Zagadka społeczeństwa terapeutycznego: historia, konteksty, praktyka
The Mystery of the Therapeutic Society: History, Contexts, and Practice

Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt to contextual presentation and critical analysis of the idea, as well as phenomenon of the therapeutic society. Starting from three methodological reservations with respect to Katie Wright’s (2010) comprehensive study, I try to show a brief history of the therapeutic society in the perspective of social and cultural change since the late 60s. The well-known theoreticians of “therapeutic shift”, Thomas Szasz, Philip Rieff, and James L. Nolan Jr., see the therapeutic society as an alarming phenomenon deeply related to American psychiatry and psycho-politics of 60s and 70s. In this paper, I try to present another approach. First part is devoted to the analysis of the transformation of contemporary therapeutic and medical culture. In the second part, commenting Peter D. Kramer’s Listening to Prozac, I trace the origins, as well as crucial symptoms of the therapeutic society. In next part, I focus on the Robert Crawford’s idea of healthism that I see as a parallel phenomenon to the therapeutic society. Then, according to the idea of Health in All Policies, I consider the possibilities of positive and more integrative interpretation of the therapeutic society. In the final part, I present and comment the crucial element of this paper. Based on the political reading, I present The Polish Cancer Control Strategy 2014- 2024 as a new form of therapeutic society primarily focused on solidarity between healthy majority and sick minority.

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