Mental Disorder, Criminality and the Literary Imagination
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13895133 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Herschel Prins (Department of Criminology Leicester University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 290-308 |
| Publication date | 2014-03-14 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0265-5527 • E-ISSN: 1468-2311 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/hojo.12065 |
| OpenAlex | W2060547406 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 18 |
This contribution attempts to explore the use of a variety of literary sources as aids or ‘prompts’ to understanding those offenders and offender‐patients whose mental states often raise considerable anxieties in those charged with their management. The word ‘prompt’ is borrowed from the work of my friend, the late doctor M urray C ox, and his co‐worker A lice T heilgaard in their seminal work Shakespeare as Prompter (1994). The author of the present article hopes that its content will enable readers to focus more clearly on why we sometimes fail our offenders and offender‐patients; in particular, through the mechanism of denial. The use of dramatic presentation when proffered with a unique blend of force and sensitivity can permit us to view puzzlement and horror from a safe distance and, at the same time, encourage us to increase our empathic understanding and professional practice. Most of the examples cited are brief allusions but, because her history is so compellingly applicable to our concerns in the present contribution, the ‘case’ of L ady M acbeth is considered in more detail. Finally, I would note some very wise words by C ox and T heilgaard (1994) in a caveat note to the reader: ‘Should the focus on therapy ever become occluded by preoccupation with poetic association, clinical skills would be diminished, distraction ensue and therapeutic contact deteriorate’ (not numbered). In the material that follows readers should bear such a cautionary note in mind
Aesthetics · Art · Denial · Focus (optics · Literature · Poetry · Presentation (obstetrics · Psychoanalysis · Variety (cybernetics · Computer Science · Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices · Medicine · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.18 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2023 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |