Another anniversary

February 21st is the anniversary of the birth of Harry Stack Sullivan in 1892!hssullivan-01.jpg

Sullivan was a:

“U.S. psychiatrist who developed a theory of psychiatry based on interpersonal relationships. He believed that anxiety and other psychiatric symptoms arise in fundamental conflicts between the individual and his human environment and that personality development also takes place by a series of interactions with other people. He made substantial contributions to clinical psychiatry, especially the psychotherapy of schizophrenia, and suggested that the mental functions of schizophrenics, though impaired, are not damaged past repair and can be recovered through therapy. Possessing an extraordinary ability to communicate with schizophrenic patients, he described their behaviour with clarity and insight unrivalled at that time” (entry in Encyclopedia Britannica online)

Sullivan was also active in founding several schools and journals:

Among his publications are:

Sullivan passed away January 14, 1949. Sullivan served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

About Jennifer Bazar

Jennifer Bazar is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. Her research focuses on the history of psychiatric institutionalization.