ABSTRACT
I outline the archaeological trajectory of madness due to the influence of the irrational and describe its impacts on modern psychology. By uncovering the hidden origins of modern psychology and looking at the motivations behind diagnosis, I demonstrate how each shift in the understanding of rationality shapes the way that madness is identified and classified, as seen in the disorder of delirium. The archaeological approach, therefore, demonstrates the way that culture impacts our understanding of mental illness and uncovers the continual presence of the tragic throughout the structures of history.
