Question

In the late 1940s, Dianetics began simply as a theory of the mind and as a therapeutic technique that was claimed to treat what?

Answer 1

Dianetics was a theory and therapeutic technique from the late 1940s claimed to treat mental disorders, diverging from conventional psychotherapy of the time.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the late 1940s, Dianetics began as a theory of the mind and a therapeutic technique. It was claimed to treat an array of mental disorders, and its practices diverged from the traditional Freudian psychotherapy that dominated the era. Techniques like psychoanalysis and various verbally-based therapies were popular in attempts to address psychological issues, including the now-discredited approach to treating homosexuality as a mental disorder. Dianetics offered an alternative approach, although it lacked scientific validity and would eventually evolve into the foundation for Scientology.