The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries were known as _________ . During this period the scientific method replaced faith and dogma in order to understand abnormal behaviour.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Age of Reason and Enlightenment
Option (1) Renaissance Period — Incorrect. The Renaissance came before, and was marked by increased humanism and curiosity about behaviour; Johann Weyer insisted that ‘witches’ were mentally disturbed and needed medical treatment.
Option (2) Middle Ages — Incorrect. In the Middle Ages demonology and superstition gained renewed importance in explaining abnormal behaviour, and there were many ‘witch-hunts’, the very opposite of a scientific method.
Option (3) Age of Reason and Enlightenment — Correct. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were known as the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, as the scientific method replaced faith and dogma as ways of understanding abnormal behaviour. This scientific attitude led to the Reform Movement and the reform of asylums.
Option (4) International Ages — Incorrect. There is no such period in the history of ideas about abnormal behaviour. The periods the history traces are the ancient world, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Age of Reason and Enlightenment.
NCERT (2025-26): “Historical Background … In the Middle Ages, demonology and superstition gained renewed importance in the explanation of abnormal behaviour. Demonology related to a belief that people with mental problems were evil and there are numerous instances of ‘witch-hunts’ during this period. During the early Middle Ages, the Christian spirit of charity prevailed and St. Augustine wrote extensively about feelings, mental anguish and conflict. This laid the groundwork for modern psychodynamic theories of abnormal behaviour. The Renaissance Period was marked by increased humanism and curiosity about behaviour. Johann Weyer emphasised psychological conflict and disturbed interpersonal relationships as causes of psychological disorders. He also insisted that ‘witches’ were mentally disturbed and required medical, not theological, treatment. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were known as the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, as the scientific method replaced faith and dogma as ways of understanding abnormal behaviour.…” |