“The controversial history of the moral treatment and its contribution in understanding
the human mind.”
Throughout the course of human history, we can observe the progress and evolution of
mankind as we can observe the seasons changing in a year of the Gregorian calendar.
Humanity has been through a number of periods and evolutionary standpoints which
have ultimately shaped what and where we are today as a species. One of the most
prominent periods in human history is the age of Enlightenment, otherwise known as
the age of reason. During this time, humanity birthed new and exciting scientific
discoveries, new forms of technology, literature, and many more, making the grounds of
evolution fertile for the upcoming industrial revolution. One of the most important
aspects of the industrial revolution was the emergence of the profession of psychiatry
through a revolutionary form of treatment devised to alleviate distress in patients that
were identified to be suffering from various mental health difficulties. This treatment was
called the moral treatment. The moral treatment first took place in the quiet asylum
grounds and accommodated the purpose of helping patients through compassion,
understanding and empathy in a calm environment away from the fast paces of society.
This ultimately served as a starting point for the emergence of mental health
professions as it brought the newly emerging profession of psychiatry recognition but
also a certain degree of notoriety. While the moral treatment in itself may sound
pleasant, it's history is not pleasant at all and has led to many speculations and
contradicting perspectives. But before we can fully understand it and why it is
dichotomized into two opposing views, we must first view its controversial history which
is closely interconnected with the emergence of psychiatry and psychology alike.
During the industrial revolution, we harnessed the power of electricity, steam, and fire,
an economy was built and mass production was established. The world began to
"move" very fast. But this rational new world had no place for deviations. According to
Michel Foucalt (1967, p. xii cited in The Open University, 2020), one of the most
prominent post-structuralists and critics of psychiatry, "madness" was omnipresent and
existed freely within ourselves and our communities as an inseparable part of human
nature and expression. The "shift" that emerged with the scientific endeavors of the
industrial revolution, sought to establish a new "logical" form of normality on the basis of
rational thought and behavior. Anything outside this sphere of normality was deemed
unacceptable and such individuals were ostracized through various acts and
legislations. People that did not conform to the newly established norms were now
regarded as lunatics. Demonstrations of irrational and abstract behavior were viewed as
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