根据賀伯特的说法,《戴尼提》中的思想是经过他十二年的研究而发展起来的,尽管当时他的许多朋友都认为这种说法是错误的[7]。这些思想的第一个公开概述是一篇发表在紙漿雜誌《驚奇超級科學故事》上的文章,题为〈戴尼提:一門新的心灵科学〉(“Dianetics: A new science of the mind”)。这篇文章出现在该书出版的几周前,但发表在该杂志1950年5月号上,也就是该书出版的同一个月;这篇与书的篇幅相当的長文,后来以《戴尼提:一門科學的演進》(Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science)的標題作爲單行本出版[8]。
这本书的早期版本《异常戴尼提》(Abnormal Dianetics)原本是为医学界准备的,被许多出版商和医学界拒绝之後,以油印形式传阅,后来以《戴尼提:原始理論》(Dianetics: The Original Thesis)为名出版;同书還曾以《生命的动力》(The Dynamics of Life)为名出版。
山达基人認爲《戴尼提》的出版是他們的信仰運動甚至世界历史上的一个重要事件,并将这本书称为“第一本書”(Book One)[42][43]。在山达基教中,年份是相对于該書首版的时间来計算的:例如1990年,會稱為“戴尼提之後40年”(40 After Dianetics,簡稱40 AD)[6]。這本書被宣傳為“人类的里程碑,堪比人类发现火,并且比人類發明輪子和拱門更加偉大。[7]”
^Kent, Stephen A. From Slogans to Mantras: Social Protest and Religious Conversion in the Late Vietnam War Era. Syracuse University Press. 2001: 95. ISBN 0-8156-2923-0.
^Ashley, Michael. The Time Machine: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950. Liverpool University Press. 2000: 227. ISBN 0-85323-855-3. Campbell believed Hubbard was on to something. What have the psychologists been doing for the past fifty years?
^Hubbard, L. Ron; Hubbard Dianetic Foundation. Child Dianetics: Dianetic Processing for Children. Publications Organization Worldwide. 1968: 178. ISBN 87-87347-45-8.
^Christensen, Dorthe Refslund. Rethinking Scientology A Thorough Analysis of L. Ron Hubbard's Formulation of Therapy and Religion in Dianetics and Scientology, 1950–1986. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. June 24, 2016. doi:10.5840/asrr201662323.
^Christensen, Dorthe Refslund. Rethinking Scientology A Thorough Analysis of L. Ron Hubbard's Formulation of Therapy and Religion in Dianetics and Scientology, 1950–1986. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. June 24, 2016. doi:10.5840/asrr201662323.
^ 19.019.1Christensen, Dorthe Refslund. Rethinking Scientology: A Thorough Analysis of L. Ron Hubbard's Formulation of Therapy and Religion in Dianetics and Scientology, 1950–1986. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review (Philosophy Documentation Center). 2016, 7 (1): 155–227. ISSN 1946-0538. doi:10.5840/asrr201662323.
^Bessant, Annie Wood. Theosophist Magazine Collection, 1920–1955. Kessinger Publishing. 2003: 390–391. ISBN 0-7661-5353-3. There is a most instructive and interesting statement in a new book called Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard.
^Brown, Colin. Christianity and Western Thought: A History of Philosophers, Ideas and Movements 1–2. InterVarsity Press. 1990: 347. ISBN 0-8308-1752-2.
^Chryssides, George D. Exploring New Religions. Continuum International Publishing Group. 1999: 285. ISBN 0-8264-5959-5.
^Henri F. Ellenberger. The Discovery of the Unconscious. : 113.
^Henri F. Ellenberger. The Discovery of the Unconscious. : 53.
^Joan d'Arc. Phenomenal World: Remote Viewing, Astral Travel, Apparitions, Extraterrestrials, Lucid Dreams and Other Forms of Intelligent Contact in the Magical Kingdom of Mind-At-Large. Book Tree. 2000: 131. ISBN 1-58509-128-6.
^Lachman, Gary. Turn Off Your Mind. The Disinformation Co. 2003: 119–220. ISBN 0-9713942-3-7.
^Consumer Report 16. Consumer Union of United States. 1951: 378.
^Ankerberg, John; Weldon, John. Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs. Harvest House Publishers. 1996: 528. ISBN 1-56507-160-3.
^Davis, Erik. The Visionary State: A Journey Through California's Spiritual Landscape. Chronicle Books. 2006: 200. ISBN 0-8118-4835-3.
^Tourish, Dennis; Wohlforth, Tim. On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left. M.E. Sharpe. 2000: 87. ISBN 0-7656-0639-9.
^Kaslow, Florence W.; Sussman, Marvin B. Cults and the Family 4. Routledge. 1982: 185. ISBN 0-917724-55-0.
^Hemingway, John. Strange Tribe: A Family Memoir. Globe Pequot. 2007: 108. ISBN 978-1-59921-112-1.
^Martin Gardner. Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. : 279.
^Lewis, J. Lewis, James R.; Hellesoy, Kjersti , 编. Handbook of Scientology. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Brill. 2017. ISBN 9789004330542.
^Lewis, James R. Scientology. Oxford University Press US. 2009: 417. ISBN 978-0-19-533149-3. Book One, contains all basic principles on Dianetics in its original form.