ABSTRACT
From the history of ideas, there are four traditions which influenced the development of mental illness in the west:
the oldest is the prehistoric magical-demonic tradition
this was challenged in around 400 Bc by Hippocrates’ teaching of the four humours
during the same period the Platonic study of the passions arose
much later, the Enlightenment viewed man in rational scientific terms.
Many people like to think that the representations of life and circumstances devised by philosophers and other theorists come and go as they make room for something newer and wiser. Obviously in a way this is true: knowledge of our outer world and our inner universe increases all the time and progresses onwards. At the same time, these ancient views remain incorporated in our existence. They form a basis for psychiatry as well as for other medical practices. They remain with us for better or for worse even if their concrete manifestations have altered. It is important to be aware of this when trying to understand today’s psychiatric perspective. Otherwise, in an eagerness to embrace new technology, it is all too easy to wait for something new instead of developing and altering what we have.