ABSTRACT
The period around World War II was one of transition to a social ideology, with inadequacies in biological ideology, interest in a public health perspective, and social perspective cropping up in various mental health disciplines, and governments taking responsibility for mental health. The war stimulated creative techniques including awareness of the interpersonal milieu, interdisciplinary collaboration, and focus on current stresses. Recognition of the inadequacy of mental health care combined with wartime successes resulted in expansive idealism and confidence about mental illness and health. This encouraged the public health perspective, group and social techniques, and larger governmental programs including the National Institute of Mental Health. Examples were The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry and groups in psychoanalysis. Since the Massachusetts General Hospital would be the locus of Erich Lindemann’s main efforts in community mental health, its history and development of psychiatry under Stanley Cobb is explored in detail. Tracing Erich Lindemann’s professional development from biological psychiatry through psychosomatic medicine and psychoanalysis toward social psychiatry demonstrates more clearly the interweaving of the man and historical developments. An exploration of Lindemann’s personality sheds light on his development mutually influencing social psychiatry.
