Inspecting Psychology

More about the book

This book offers a unique examination of the interplay between psychology, psychiatry, and detective fiction, exploring the history of psychology alongside the evolution of crime writing. It reveals how psychological movements influenced classic authors like Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, and Georges Simenon, highlighting a lasting connection between psychology and the human desire to solve mysteries. Key questions arise, such as why Christie featured so many doctors as killers and what prevented Simenon from becoming a psychiatrist. The narrative begins with the origins of psychology in Greek literature, traversing through the late 18th and 19th centuries, marked by Edgar Allan Poe's pioneering detective story. The emergence of modern psychology in the late 19th century coincided with a growing fascination for understanding behavior, paralleling the rise of the whodunnit genre. The book guides readers through the development of psychology in the 20th century, addressing the impact of World War I shellshock, early mental illness understanding, and the rise of psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and attachment theory. Throughout this engaging journey, the author reveals how these psychological movements shaped crime writers, their characters, and plots, making it a compelling read for those interested in the intersection of psychology and detective fiction.