Being mentally ill : a sociological theory

In incorporating social process into a model of the dynamics of mental disorders, Being Mentally Ill questions the individualistic model favored in current psychiatric and psychoanalytic theory. While the conventional psychiatric viewpoint seeks the causes of mental illness, Scheff views "the symptoms of mental illness" as the violation of residual rules—social norms so taken for granted that they are not explicitly verbalized. Throughout the book, the sociological model of mental illness is compared and contrasted with more conventional medical and psychological models in an attempt to delineate significant problems for further analysis and research. The third edition has been revised and expanded to encompass the considerable controversy prompted by the first edition and sustained in the second, and also to evaluate recent developments in the field. New to this edition are discussions of the massive use of psychoactive drugs in the treatment of mental illness, changing mental health laws, new social science and psychiatric studies, and the controversy surrounding the labeling theory of mental illness itself. In incorporating social process into a model of the dynamics of mental disorders, this text questions the individualistic model favoured in current psychiatric and psychoanalytic theory. While the conventional psychiatric viewpoint seeks the causes of mental illness, Scheff views "the symptoms of mental illness" as the violation of residual rules - social norms so taken for granted that they are not explicitly verbalized. The sociological theory developed by Scheff to account for such behaviour provides a framework for studies reported in subsequent chapters. Two key assumptions emerge: first, that most chronic mental illness is in part a social role; and second, that societal reaction may in part determine entry into that role. Throughout, the sociological model of mental illness is compared and contrasted with more conventional medical and psychological models in an attempt to delineate significant problems for further analysis and research. This third edition has been revised and expanded to encompass the controversy prompted by the first edition, and also to re-evaluate developments in the field. New to this edition are discussions of the use of psychoactive drugs in the treatment of mental illness, changing mental health laws, new social science and psychiatric studies, and the controversy surrounding the labelling theory of mental illness itself. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 About the Author......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 I INTRODUCTION......Page 16 1. Biological Psychiatry and Labeling Theory......Page 18 2. Individual and Social Systems in Deviance......Page 32 II THEORY......Page 44 3. Social Control as a System......Page 46 4. Residual Deviance......Page 68 5. The Social Institution of Insanity......Page 84 III THE POWER OF THE PSYCHIATRIST......Page 114 6. Decision in Medicine......Page 116 7. Negotiating Reality: Notes on Power in the Assessment of Responsibility......Page 130 IV EMOTIONAL/RELATIONAL WORLD......Page 148 8. A Psychiatric Interview: Alienation between Patient and Psychiatrist......Page 150 9. Labeling in the Family: Hidden Shame and Anger......Page 172 V SUMMARY AND REVIEW......Page 190 10. Conclusion......Page 192 Appendix: Impact of the 1966 Edition on Legislative Change......Page 216 References......Page 218 Index......Page 228 Biological Psychiatry And Labeling Theory -- Individual And Social Systems In Deviance -- Social Control As A System -- Residual Deviance -- The Social Institution Of Insanity -- Decisions In Medicine -- Negotiating Reality: Notes On Power In The Assessment Of Responsibility -- A Psychiatric Interview: Alienation Between Patient And Psychiatrist -- Labeling In The Family: Hidden Shame And Anger -- Conclusion. Thomas J. Scheff. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 203-211) And Index.