Donald J. West

Donald James West (born 1924) is a British psychiatrist, parapsychologist and author.

Biography

He was born on 9 June 1924 in Liverpool, England, and studied at Liverpool University. He did postgraduate work at London University and Cambridge University.[1] He studied criminology at Cambridge University. After his retirement in 1984 he was named the Emeritus Professor of Clinical Criminology, University of Cambridge.[2] He is also an Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge.[3]

He was particularly known for his 1955 book, Homosexuality, and also Murder Followed by Suicide (1966) which discusses specific cases of homicide followed by suicide.[4]

Parapsychology

West has studied and written on parapsychology. He was a research officer for the Society for Psychical Research, 1947–50 and a president in 1963. He carried out laboratory experiments in extrasensory perception. He wrote the book Psychical Research Today (1953, 1962).[5] In a review of the book the psychologist Frederic Marcuse wrote that it "will be criticised both by firm believers in psychical phenomena and by skeptics" as West was critical of physical mediumship and took a psychological approach to some paranormal phenomena but accepted extrasensory perception as proven. Marcuse wrote that West had based his statements on ESP on faith rather than proven fact.[6]

His book Eleven Lourdes Miracles (1957) wrote that miracles have not been proven to have occurred at the famous Lourdes shrine.

Publications

Criminology

Psychology

Psychical research

References

  1. ↑ Berger, Arthur S., and Joyce Berger. (1991). The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research. New York: Paragon House.
  2. ↑ British Journal of Criminology. Volume 21, Issue 1, p. 87
  3. ↑ Professor Donald West Biography
  4. ↑ Hollin, Clive. (2013). Psychology and Crime: An Introduction to Criminological Psychology. Routledge. p. 134. ISBN 0415497027
  5. ↑ Pleasants, Helene. (1964). Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology with Directory and Glossary 1946-1996. NY: Garrett Publications.
  6. ↑ Marcuse, Frederic. (1955). Review of Psychical Research Today by D. J. West. American Journal of Psychology. Vol. 68, No. 4, pp. 692-693.
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