THE THREE CHRISTS OF YPSILANTI

by Milton Rokeach ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 10, 1963

Dedicated to ""three men who will herein be called Clyde Benson, Joseph Cassel, and Leon Gabor"", this book is the story of a unique confrontation and its effects. Clyde, Joseph and Leon had their first controlled encounter in an experiment that was to extend for over two years on July 1, 1959. They met on Ward D-23 at the Ypsilanti State Hospital. They all claimed to be God. Dr. Rokeach's major question was the result of confronting different people all claiming the same identity; he put many more variants to the theme, involving the possibility of change in the patients, all paranoid schizophrenics, in their delusional systems, in their relationship to authority, and hopefully, the world at large. The experiments to introduce these elements into the environment are painstakingly and candidly detailed, as are the responses. Regrettably, even Leon, who seemed most capable of change, could not give up his delusions for reality, but the three men who claimed a single identity did manage to live together in peace (if with tension) and in some ways to interrelate. The project over, Dr. Rokeach ends a scientific but sympathetic inquiry into the nature of identity. Not for the idly curious, but for the deeply interested, engrossing.

Pub Date: Feb. 10, 1963

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1963

Categories: NONFICTION