The Three Christs of Ypsilanti [Import] [Paperback]

Milton Rokeach (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; New Ed edition (1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394703952
• ISBN-13: 978-0394703954
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,203,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A landmark study of personality, May 25, 2004

By 

M. Bromberg "BellemeadeBooks" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Three Christs of Ypsilanti (Paperback)

The premise of Rokeach's study (bringing people together who share the same delusion) has broad implications: in a culture with so many shared ideas and values, what sets us apart as individuals? In this 1960s experiment, of course, these three patients have been diagnosed with a proven pathology. In society at large most of us seek out friends and associates with whom we share a great deal; yet our sense of personality is still a matter of individual choices. At end, this was the same discovery Rokeach made with his three Christs; when confronted with the truth, these three men made personal choices allowing for the existence of the others -- a society of Christs. I first read this in the early 1970s as part of an anthropology course, and although I am not a health care professional I found it a fascinating study, one that carries the reader with an almost novel-like flow. For those who read it with care, it will provoke a lot of questions about what makes us who we are, both as individuals and as members of society. A fictional parallel to many of the ideas in this book, though by no means exact, can be found in Nigel Dennis's 1955 novel "Cards of Identity."

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A psychological study that reads like a good novel, June 19, 2008

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Three Christs of Ypsilanti: A Psychological Study (Mass Market Paperback)

Take three mentally ill institutionalized men, each of whom firmly believes that he is Jesus Christ. Put them all in one place and let them talk to one another. What happens? Find out! This is a true story and a fluid read, (no major technical jargon -- edited like a novel).

This study was carried out over a lengthy period of time by state psychiatrist Milton Rokeach (the book author) in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1964. One might question Rokeach's ethics in carrying out such an experiment with three such delusional men but, had it led to a cure for any of their respective mental difficulties, one could say that the end justified the means. And it was, of course, Rokeach's objective to help these men.

This book is often difficult to find and is usually rather expensive when it is located, typically around $30 for a hardcover edition. Still, it's a great read and anyone who has an interest in social science will find it especially riveting.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Second Coming(s) Revisited, March 4, 2008

By 

Zsa Zsa Halliburton "Zsa Zsa Halliburton" (UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center - Donated Body Program) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Three Christs of Ypsilanti: A Psychological Study (Mass Market Paperback)

This narrative study of three men (that may or may not have been Christ, the jury's still out) remains a clinical trinity of sorts in the psychiatric canon. The title was referred to me by a schizophrenic patient living at the adult psychiatric facility where I am employed (there could be no greater recommendation.) The fascinating coincidence that so many Christ's would arrive at one institution is what drew me to the story. One Christ, maybe. But three? I couldn't stop myself from investigating further. And I wasn't disappointed once I chose to explore the many, varied worlds of the manic Savior(s). The triune Son - The Son, the Son & the Son! A must have for any library seeking to complete it's shelf on psychotic religious pre-occupation.