The Story - Psychology 1.01

The idea for this story was developed from some mention of a theory. Harry Stack Sullivan (1892-1949), a Neo-Freudian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, proposed that psychiatric patients could, while still suffering psychoses, learn not to manifest their symptoms.

http://www.quotationof.com/images/harry-stack-sullivan-2.jpg

First to look at some definition of psychosis:

The two main symptoms of psychosis are:

• Hallucinations – where a person hears, sees and, in some cases, feels, smells or tastes things that aren't there
• Delusions – where a person has strong beliefs that aren't shared by others

The combination of hallucinations and delusional thinking can cause severe distress and a change in behaviour.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Psychosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx 

Looking more closely at Sullivan's theory (observations perhaps), I'll note these as quotes from various sources. I'm unable to find the references at the moment (damn my note-taking)

The subjects had:

• "Integrated enough of the personal environment to realise the prejudice opposed to their delusions" 
• "Grown wise enough to be tolerant of the imbecility surrounding them having finally discovered that it was stupidity and not malice"
• and could feel a noblesse oblige towards those around them, those others that could not understand their reality.

I'll get into some explanation (or how I understand it) and how I've tried to apply these theories/ obsevations in a later post.