Memoirs of Madness: Exploring Neuropsychological Pathography


Freshman Seminar S103
Section 0072

James H. Capshew
Department of History and Philosophy of Science

How do people conceptualize and write about their mental trauma and
psychological distress? The seminar interrogates personal narratives
of depression, aphasia, head injury, and other forms of neurological
damage and emotional affliction using a variety of perspectives,
including literary and scientific viewpoints. The works will be
considered for their contribution to clinical science,
rehabilitative services, and popular understanding of limits to
human experience.

The seminar begins with a survey of the phenomenology of
neuropsychological pathography, and seeks to establish a working
definition. By their nature, certain mental illnesses do not have
tradition of first-person accounts (e.g., amnesia, aphasia, autism)
where the requisite cognitive function precludes robust composition
skills. Personal narratives of some disorders are much more common
(e.g., depression), and are affected by cultural factors. We will
also consider differences between biography and autobiography, as
when physicians write about patients under their care.

The texts will be examined for their literary content and form, as
well as their basis in scientific or medical knowledge. Plot
patterns, such as ‘before’ and ‘after,’ and key metaphors,
like ‘fight’ or ‘battle,’ will come to light. Emotional impact, in
individual terms as well as collective registers, will be assessed.
Relevant readings in psychological sciences, including embodiment
theory, will be used to gauge both the diagnosis and potential
relevance to the progress of clinical science.