (in this case, general semantics) could make people
much more rational, psychologically healthy and even intelligent than the
average individual. This led me to read Korzybski's "Science and Sanity" in
my late teens and subscribe to the periodical of the general semantics
society.
My infatuation with this movement soon subsided, but I have retained the
ideal of such a mental panacea.
Has such a preventive psychiatry been depicted in science-fiction, or has any
current psychologist tried to develop one?
Sincerely,
Jean-Francois Virey,
Douai, France.
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