Why do 'maladies of the soul' such as hysteria, anxiety disorders, or depression wax and wane over time? Through a study of the history of psychiatry, Borch-Jacobsen argues that most mental illnesses are not, in fact, diseases, but the product of varying expectations shared and negotiated by therapists and patients. He offers a critique of all the theories, including psychoanalysis and biomedical psychiatry, that claim to discover facts about the human psyche while, in reality, producing them.

A student of Freud, psychoanalyst William Reich developed a theory in the 1930s that proposed sexual permissiveness as a means to alleviate repression and improve health. His ideas prepared the way for the sexual revolution of the 1960s and his machine to focus 'orgone energy' was ultimately lampooned by Woody Allen as the orgasmatron in Sleeper. Christopher Turner's much-praised book tells the story of the radical and influential thinker and his extraordinary life.

Where does human brilliance come from? Are some of us blessed with certain genetic 'gifts'? Science journalist David Shenk argues that intelligence and talent are not predetermined to the extent that is often claimed, and that we should be aware of how to influence interactions between our genes and our environment. The book's first part sets out this thesis, while the second part provides full details of the evidence used.

William B Irvine, a professor of philosophy, investigates insults, their history, the role they play in social relationships, and the science behind them; concluding that the best way to deal with them is to become 'insult pacifists'.

'There's a universe inside your head - a place of pictures and passions, of songs and sorrows. It's everything you are - and it's an utter mystery'. This book follows the quest to unravel the mystery of the brain and explains what science has discovered so far. In chapters on topics from consciousness, learning and memory to disorders and healing, it offers an expert survey of up-to-date research and advice on how best to use our own brains.

A physician, professor of neurology and author, Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) has been described by the New York Times as 'a kind of poet laureate of contemporary medicine'. His books are made up of case histories of his patients, and explore both their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them.

The seven cases in this volume include a colour-blind painter, prodigious feats of calculation and draughtsmanship by savants, and an autistic professor of animal science.

A physician, professor of neurology and author, Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) has been described by the New York Times as 'a kind of poet laureate of contemporary medicine'. His books are made up of case histories of his patients, and explore both their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them.

Now a medical classic and also the subject of a major film, this book describes the awakening of 20 victims of a sleeping-sickness epidemic that had rendered them catatonic some 40 years earlier.

A physician, professor of neurology and author, Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) has been described by the New York Times as 'a kind of poet laureate of contemporary medicine'. His books are made up of case histories of his patients, and explore both their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them.

In this book, Sacks draws on the stories of his patients and his own experiences with hallucinogenics to show how hallucinations have influenced every culture's folklore and art, and why the potential for hallucination is in all of us and not confined to the mentally ill.

A physician, professor of neurology and author, Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) has been described by the New York Times as 'a kind of poet laureate of contemporary medicine'. His books are made up of case histories of his patients, and explore both their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them.

In Seeing Voices, a journey into the world of the profoundly deaf, Sacks examines the consequences of living in silence, including the different ways in which the deaf and the hearing learn to categorize and convey the experience of their respective worlds.

As its title suggests, this book traces the development of psychiatry from the ancient philosophers, through the days of Bedlam to the therapies available today. It profiles pioneers such as Freud and Jung, and charts the rise of treatments such as psychoanalysis, pharmacology and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. A section on diagnosis defines a range of conditions from autism to schizophrenia, while the concluding chapter examines psychiatry and the law.

People who survive a near-death experience often report encounters with departed relatives and a great feeling of wellbeing. In this book neurologist Kevin Nelson draws on his research into these and similar phenomena, including out-of-body experiences and religious visions, and shows how activity in the primitive brainstem, working in tandem with the limbic system - the most ancient area of our cerebral cortex, may be the biological cause of our sense of the spiritual.

A teacher of child development and cognitive neuroscience, with a particular interest in dyslexia, Maryanne Wolf invites us to ponder what we do when we read. Beginning with the early history of writing systems and how human beings learned to read, she examines the 'natural history' of ever more sophisticated ways of reading that developed over time, and discusses the science of what happens when the brain cannot learn to read.

Until the late 1980s it was believed that consciousness could not be investigated by objective experimentation, but today the quest for its biological basis is at the forefront of cognitive research. This book, by a leading researcher in the neuroscience of language and number processing, shows how modern tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging can pinpoint the physiological markers that reveal long-distance communication networks within the brain, providing data to answer long-standing questions about consciousness.

On land and sea, on mountains and in deep caves, in the frozen wastes of Antarctica and the vastness of space, men and women risk all to live, work and play in extreme environments. What personal qualities does it take? Drawing on evocative first-hand accounts and the latest psychological research, this book reveals the courage, teamwork, skill and determination required to endure pain, fear, stress and loneliness, and the lessons we can all derive for everyday life.

Focused on the reciprocal relationship between language and social psychology, this handbook comprises 30 essays in six sections covering the social dimensions of language variation; the social processes involved in language-based interactions; linguistic underpinnings of interpersonal processes; the role of language in social psychological processes; language and meaning; and applied topics, including computer-mediated communication. Oxford Library of Psychology series.

Part of the Oxford Library of Psychology, this handbook is organized around the principle of 'molecular psychology' and unites cutting-edge research from a wide range of disciplines including clinical neuroscience and genetics, psychology and behavioural neuroscience. In 20 essays, the contributors use molecular approaches to investigate social behaviour, emotion, cognition and stress in healthy volunteers, patients and various non-human species.

The author of the bestselling Affluenza here examines British society during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when mental illness grew substantially even though wealth was increasing and education became more accessible. He identifies two causes: pathological comparison of ourselves with others and shifting gender relations. The book was first published in 1998; each chapter in this second edition has a postscript analysing more recent changes in society.

American-cut pages.

A pioneering work in psychology first published in 1908, this enormously influential book served as a catalyst in the study of the foundations of social behaviour. McDougall's work grounds social behaviour in biology and and he was the first to formulate a theory of human instinctive behaviour. This volume is a reprint of the 1936 (14th) edition.

Why does life speed up as we get older? Why does time seem to slow down when we fear we are about to die? Using research from psychology, neuroscience and biology, the presenter of BBC Radio 4's All In The Mind examines the idea that the experience of time is created by our minds. She also presents her own research into people's visualizations of time and suggests how we can use our brain's warping of it to our advantage.

Lennon and McCartney, the Wright brothers, Marie and Pierre Curie - despite the persistent romantic myth of the lone genius, some of the greatest creative work has resulted from collaboration between two people. Shenk analyses how the most innovative pairings have worked, and identifies the common journey taken by scientific and artistic minds as they exchange and refine ideas, before arguing that the fluidity and flexibility of the pair makes it the primary creative unit.

How can we ensure that we are thinking reliably about the thorniest problems? This book offers one eminent philosopher's answer - a selection of 77 'prosthetic imagination-extenders and focus-holders', which range from the familiar Occam's razor and reductio ad absurdum to the novel concepts of 'sphexishness' and 'deepity'. They are introduced in engaging, humorous essays which use thought-experiments involving subjects such as computer science, evolution and consciousness to show why each tool is needed.

All animals have some form of memory, but humans are unique in the complexity of our memories and our ability to pass them on to the next generation. Malone's history of human civilization traverses 10,000 years; focusing on those moments when each new technology - from cave paintings to the internet - enhanced our ability to store and communicate information, he reveals the importance of memory as the driving force behind some of the greatest human achievements.

Comedian, author and mental-health campaigner Ruby Wax (b.1953) has been on a long, tough journey through depression, which included earning an MA in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy from Oxford University. In this funny but moving bestseller she aims to show us how to rewire our thinking to become the master of our minds, not the slave, so we can regulate our moods and thoughts, and find that elusive thing called happiness.

During the 1870s the famous Salpetriere Hospital in Paris had an entire ward dedicated to treating 'hysteria'. This mysterious illness baffled physicians and fascinated the public, who came to witness the spectacle of Dr Jean-Martin Charcot's demonstrations with his hysterical patients. After a profile of Charcot himself, this book tells the stories of Blanche, Augustine and Genevieve - three of the 'hysterics' under his care and hospitalized during a crucial moment in the history of psychiatry.

Born into a world of upheaval, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, transformed the way we understand ourselves. This absorbing illustrated biography offers a clear, concise account of his life and work. Featuring many rarely published images, it charts the development of his ideas, and his complex relations with his family, colleagues and rivals. Embedding him firmly in the social and cultural context of Vienna, it also explores his ambivalent relation to the city and to his Jewish roots.

The founding father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud transformed the way we understand ourselves. Produced in collaboration with the Freud Museum in London, this handsome, slipcased biography charts the development of his ideas, his relations with his patients and pupils, his disagreements with colleagues, his practice in Vienna and his exile from the Nazis in London, and assesses his legacy. Period photographs and 15 removable facsimile documents immerse the reader in his life and times.

A physician, professor of neurology and author, Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) has been described by the New York Times as 'a kind of poet laureate of contemporary medicine'. His books are made up of case histories of his patients, and examine both their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them.

Exploring the powers of music to torment, calm and heal, in Musicophilia Sacks analyses case studies involving musical hallucinations, amnesia, synaesthesia and even seizures caused by romantic music.