Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health is a book written by L. Ron Hubbard and released in 1950. It is widely recognized as Scientology's "Book One" by practicing Scientologists. One could think of it as the "Bible" of Scientology.
The cover of a first edition Dianetics book.
This book was not written (to our knowledge) with the expectation that it would become a religion. It wasn't until 1953, three years after its original publication, that Dianetics was officially adopted as a religious text. Originally, Dianetics was written as a sort of self-help book based on Hubbard's theory of Dianetics concerning the body and mind.
"Dianetics" refers to a set of ideas relating the mind and body. Hubbard created the word by merging the Greek words "dia," meaning "through," and "nous," meaning "mind." It divides the mind into three distinct parts: the "analytical mind," the "reactive mind," and the "somatic mind." In layman's terms, these refer to the conscious, subconscious, and the body-affected respectively.
In Dianetics, Hubbard advises the reader to reduce the use of the "reactive mind," in order to become more ethical, aware, and sane. This is the goal that Scientologists strive for.
To date, there has been no scientific support for the book. Hubbard's ideas have been highly scrutinized, and classified as pseudoscience by the scientific community.
References:
Hubbard, L. R. (1950). Dianetics: The modern science of mental health. United States: Hermitage House.
References:
Hubbard, L. R. (1950). Dianetics: The modern science of mental health. United States: Hermitage House.