SOCIAL SCIENCES

Shrink: A Cultural History of Psychoanalysis in America

by Lawrence R. Samuel
Univ. of Nebraska. Apr. 2013. 312p. notes. bibliog. ISBN 9780803244764. $34.95. PSYCH
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Cultural historian Samuel (The American Dream: A Cultural History) has collected excerpts from U.S. newspapers and magazines to illustrate Sigmund Freud's influence on popular culture in the United States. He hasn't conducted a scientific study or provided an explanation of Freud's theories; rather, he documents the rise of psychoanalysis as portrayed in the media beginning in the 1920s. His psychoanalytic pastiche ranges from serious stories, plays, and movies to cartoons illustrating the bearded analyst on the couch. Freudian analysis has had a notable impact on American life despite its shaky scientific underpinnings, but Samuel's claim that it is the cause of "our me-based, self-absorbed culture" and "an integral part of who we are as a people" is a stretch.
VERDICT The dozens of entertaining anecdotes here provide as much insight into the nature of the press as into psychoanalysis. Not serious sociology, the book blurs the boundaries between the relatively few certified Freudian analysts and a much larger group of mental health professionals. A worthwhile read, however, for a historical tour of an important innovation in the human dialog.
Reviewed by E. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, DC , Apr 01, 2013
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