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Thomas Szasz

Thomas Szasz Quotes

Psychiatrist

Thomas Szasz, born on April 15, 1920 in Hungary, was a renowned American psychiatrist, writer, and philosopher. He is known for his critical views on psychiatry and liberalism, particularly his skepticism about the nature of mental illness and his emphasis on individual freedom.

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Famous Thomas Szasz Quotes

“The Nazis spoke of having a Jewish problem. We now speak of having a drug-abuse problem. Actually, "Jewish problem" was the name the Germans gave to their persecution of the Jews; "drug-abuse problem" is the name we give to the persecution of people who use certain drugs.”

People Giving Use Problem Certain Names Speak Drug Abuse Jew Spokes Nazi Persecution Drug Abuse

Author:Thomas Szasz

“As the dominant social ethic changed from a religious to a secular one, the problem of heresy disappeared, and the problem of madness arose and became of great social significance. In the next chapter I shall examine the creation of social deviants, and shall show that as formerly priests had manufactured heretics, so physicians, as the new guardians of social conduct and morality, began to manufacture madmen.”

Shows Problem Next Social Religious Creation Changed Morality Ethics Madness Priests Significance Chapters Secular Physicians Dominant Guardian Heresy Madmen Heretic Deviants Next Chapter

Author:Thomas Szasz

“The neurotic has problems; the psychotic has solutions.”

Problem Doubt Solutions Certainty Neurotic Neurosis Psychotic Psychosis Doubt And Certainty

Book:Words to the Wise: A Medical-Philosophical Dictionary

Source: Words to the Wise: A Medical-Philosophical Dictionary

“Doubt is to certainty as neurosis is to psychosis. The neurotic is in doubt and has fears about persons and things; the psychotic has convictions and makes claims about them. In short, the neurotic has problems, the psychotic has solutions.”

Persons Problem Doubt Solutions Claims Conviction Certainty Neurotic Neurosis Psychotic Psychosis Doubt And Certainty

Book:The second sin

Source: The second sin

“Is psychiatry a medical enterprise concerned with treating diseases, or a humanistic enterprise concerned with helping persons with their personal problems? Psychiatry could be one or the other, but it cannot--despite the pretensions and protestations of psichiatrists--be both.”

Persons Helping Problem Disease Concerned Medical Despite Enterprise Psychiatry Pretension Humanistic Personal Problems

Book:Insanity: The Idea and Its Consequences

Source: Insanity: The Idea and Its Consequences

“Addiction, obesity, starvation (anorexia nervosa) are political problems, not psychiatric: each condense and expresses a contest between the individual and some other person or persons in his environment over the control of the individual's body.”

Persons Problem Body Political Individual Environment Addiction Contests Starvation Obesity Anorexia Psychiatric

Author:Thomas Szasz

“Involuntary mental hospitalization is like slavery. Refining the standards for commitment is like prettifying the slave plantations. The problem is not how to improve commitment, but how to abolish it”

Problem Standards Commitment Slavery Slave Psychological Psychiatry Psychiatrist Abolish Involuntary Refining Psychiatric Plantations

Author:Thomas Szasz