The Politics of Experience
Encyclopedia
The Politics of Experience and the Bird of Paradise is a 1967 book by Scottish psychiatrist
R.D. Laing. It presents psychosis as "a psychedelic voyage of discovery in which the boundaries of perception were widened, and consciousness expanded". It was inspired by Laing’s extensive experimentation with LSD.
In the book, Laing critiques the idea of normality in modern society, and argues that it is not people who are mad, but the world.
Although he never considered himself an anti-psychiatrist
, Laing has been called "the most influential and iconic of the anti-psychiatrists of the 1960s and 1970s". The Politics of Experience is his best-known book.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
R.D. Laing. It presents psychosis as "a psychedelic voyage of discovery in which the boundaries of perception were widened, and consciousness expanded". It was inspired by Laing’s extensive experimentation with LSD.
In the book, Laing critiques the idea of normality in modern society, and argues that it is not people who are mad, but the world.
Although he never considered himself an anti-psychiatrist
Anti-psychiatry
Anti-psychiatry is a configuration of groups and theoretical constructs that emerged in the 1960s, and questioned the fundamental assumptions and practices of psychiatry, such as its claim that it achieves universal, scientific objectivity. Its igniting influences were Michel Foucault, R.D. Laing,...
, Laing has been called "the most influential and iconic of the anti-psychiatrists of the 1960s and 1970s". The Politics of Experience is his best-known book.