Twelve Defining Moments in the History of Alcoholics Anonymous

Author(s):  
William L. White ◽  
Ernest Kurtz
1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari Poikolainen

Alcoholism as a specific disease was discovered about 200 years ago in North America. The disease is thought to be characterized by loss of control over drinking and by certain “symptoms,” supposed to occur in a typical order during the “natural” history of the disease. The basic assumptions of the disease model are, however, untenable. Despite this, the model is still viable. There are at least four reasons for this: (1) The medical profession, originally against the conception of alcoholism as a disease, has been made to accept the disease concept, (2) Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) strongly believes in the disease ideology, (3) the disease model may relieve the moral stigma attached to socially unacceptable drinking, and (4) societies in which individual rights are highly esteemed prefer self-control to collective control. The benefits and disadvantages of the disease model should be reconsidered.


2000 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Finlay

Alcoholics Anonymous is probably the most influential self-help organization in the world, with a current worldwide membership approaching 2 million. The origin of the organization has ties to Carl Gustav Jung and William James, 2 very prominent figures in the history of psychology. A brief history of the events that led to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous is presented, with particular emphasis on the influence of Jung and James. An account of relevant life events of both Jung and James is provided, in addition to a summary of their views on alcoholism and its treatment. Speculation is offered on how the 2 men might view their unsolicited association with the organization.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kausik Bandyopadhyay ◽  
Souvik Naha
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
John Coakley ◽  
Jennifer Todd

This chapter traces the history of the relationship between the two communities in Northern Ireland and the tension between the British and Irish governments within which it was traditionally embedded. It documents the process of incremental—and sometimes radical—societal change that has transformed the nature of the conflict, as the overwhelmingly dominant position of the unionist community has been replaced by a more evenly balanced relationship. Associated with this has been the evolution of institutional machinery designed to facilitate conflict resolution and the emergence of effective channels of communication between British and Irish elites. The chapter describes the manner in which the testimonies of these elites were collected as part of research on the process of negotiation of peace in Northern Ireland. It assesses the value of elite interviews and witness seminars as significant source material for social science research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 01 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950003
Author(s):  
Janko Šćepanović

The Six Day War was one of the most defining moments in the history of the Modern Middle East. This paper seeks to add to the existing scholarship on the subject by going beyond the structural explanation. It gives special attention to the role of unit-level variables like perception, personality, and political psychology of decision-makers. As one scholar noted, threats are not perceived in a vacuum, and are, instead, products of complex synthesis of subjective appraisal of events by the decision-makers. The focus will be on the beliefs and perceptions of the most impactful actor in this crisis: Egyptian President Nasser. As will be argued, his decision-making was shaped by his experience with foreign imperialism, a general misconception of super power intentions, an incorrect analogy between two crucial crisis situations with Israel: the February 1960 Rotem Crisis, and the build-up to the June War in 1967, and especially his complicated relations with the US leaders.


Author(s):  
Paweł Sasanka

The article is a brief survey and evaluation of historical research on Poznań 1956 protests, the political change in October 1956, and the year in general. An important gap was filled by the publication of Piotr Grzelczak’s book on the long-term consequences of the Poznań protests, and the conflict over its remembrance between government representatives and local inhabitants of the region, since the protests were one of the defining moments in recent history of Poznań. The article also includes a summary of the controversy between historians over the importance of 1956 as a watershed in Polish history, with some historians arguing that a more liberal image of the communist system in Poland was formed in 1956, while others argued that the communist dictatorship was stabilized by winning wider social support. The author has indicated an increasing separation between narratives about the Poznań protests in June and the political transformations in October, which has consequences and threats related to polarized perception of history, leading to meagre and simplified understanding of social realities of the Polish People’s Republic after 1956.


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