Miroslav Plzák: Psychiatrist, Author, and pioneer of Marital Therapy
Miroslav Plzák, born in Libušín near Kladno and raised in Prague, was a prominent psychiatrist and author known for his work on marriage and mental health. He completed his medical studies at Charles University a year before the end of World war II, followed by factory work in Libeň. He specialized in psychiatry after his second year of medical school.
Plzák’s political affiliation with the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party led to a period of politically motivated service in Auxiliary Technical Battalions for four and a half years following his studies. He then gained practical experience in hospitals in Prague-Bohnice, Kroměříž, and Horní Beřkovice before joining the psychiatric clinic of Professor Vladimír Vondráček in Prague in 1959. He became head physician ther after four years and continued working at the clinic until his retirement in 1989.
Clinically, Plzák focused on treating depression, and his patients included many public figures, including actors. From the age of 60, he became a fixture in prague’s bohemian circles, frequenting venues like the Rokoko Theatre, Semaphore, and Reduta. During this time, actresses Olga Schoberová and Marie drahokoupilová became significant figures in his life. His connections to the art world and his assistance to individuals facing political difficulties led to scrutiny from the State Security, though he consistently denied any collaboration with them.
Plzák is credited with establishing the field of “Matrimoniology,” a scientific approach to the study of marriage. He was prompted to do so by a rise in suicides in the early 1960s and afterward founded the first helpline in Czechoslovakia, modeled after the British Samaritans, which continues to operate today. He also authored the first university textbook on the subject.
He gained some notoriety within the Conservative party for a slogan attributed to him – “hammer, hammer and hammer” – which he claimed he never actually uttered. He also expressed a personal philosophy regarding infidelity, stating, “When I am unfaithful to my wife, it is indeed unnecessary to confess to it, I will only multiply her suffering.”
Plzák authored dozens of books, many of which remained popular even decades after their initial publication, including works like First Aid in Marital or Marital Accidents, Othelon or the Manual of Jealousy, Men or Flower… or we have, we will meet. he also wrote for television and theater, with his play Záviš Contra Březinová running for three years at the Semaphore Theatre.
Despite rumors, Plzák was divorced only once and was married to his second wife, 24 years his junior, for nearly 40 years. He experienced personal tragedy with the suicide of his son shortly before the young man’s graduation. He had a daughter, Renata, from his first marriage, who also became a doctor. Miroslav Plzák died on November 13, 2010, at the age of 85.