The butterfly and the serpent: culture, psychopathology and biomedicine.
Culture, medicine and psychiatry September 1, 1987 DOI: 10.1007/bf00048517 via PubMed
Summary
Cultural explanations of psychopathology in the West have rarely used models from anthropology developed for small-scale non-literate communities. Some features of ritual patterns classed as 'culture-bound syndromes' apply to Western neurosis. These reactions articulate both personal predicaments and public concerns, often reflecting core structural oppositions between age groups or sexes. Their power comes from relying on unquestionable assumptions that, while beyond everyday jural relationships, articulate those relationships. In Western reactions, biomedicine provides this 'mystical sanction'. Theoretical paradigms emphasize either individual pragmatic or expressive aspects, or social homeostasis.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Features of culture-bound syndromes in small-scale societies are applicable to Western neurosis, with biomedicine providing the 'mystical sanction' that gives these reactions their power. |
Abstract
Cultural explanations of psychopathology in the West have rarely employed models derived by anthropologists for small-scale non-literate communities. Some general features of those ritual patterns usually classed as 'culture-bound syndromes' are applicable to Western neurosis. Such reactions articulate both personal predicament and public concerns, usually core structural oppositions between age groups or the sexes. They gain their power by relying on certain unquestionable assumptions which, although beyond everyday jural relationships, articulate such relationships. In the case of Western reactions, such 'mystical sanction' is provided by biomedicine. Theoretical paradigms emphasize either the individual pragmatic or expressive aspects, or social homeostasis.