TY - JOUR
T1 - A war over mental health professionalism
T2 - Scientology versus psychiatry
AU - Kent, Stephen A.
AU - Manca, Terra A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors used documents from the Kent Collection on Alternative Religions, which is housed at the University of Alberta Library, to conduct this research. One of the authors (Manca) was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the University of Alberta’s President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction.
PY - 2014/1
Y1 - 2014/1
N2 - Over 60 years ago, founder L. Ron Hubbard began what has become Scientology's greatest battle. Scientology emerged from Dianetics, which Hubbard hoped would replace the psychiatric profession. In this article, we discuss how Scientology attempted to position itself as a rival profession to psychiatry and the consequences of those attempts. Scientology's battle with psychiatry gained some success from the social conditions during which it emerged, but it continues in a time that has seen increasing success with various psychiatric treatments. As such, Scientology's direct influence on the psychiatric profession may be difficult to measure, but its actions have coincided with substantial challenges to psychiatry.
AB - Over 60 years ago, founder L. Ron Hubbard began what has become Scientology's greatest battle. Scientology emerged from Dianetics, which Hubbard hoped would replace the psychiatric profession. In this article, we discuss how Scientology attempted to position itself as a rival profession to psychiatry and the consequences of those attempts. Scientology's battle with psychiatry gained some success from the social conditions during which it emerged, but it continues in a time that has seen increasing success with various psychiatric treatments. As such, Scientology's direct influence on the psychiatric profession may be difficult to measure, but its actions have coincided with substantial challenges to psychiatry.
KW - Scientology
KW - mental health
KW - professions
KW - pseudo-science
KW - psychiatry
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84887996187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13674676.2012.737552
DO - 10.1080/13674676.2012.737552
M3 - Journal Article
AN - SCOPUS:84887996187
SN - 1367-4676
VL - 17
SP - 1
EP - 23
JO - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
JF - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
IS - 1
ER -
