School Of PsychologyMadness - Myth and ExperienceWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 53070.1
Discipline: PSYCHOLOGY
Student Contribution Band: 1
Level: 4
Credit Points: 10
About this Unit
This unit examines the phenomenon of madness from a critical psychological perspective. This includes an evaluation of the medical and cultural discourse associated with madness, an evaluation of the phenomenology of madness from the perspective of the patient, and a critical analysis of aetiological theories, as well as treatment and therapy. The unit begins with an analysis of the history of psychiatry, drawing on recent critiques of psychiatric intervention. The role of gender, social class, ethnicity and life experience in the aetiology of madness are assessed, as are the implications of these factors for assessment and intervention. Different theoretical analyses of madness are examined, including social constructionist, cognitive, biological, Buddhist, and psychoanalytic theories. Experiences of assessment and treatment within these different approaches are explored. The relationship between madness and creativity is explored, through an analysis of representations of madness in art, film, literature, theatre and poetry.