The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness - R. D. Laing

First published in 1960, this influential work by Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing examines the experience of psychological insecurity and the development of a divided sense of self. Drawing on existential philosophy and clinical case studies, Laing explores how people who feel disconnected from themselves and others may develop a fragile sense of identity, experience their inner and outer worlds as separate, or adopt defensive ways of relating to reality. Challenging conventional psychiatric interpretations of schizophrenia, he considers the subjective experience of people labelled mentally ill and the role of relationships in shaping psychological distress. A landmark text in existential psychiatry and the history of anti-psychiatry.