L. Ron Hubbard publishes Dianetics 1950
On this day in 1950, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (1911-1986) publishes Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
With this book, Hubbard introduced a branch of self-help psychology
called Dianetics, which quickly caught fire and, over time, morphed into
a belief system boasting millions of subscribers: Scientology.
Hubbard was already a prolific and frequently published writer by the
time he penned the book that would change his life. Under several
pseudonyms in the 1930s, he published a great amount of pulp fiction,
particularly in the science fiction and fantasy genres. In late 1949,
having returned from serving in the Navy in World War II, Hubbard began
publishing articles in the pages of Astounding Science Fiction, a
magazine that published works by the likes of Isaac Asimov and Jack
Williamson. Out of these grew the elephantine text known as Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
In Dianetics, Hubbard explained that phenomena known as
“engrams” (i.e. memories) were the cause of all psychological pain,
which in turn harmed mental and physical health. He went on to claim
that people could become “clear,” achieving an exquisite state of
clarity and mental liberation, by exorcising their engrams to an
“auditor,” or a listener acting as therapist.
Though discredited by the medical and scientific establishment, over 100,000 copies of Dianetics
were sold in the first two years of publication, and Hubbard soon found
himself lecturing across the country. He went on to write six more
books in 1951, developing a significant fan base, and establishing the
Hubbard Dianetics Research Foundation in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Despite his fast-growing popularity from books and touring, strife
within his organization and Hubbard’s own personal troubles nearly
crippled his success. Several of his research foundations had to be
abandoned due to financial troubles and he went through a divorce from
his second wife.
By 1953, however, Hubbard was able to rebound from the widespread
condemnation beginning to be heaped upon him, and introduced
Scientology. Scientology expanded on Dianetics by bringing Hubbard’s
popular version of psychotherapy into the realm of philosophy, and
ultimately, religion. In only a few years, Hubbard found himself at the
helm of a movement that captured the popular imagination. As Scientology
grew in the 1960s, several national governments became suspicious of
Hubbard, accusing him of quackery and brainwashing his followers.
Nonetheless, Hubbard built his religion into a multi-million dollar
movement that continues to have a considerable presence in the public
eye, due in part to its high profile in Hollywood.
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