#97-01-03
For Release: 1-10-97
Contact: Peter Bailley

Tim Kasser, Assistant Professor of Psychology, and Knox College junior Kristin Lindner and sophomore Shivani Khanna will present dramatic readings from Knots, a book by psychologist R. D. Laing at 4 p.m. Friday, January 17 in the Common Room of Old Main. The reading is free and open to the public.

Laing was an existential psychologist who studied schizophrenia and interpersonal relations in the 1960s. His often controversial books argued that the way to understanding is sometimes clouded by language and thought.

"Laing's work points out conflicts inherent in people and in relationships," Kasser explained. "It presents circumstances when conflicts can create the feeling that you're caught in a knot, hence the title."

Kasser teaches various methods, introduction and clinical psychology courses at Knox College. Lindner is from Chicago, IL and Khanna is from New Delhi, India. The reading is sponsored by Caxton Club.

Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,100 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.