Alternative therapy, Dianetics, and Scientology

[Roadrunner]

Abstract:
Since orthodox medicine sets the standard for what is acceptable within the medical arena, some
alternative medicines integrate into medicine while others remain separate or face too much
scrutiny to continue practicing. In the 1970s, Morely and Wallis (1976) recognized Dianetics and
Scientology as a "marginal medicine," and from the 1960s to 1970s several government
organizations worldwide investigated the group. Consequently, Scientology retreated from the
medical arena, claiming that it was a religion and establishing boundaries to insulate itself from
regulation. Despite Scientology's attempted retreat, Dianetics and Scientology doctrines and
practices continue to reflect concerns and actions that belong to what Tovey and Adams (2001)
identify as the social world of alternative medicine. In this article, I outline Scientology's position
within the medical arena, how that position has transformed over time, and Scientology's isolation
from the dominant social world within that arena (specifically scientific medicine).

http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb03/ivk/mjr/pdfs/2010/articles/manca_2010.pdf