Being mentally ill: a sociological theory

"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."--Provided by publisher

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Part I Introduction -- 1 Biological Psychiatry and Labeling Theory -- Effectiveness of Psychoactive Drugs -- Placebo Reactions -- Are Psychoactive Drugs Safe? -- Challenging the Rule of Biopsychiatry -- The Emotional/Relational World -- Cove's Critique of the Labeling Theory of Mental Illness -- 2 Individual and Social Systems in Deviance -- Part II Theory -- 3 Social Control as a System -- Areas of Social Control -- The Societal Reaction to Deviance -- Conclusion -- 4 Residual Deviance -- The Origins of Residual Rule-Breaking -- Prevalence -- The Duration and Consequences of Residual Rule-Breaking -- 5 The Social Institution of Insanity -- Individual and Interpersonal Systems in Role-Playing -- Learning and Maintaining Role Imagery -- Normalization and Labeling -- Acceptance of the Deviant Role -- A Note on Feedback in Deviance-Amplifying Systems -- Conclusion -- Part III The Power of The Psychiatrist -- 6 Decisions in Medicine -- Type 1 and Type 2 Errors -- Decision Rules in Medicine -- Basic Assumptions -- The "Sick Role" -- Implications for Research -- 7 Negotiating Reality: Notes on Power in the Assessment of Responsibility -- The Process of Negotiation -- A Contrasting Case -- Discussion -- Conclusion: Negotiation in Social Science Research -- Part IV The Emotional/Relational World -- 8 A Psychiatric Interview: Alienation between Patient and Psychiatrist -- Social Action and Natural Language -- Example of Interaction Ritual: The Opening Exchange in a Conversation -- Embarrassment and Anger: The Feeling Trap of Shame-Rage -- Interpretation and Context -- lmplicature, Context, and Social Structure -- 9 Labeling in the Family: Hidden Shame and Anger -- Pride, Shame, and the Social Bond -- A New Labeling Theory