Jeffrey Schaler

Jeffrey Alfred Schaler is an author, editor, and former professor of justice, law, and society at American University. He is a prominent critic of psychiatric claims and practices, especially of treatment without consent. Schaler opposes the medicalization of addiction.[1][2][3] He is also a practicing psychotherapist.[4]

In 1973, Schaler earned a Bachelor’s degree in Human Interaction and Group Dynamics from the School for Social Research and Action at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, satellite campus in Baltimore, Md. He received a Master of Education from the University of Maryland in 1986. He obtained a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Maryland in 1993, with a dissertation titled, Addiction Beliefs of Treatment Providers: Factors Explaining Variance.[4]

Schaler has authored scores of articles for academic and popular publications. He was editor-in-chief of Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues from 2005 to 2014. He has edited several books, including Szasz Under Fire: The Psychiatric Abolitionist Faces His Critics,[5] Peter Singer Under Fire: The Moral Iconoclast Faces Critics,[6] and Howard Gardner Under Fire: The Rebel Psychologist Faces His Critics.[7] He is a co-editor of and contributor to Thomas S. Szasz: The Man and His Ideas.[8] Many of Schaler’s views on mental health and addiction intersect with those of his long-time friend and associate, Thomas Szasz, whose authorized web site he created and maintains.[9] In February 2006, Schaler accepted the Thomas S. Szasz Award from the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.[10]

Schaler is best known as the author of Addiction Is a Choice,[11] in which he challenges the widely held view that addiction has a physiological basis. Schaler asserts that "the contention that addiction is a disease is empirically unsupported. Addiction is a behavior and thus clearly intended by the individual person.” He argues that what is called “addiction” is actually "an ethical, not medical, problem in living".[12]

Schaler resides in Ellicott City, Maryland.