what was the moral treatment movement was based on

Moral treatment was an approach to mental disorder based on humane psychosocial care or moral discipline that emerged in the 18th century and came to the fore for much of the 19th century, deriving partly from psychiatry

or psychology and partly from religious or moral concerns.

Full Answer

Who started the moral treatment movement?

Moses N. Ikiugu PhD, OTR/L, in Psychosocial Conceptual Practice Models in Occupational Therapy, 2007 The moral treatment movement was introduced in the United States by mental health workers who either had studied or had visited Europe where they became acquainted with moral treatment principles.

What is the meaning of moral treatment?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Moral treatment was an approach to mental disorder based on humane psychosocial care or moral discipline that emerged in the 18th century and came to the fore for much of the 19th century, deriving partly from psychiatry or psychology and partly from religious or moral concerns.

What was moral treatment like in an asylum?

Under moral treatment, the superintendent and keepers treated the patients as individuals, and helped them to try to regain control of themselves. Some important facets of moral treatment at the Asylum were connections with the community, religious oversight, and occupational therapy.

What is moral treatment of the insane?

Moral treatment was a product of the Enlightenment of the late eighteenth century. Before then people with psychiatric conditions, referred to as the insane, were usually treated in inhumane and brutal ways.

What was the moral treatment system?

Moral treatment, a therapeutic approach that emphasized character and spiritual development, and called for kindness on the part of all who came in contact with the patient, flourished in American mental hospitals during the first half of the 19th century.

Who came up with the idea of moral treatment?

In the United States, the first proponent of moral treatment was Benjamin Rush. A Philadelphia physician, Rush had been one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence. For Rush, the hustle and bustle of modern life contributed to mental diseases.

When was the moral treatment movement?

Moral therapy originated in the Gheel colony, Belgium, during the 13th century, but it came to fruition in the 19th century through the efforts of Philippe Pinel (see Salpêtrière) and Jean Esquirol (1772–1840) in France; William Tuke (1732–1822) in England; and Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), Isaac Ray (1807–1881), and ...

What moral treatment means?

An approach to treating mental illness in the 19th century influenced by humanistic philosophy and a belief that a rational, caring approach would enable patients to normalize their thoughts and actions.

Why was moral treatment important?

Its most important contribution, certainly, was fighting the dehumanisation of the mentally ill – by recognising the rationality of sufferers and the power of compassion in helping them, moral treatment changed the face of mental health care forever.

Was moral treatment successful?

Moral treatment was short-lived, enjoying popularity for less than fifty years. Despite this fleeting success, it is evident that the movement from constraint and repression to kind treatment and perceiving the mad as rational beings was a fundamental transition in the history of psychiatry.

What is the moral theory?

A moral theory consists of more or less connected claims arranged to determine what a morally good or right action or stance is, and what it is that makes it either right or good.

When was the moral treatment movement?

The Moral Treatment Movement (1800–1850) The moral treatment movement was introduced in the United States by mental health workers who either had studied or had visited Europe where they became acquainted with moral treatment principles. However, unlike Pinel's version of the moral treatment movement, which made no reference to religious morality, ...

Who was the father of moral treatment?

Chief among those who spearheaded introduction of the moral treatment movement in the United States were Benjamin Rush , Dorothea Lynde Dix, Thomas Scattergood, and Thomas Story Kirkbride. Benjamin Rush was a physician and also Surgeon General of the Continental Armies. 47 He is also recognized today as the father of American psychiatry.

What were the first principles of occupational therapy?

The above analysis indicates that the first principles of occupational therapy, as developed by Dunton, were derived from the moral treatment movement, the arts and crafts movement, pragmatism, and medicine.

What was the purpose of Dix's crusade?

She was enraged with this lack of concern for these patients and thus began her crusade for the improvement of mental health institutions, a crusade that led her eventually to England and a meeting with Queen Victoria and Pope Pius IX. 35. Dix's crusade led to expansion of mental health institutions and other reforms.

What did Dix's crusade lead to?

Dix's crusade led to expansion of mental health institutions and other reforms. She also promoted the use of moral treatment principles as taught by Benjamin Rush, Philippe Pinel, and William Tuke, for whom she had much respect.

Where did Dix have a nervous breakdown?

Dix had a nervous breakdown in 1836 and was treated at the York Retreat in England , where she recovered. 8 She was impressed with the moral treatment methods used there, and in her crusade for reform of mental health facilities, she strongly advocated the use of their methods.

Who were the leaders of mental health reform?

Leading among these reformers were the Quakers, and their efforts were to a large extent guided by principles developed by William Tuke in England.

What is moral treatment?

Introduction to Moral Treatment. Moral treatment was the main way that the Asylum treated patients. As an 1825 history of the Asylum explained, “Although the use of drugs and medicaments is allowed, in almost every case, to be indispensible, less weight is attached to it in the Friends’ Asylum, than to moral treatment” ( Waln 15 ).

Who said moral treatment is a way to help mentally ill Quakers?

Historian Anne Digby countered that Quakers have always placed great importance on self-control, and she argued that moral treatment's coercive tactics would have seemed like a natural and familiar way to help mentally ill Quakers regain that self-control ( 68 ).

Why are Quakers supposed to focus on moral treatment?

Quakers are supposed to focus on the importance of inward changes of heart and making one’s behavior match one's inner life. For Godlee, moral treatment’s focus on the comfort of other people, as opposed to the cure of the patients, made moral treatment seem deeply un-Quaker.

Why is moral treatment considered cruel?

Moral treatment was widely believed to be kinder than other types of treatment available to the mentally ill because it limited the use of physical restraint and did not condone corporal punsishment.

What does it mean to treat patients like rational beings?

Treating the patients like rational beings meant using restraint only as a last resort, to ensure the safety of the patient and those around him or her, not as a punishment. Under moral treatment, the superintendent and keepers treated the patients as individuals, and helped them to try to regain control of themselves.

Was moral treatment at the Asylum non-violent?

Although moral treatment at the Asylum was non-violent and focused on getting the patients to try to take control of their lives again, some of moral treatment’s manifestations could be cruel. For some examples of the cruel side of moral treatment, see the stories of Nathan Y. and Abraham S. in the Case Studies.

What is moral treatment?

Moral treatment was a product of the Enlightenment of the late eighteenth century. Before then people with psychiatric conditions, referred to as the insane, were usually treated in inhumane and brutal ways. In France, England, and the United States, people who cared for the insane began to advocate for more kindly treatment. In France Philippe Pinel instituted what he called traitement moral at the Bicêtre hospital in Paris. According to Pinel, insane people did not need to be chained, beaten, or otherwise physically abused. Instead, he called for kindness and patience, along with recreation, walks, and pleasant conversation. Around the same time that Pinel called for his reforms, William Tuke, an English Quaker, founded the York Retreat for the care of the insane. Rejecting traditional medical intervention, Tuke emphasized the rural quiet retreat where insane people could engage in reading, light manual labor, and conversation. Never having more than thirty residents, the York Retreat remained small and hence able to focus on the individual needs of its residents.

Who was the first person to advocate moral treatment?

In the United States, the first proponent of moral treatment was Benjamin Rush. A Philadelphia physician, Rush had been one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence. For Rush, the hustle and bustle of modern life contributed to mental diseases.

Why did the dream of moral treatment die?

The dream of moral treatment died because of a combination of overcrowded hospitals along with the advent of eugenics and Freud around the turn of the twentieth century.

Who advocated for more kindly treatment?

In France, England, and the United States, people who cared for the insane began to advocate for more kindly treatment. In France Philippe Pinel instituted what he called traitement moral at the Bicêtre hospital in Paris.

What did Dix insisted on?

Dix insisted that hospitals for the insane be spacious, well ventilated, and have beautiful grounds. In such settings, Dix envisioned troubled people regaining their sanity. In the 1840s and 1850s there was much optimism for the cure of insanity through kind treatment without restraints.

What is moral development?

Moral development is a concept in moral psychology that has received at least as much attention in the past few decades from psychologists as from philosophers.

What is moral emotion?

Moral emotions are an umbrella term, and its definitions have been correspondingly broad. A commonly shared feature of these definitions is that these emotions are described as self-conscious or self-evaluative emotions, because they are evoked by the individual's evaluation of the self.

What is the practice of virtues?

The practice of these virtues involves the exercise of the basic competencies critical to managerial resourcefulness and, as a consequence, strengthens the basic competencies. However, the continued exercise of the basic competencies does not guarantee that these will be done in a virtuous manner.

What are the key indicators of moral development?

Feelings of guilt and shame have been considered key indicators of affective moral development. Likewise, positively valenced self-evaluative emotions such as pride have been described as morally significant. Additionally, other-oriented emotions such as empathy/sympathy have been considered moral emotions.

What is the theory of virtue?

Virtue theory claims that human behaviour and actions are in accordance with morality if they are in accordance with the virtues. Virtues are described as good or admirable traits of character, expressed in action, desire, attitude, thought and reasoning [ 11 ]. They include compassion, courage, honesty, patience and other such traits. Virtues are refined through training, education and the moulding of one's character and desires in the correct way. A virtuous person, according to Aristotle, will fare better in life and ultimately attain the highest good, which he calls eudaimonia. Some authors see virtues as a state of character: if a person is virtuous, exercising the virtues comes naturally and easily to her. Others see the virtues as dispositions that allow one to become virtuous through performing virtuous acts, especially in demanding situations.

How does moral maturity occur?

Moral development occurs through individuals interacting within distinctive cultural settings. Moral maturity involves not only judgments about what is right but also a sense of responsibility based on a moral identity. View chapter Purchase book. Read full chapter.

Why are guilt feelings important?

Moral emotions such as guilt feelings indicate that the self feels committed to a norm. Thus, researchers have interpreted the existence of moral emotions as an early precursor and antecedent of the development of moral identity. Developmental research has supported the argument that moral emotions such as guilt feelings are the primary motive in situations calling for moral actions. They motivate reparative behavior, such as apologies, and they restrict aggressive behavior. However, if moral emotions are not anticipated, it is likely that cognitive moral complexity will be used strategically to achieve personal goals. Thus, understanding emotions in the context of moral conflict is important if we are to understand how young people resolve the various social and moral conflicts that inevitably occur in everyday life.

Who published the moral treatment of the insane?

The Moral Treatment of the Insane. By Amariah Brigham, Published in American Journal of Insanity, March 1847. Introduction: Amariah Brigham was the first superintendent of the New York State Asylum for the Insane in Utica. A leader in the field of moral treatment and the editor of “The Journal of Insanity,” Brigham here outlines his vision ...

What does Leuret believe about moral treatment?

Most writers previous to Leuret, had considered the moral treatment as auxiliary to the medical, but Leuret considers the latter as of trivial importance compared with the former. He proposes to cure all cases of uncomplicated insanity, solely by moral means.

When was the first insanity book published?

His first work on insanity, Traite Medico-Philosophique, was published in 1801, and we do not hesitate to say, that we know not of any work on insanity superior to this, especially as improved by Pinel in the last edition; — none more worthy of our daily study.

How was Saul cured?

Saul was troubled by an evil spirit, and Job by a demon. Hence recourse was had to various moral means of cure. Thus Saul was cured by the music of David.

What did Brigham mean by rational amusements?

He envisioned them as fulfilling a task that would later be done by psychotherapists. Brigham emphasized “rational” amusements as part of treatment. The Utica institution had an extensive library, and the patients took part in various theatrical and musical presentations.

Where was the retreat of Pinel?

Not many years after this, the Retreat, near York in England, was established.

Can medicine be improved by exercising the faculties of the mind?

In these cues, medicine is generally of no use, and they cannot often be much improved, but by exercising the faculties of the mind.