A man desperately tries to keep his pact with the Devil, a woman is imprisoned in an insane asylum by her husband because of religious differences, and, on the testimony of a mere stranger, "a London citizen" is sentenced to a private madhouse. This anthology of writings by mad and allegedly mad people is a comprehensive overview of the history of mental illness for the past five hundred years-from the viewpoint of the patients themselves.Dale Peterson has compiled twenty-seven selections dating from 1436 through 1976. He prefaces each excerpt with biographical information about the writer. Peterson's running commentary explains the national differences in mental health care and the historical changes that have take place in symptoms and treatment. He traces the development of the private madhouse system in England and the state-run asylum system in the United States. Included is the first comprehensive bibliography of writings by the mentally ill.

Like earlier editions of The Deviance Process, the purpose of this thoroughly revised and updated text is to offer students a perspective for studying deviance that will help them make sense of their everyday lives. The perspective used by Pfuhl and Henry is identified early as social constructionist, one that includes elements of interactionist and phenomenological sociology. Unlike the numerous texts that view deviance as the "essence" of things, independent of the mind of the observer, the authors perceive deviance, and its opposite, "normality," as impermanent, human creations resulting from people interacting with one another. Such a view regards deviance as the outcome of the antagonisms, contradictions, and conflicts in society. It pays serious attention to people's explanations for their actions, to the creation of moral meanings, and to the labeling, stigmatizing, and banning of one or another kind of behavior. Pfuhl and Henry's perspective requires that deviance be studied, at least in part, in political terms, i.e., as a fundamental part of the business of making and enforcing public rules, as an outgrowth of social policy. Above all, it requires that deviance be understood not as a static element, but as a sequential process, a series of events and actions occurring over time.

"Thirty-second street in Chicago--a Chicano community peaceful on a warm summer night, residents socializing, children playing. Thirty-second street in Chicago--a Chicano community with gang warfare ready to explode at any time. Sociologist Ruth Horowitz takes us to the heart of this world, a world characterized by opposing sets of values. On one hand residents believe in hard work, education, family ties, and the American dream of success. On the other hand gang members are preoccupied with fighting to maintain their personal and family honor. Horowitz gives us an inside look into this world..." - Back cover.