On why history is never finished

For several decades I (A.C.) have been interested in the origins and evolution of psychodynamic psychology and psychotherapy in the West.I have long realized that the Marquis de Puysgur was a central figure in the narrative, but in more recent years, I came to see that he is more: He is the unique originator of the vision of the human psyche upon which that narrative depends.My view was solidified when I came across a copy of his foundational book Mmoires pour server l'histoire et l'tablissement du magntisme animal (Memoirs in aid of a history of the establishment of animal magnetism) in its first printing (1784) which contained his handwritten notes and signature.At first, I thought that perhaps this was his personal copy of the book, annotated for a projected second edition.I soon realized it was something much more than that.In fact, his markings were part of the surprising story of the emergence of a new understanding of the human psyche, one that the author, head of a famous French aristocratic military family, hesitated to present to his contemporaries.He was responding to the instability due to the tumultuous political atmosphere

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• The Marquis de Puységur and the psychological turn in the west

  Open Access•Andrew Crabtree, Adam Crabtree•Journal of the History of the…•2019

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