Publisher's Synopsis
Despite the immense contribution that the work of the sociologist Max Weber has made to the understanding of modern individuality under the conditions of social rationalisation, his relationship to the neighbouring discipline psychology has so far been little examined. The focus of this volume is on the results of Weber's examination of the affective, irrational and idiosyncratic downside of the process of civilization. The essays summarised here explore this position by examining Weber's reception of the psychology of his time, reconstructing his own theory of psychological understanding, exploring the biographical dimension of depressive suffering from the rationalisation in Weber's life and illness, and finally also collecting the proceeds that can be derived from Weber's theory of psychological understanding for professional practice and research methodology of psychiatric, psychotherapeutic and psychoanalytic action.
