The Troubled Mind of Northern Ireland: An Analysis of the Emotional Effects of the Troubles - Softcover

'Using a Kleinian point of view, the authors admirably inform us as to how groups and individuals, including caretakers of society, react to shared anxiety and violence. Without taking into consideration the ways psychological processes contaminate societal, political and legal movements after massive trauma, it would be difficult to contemplate and initiate peaceful solutions. While this book focuses on the situation in Northern Ireland, the authors' observations and findings can easily be applied to conditions in the other troubled spots of the world. Kapur and Campbell's contributions have created an opportunity to consider new ways of thinking about ethnic and religious violence and its consequences.'- Vamik D. Volkan, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and Senior Erik Erikson Scholar, the Austen Riggs Center'This is a brave attempt to examine the psychological features and consequences of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, written with passion by two mental health professionals who know the situation well. Critical and hard-hitting, it also suggests what needs to be done to find a new way forward.'- Stephen Frosh, Professor of Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London

The "Troubles" in Northern Ireland have endured for so long that eventually the abnormal has become normal. This volume examines the processes by which society has become gradually dehumanised, and how the inhuman conditions, under which people have been forced to live so long, have come about. The authors seek to understand this situation and build upon the current literature, using their different personal and professional backgrounds to great effect to create a wider perspective. They describe the political background, the framework of Kleinian psychoanalysis, and then bring the two together to create a new foundation from which to move from a troubled mind to a mind at peace.