Psychotherapy East and West: a retrospective review, part I – 1961–1970

Autor: Peter J. Columbus
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Self & Society. 43:345-353
ISSN: 2374-5355
0306-0497
DOI: 10.1080/03060497.2016.1142261
Popis: This article is the first of a two-part retrospective reflection on Alan Watts’ 1961 book Psychotherapy East and West. Part I concerns 1961–1970, especially initial book reviews in academic journals. Watts’ text garnered early interest from psychologists and psychotherapists rather than from religionists, and Watts was praised for his writing style and challenging outlook. The book was concurrently scrutinizing and indicative of problematic predicaments in 1960s psychotherapy and American society by its lining up with values and aspirations of countercultural and human potential movements. Critical and affirmative commentaries tended to focus on Watts’ approach to ego transcendence. The 1960s ended with divided opinion about Watts and his work viewed from optimistic literary and skeptical Freudian vantage points.
Databáze: OpenAIRE