The healing power of words : psychotherapy in the USSR, 1956-1985
This thesis examines the growth of psychotherapy as a discipline in the Soviet Union between 1956 and 1985, looking at the types of treatment that existed in this period, the tasks that psychotherapy was to perform according to physicians who promoted it, and their efforts to establish it as a distinct medical speciality and popularise it within the Soviet healthcare system. It looks at how different challenges encountered by the promoters of psychotherapy influenced its practice and the discourse around it, and how it was shaped by a broader political, social and cultural context of the USSR. It demonstrates that psychotherapy after Stalin was not stagnant but developed into a diverse field fuelled by enthusiasm of its practitioners who, while sticking to methods that by mid-twentieth century lost popularity in the West, gave them new theoretical underpinnings, constantly worked to modify and improve them, and supplemented them by new ideas and approaches. The result was a unique form of psychotherapy characterised by a physiological language, a specific view of the human mind and body and an unusually broad understanding of its tasks. This thesis analyses the legitimising strategies employed by psychotherapists
Brokman, Aleksandra
The healing power of words : psychotherapy in the USSR, 1956-1985. This thesis examines the growth of psychotherapy as a discipline in the Soviet Union between 1956 and 1985, looking at the types of treatment that existed in this period, the tasks that psychotherapy was to perform according to physicians who promoted it, and their efforts to establish it as a distinct medical speciality and popularise it within the Soviet healthcare system. It looks at how different challenges encountered by the promoters of psychotherapy influenced its practice and the discourse around it, and how it was shaped by a broader political, social and cultural context of the USSR. It demonstrates that psychotherapy after Stalin was not stagnant but developed into a diverse field fuelled by enthusiasm of its practitioners who, while sticking to methods that by mid-twentieth century lost popularity in the West, gave them new theoretical underpinnings, constantly worked to modify and improve them, and supplemented them by new ideas and approaches. The result was a unique form of psychotherapy characterised by a physiological language, a specific view of the human mind and body and an unusually broad understanding of its tasks. This thesis analyses the legitimising strategies employed by psychotherapists
heal power word psychotherapy ussr examines growth psychotherapy discipline soviet_union look type treatment exist period task psychotherapy perform accord physician promote effort establish distinct medical popularise within soviet healthcare system look different challenge encounter promoter psychotherapy influenced practice discourse around shape broad political_social cultural_context ussr demonstrate psychotherapy stalin stagnant develop diverse field fuel enthusiasm practitioner method lose popularity west give new theoretical underpinnings constantly work modify improve supplement new_idea approach unique form psychotherapy characterise physiological language_specific view human_mind body unusually broad task analysis legitimise strategy_employ