"The Culture of Our Discontent"

[H2O Man]

I am curious if other DUers are familiar with the book "The Culture of Our Discontent: Beyond the Medical Model of Mental Illness," by Meredith F. Small? She is an anthropologist who teaches at Cornell. I believe the book was published in 2006. (She has authored a number of other articles and books of interest, including "Kids: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Raise Young Children.")

In "The Culture of Our Discontent," she takes a view of mental illness that is a bit different than the medical model that our society has embraced. It’s not that she discounts the chemistry of the gray matter, but she examines the connections between biology, the environment, and the manner in which the larger culture interprets and interacts with the world around them.

I have mentioned previously that I have a high opinion of Erich Fromm’s 1955 classic, "The Sane Society." In a review, Paul Tillich called this book a fascinating "combination of psychoanalysis and socio-analysis." I recently suggested that a relative read Fromm’s book, which he found remarkable in that it fit contemporary American society as well as any more recent work. I’ve since recommended Small’s works to him.

The reason I ask if others are familiar with it, is because I think that much of what the authors speak of can be applied to "current events." I think it puts the violence in the Middle East into an interesting context. More, I suspect that Small’s "The Culture of Our Discontent" provides an interesting way to view politics in the United States, including some of the disputes that are found on political discussion forums on the internet.

Keep fighting the Good Fight,
H2O Man

[Runcible Spoon]

1. I just won a $25 amazon gift certificate and was gonna post for suggestions..

this sounds fascinating. I lose patience quickly with the line of reasoning that all mental and emotional problems can be fixed by pill pushing. While I won't discount the efficacy and place of psych meds, I think that looking at biological and social factors is vital to treating the whole person. I also argue with people who say point blank that the only reason that non-industrial cultures have lower prevalences of mental illness is strictly because cases go undiagnosed. All cultures have specific ways of coping with psychological issues, and I think the culture of American pharmacology can be somewhat myopic in treating the reasons people feel alienated and depressed. This book sounds right up my alley!

[Deja Q]

2. I would have suggested buying "I Love Lucy", the complete series.

Everyone needs humor... good humor...

All societies have their ways. Usually by heckling or mocking those afflicted instead of actually doing something to help. Which is where the "progressive" community really could be progressive... and not regressive.

[Runcible Spoon]

3. and you know all of this how?

Please expand on your vast knowledge of psychological coping mechanisms cross-culturally. And wtf does your comment have to do with progressives? I suggest you go try your luck with a bunch of neocons and see who treats you better.

"I Love Lucy" sucks.

[H2O Man]

7. "The grass is greener ...."

I think that it is worth considering if your position is correct or not. Certainly, the majority of the nations that we associate with "western society" have the tendency to marginalize people who are "different." That is, I suspect, a requirement of cultures that have what Fromm refers to as "anonymous authority" in the foreword to A.S. Neill's "Summerhill" ("don't you want to be like everyone else?"). Add to that western culture's habit of warehousing people -- the elderly, the "problemed" youth,the mentally ill, the inmate society -- and we see how the "out of sight, out of mind" changes the composition of a society.

Years ago, I accompanied a person that I worked with to a court hearing near Syracuse, NY. In the hearing, he had the experience of being dehumanized. Not only was he a person who had failed to follow a court order, but he was a SPMI and a MICA. The tension from the experience was enough to cause him to begin to experience some of the symptoms of his illness.

After court, he asked to stop to pick up a carton of smokes. We entered Onondaga, and went to the "smoke shop." We also had lunch there, and ran into Chief Waterman. We discussed the way that "the system" made a mentally ill person feel about himself. How it identified him. Chief Waterman noted that in traditional society, he wouldn't be identified in that same manner: he would instead be "_____, the young man who liked to cut firewood and help his elders, and who sometimes experienced problems with his thinking, and needed others' help." He liked that. When we left, he told Chief Waterman, "I like it here. The grass is greener."

It may not be as important to consider the numbers of cultures that treat people one way or the other, including mistreating them. I think it's more important to focus on the fact that we have options.

I also enjoy "I Love Lucy."

[H2O Man]

8. One of the types

of thinking that represents an advancement in the maturity of individuals and groups of people is the ability to accept differences in others, to accept others, and to have compassion. Some cultures promote this, while others restrict it. It is worth our consideration if one type of thinking provides a more healthy avenue for dealing with the very human experiences such as anxiety and depression.

[Octafish]

4. Thank you, H20 Man. The idea that each of us needs our families and natural world is key to peace.

Who teaches us what this is all about? Our Family.
Where do we thrive and explore and love? The World.
When these get messed up, so do people. Us.


From what I see, Ms. Small may see things similarly:

Meredith F. Small passes on this aphorism by pediatrician D.W. Winnicott: "There is no such thing as a baby; there is a baby and someone." (Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent, 35)

SNIP...

Meredith F. Small writes: "In 1976, two obstetricians, Marshall Klaus and John Kennell, based on their research, theorized that there is a critical early, and limited, period for human mother-infant bonding. They noted a higher incidence of infant abuse and failure-to-thrive children among premature infants; because the infants were premature and had been sequestered in nurseries and away from their mothers, there had been, these doctors suggested, a breakdown of the normal mother-infant bond. They found that although 7 to 8 percent of live infants are born premature, 25 to 41 percent of battered infants were preemies. They surmised that a critical period of attachment had passed by the time the baby was sent home, and that the mother-infant pair consequently lacked the essential positive bond that links them together in a healthy emotional and physical way." (Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent, 21)

SOURCE: http://www.spontaneouscreation.org/SC/Endnotes.htm

PS: As you can tell, I know near-zip about the subject. I promise, however, to learn more about them, thanks to You, my Friend.

Keep fighting the Good Fight! Happy New Year to You and Yours, H20 Man!

[H2O Man]

9. One of the most important

areas, in my opinion, involves "conflict resolution." We can look at hundreds of examples, from the wars in the Middle East, to the conflicts between groups in our country, to violence within families, and even some of the rather curious disputes between "groups" on DU in 2008, and see that there are pathological behaviors that are as dysfunctional as any that go on inside an individual's mind. And our collective inability to move beyond the failed manner we approach such conflicts strikes me as something we might better work towards resolving, should we hope to heal the illnesses that are destroying our culture.

(I've been meaning to contact you about some of the books that I'm currently reading. I have a couple questions on what you think of one in particular.)

[Octafish]

13. Fear and Ignorance are twin logs in the bonfire of conflict and Alienation is the match.

The exchange of information -- through words, body language, a smile, etc. -- builds the bridge to peace.



Unless he's from Crawford, Peace is so easy a caveman could do it.

PS: What you been reading, H20 Man? I'd be honored to be of help.

[Me.]

5. Haven't Read It

Would appreciate more detail regarding her conclusion/s.

[H2O Man]

10. When I finish the book,

I'll be in a better position to attempt to do that. Of course, it's best to read the book, if possible .... right now, I am in the middle of a pile of new books -- one of good things about the winter season!

I noted in another response on this thread that one of the areas that I've been thinking about (as a result of watching the news and reading DU, both of which have been on a "back burner" recently) has to do with the topic of conflict resolution. It seems to me that this is one of the cultural ilnesses that needs immediate attention.

[Me.]

12. The Thing About Conflict Resolution Is

You have to want to resolve the conflict. Right? And I'm not so sure the parties mentioned want to. They're so heavily invested in the drama, full speed ahead and damn the causalities, the civility, the true coming together for the betterment of all.

[Me.]

6. Morning Kick

[puebloknot]

11. Haven't read the book but your description makes me think of ...

... a Krishnamurti quote: "It is no mark of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." (Quoting from my head, but that's the gist of it.)

I'll put the book on my "To Be Read" list for 2009.