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How members of a society construct reality
Reality as a social construction
Reality as a social construction
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Most of what we believe is true today is constantly changing over time, as it is actually socially constructed. Our knowledge is based on what the dominant discourses claim is right and wrong or good or bad. Dominant discourses work in a more subtle and insidious way through the use of power, which defeats the purpose of domination and force. Catherine E. Foote and Arthur W. Frank claim within their article, Foucault and Therapy: The Disciplining of Grief, “Truth becomes a form of power precisely because it is accepted as self-evident” (160). Ideas such as psychological disorders and health come to us as common sense, giving them the power to construct our reality. Individuals use these dominant discourses to create a perception of themselves and those around them. …show more content…
Foote and Frank state, “Just as the categories of truth and false divide the world into a hierarchy, so do the categories of normal and pathological” (160). Through these unreliable truths, one can be characterized as either normal or abnormal, based on a definition that is constantly reconstructed through time. Truths are created by ideologies based on what is considered healthy and normal to the human body. Any sign of psychological disobedience to the norms is considered abnormal and in need of medical or therapeutic attention. As a result, people do not want to be viewed in this way or participate in anything that may supposedly harm themselves and thus, they will begin to take on socially constructed remedies that may actually do more bad than good, in order to prevent marginalization. Individuals will do whatever they can to avoid deviance, “which refers to any behaviours or appearances that violate social norms, rules, or laws” (Brock,
According to labeling theory, deviance is a product of a societal reaction to behaviour. A label is created as a reaction to an isolated incident by agents of social control. The recipient then internalizes the label and absorbs it into their self identity. Once they identify with the label, the individual will act in ways that fulfill the label. The focus of labeling theory is on the process of how the label leads to further delinquent behaviour. The cause of the initial act of deviance is of less concern than how societies reaction to the act creates a condition for further deviance. Thus the focus of study on labeling theory is more concerned with secondary deviance. While the initial deviant act is known as the primary deviance, all deviant acts following the absorption of the label are known as secondary deviance. Primary deviance may be committed for a variety of different reasons and labeling theory looks not to provide a cause for the initial act but for any act of deviance caused by the internalization of a label. Labels can be formally or informally imposed. A formal label...
Hedva states that "the body and mind are sensitive and reactive to regimes of oppression" (2015), where oppression definined wellness as the ability to contribute to the economy and the interests of wealthy, white, cisgender, heterosexual men. In a patriarchal system anyone that does not fit the social norm are seen as “rejects” and if the system is not able to “fix” them are seen as disposable. Hedva quotes, "Psychologists have constructed a myth… that somewhere there exists some state of health which is the norm, meaning that most people presumably are in that state, and those who are anxious, depressed, neurotic, distressed, or generally unhappy are deviant." (2015) To be healthy is to be white and
In the 1980’s classic The Breakfast Club, John Hughes wrote it best, “We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all.” Societal normalcy is more of a false notion and facade rather than an fact. Who dictates what normal is? With every person on Earth being different, how is there a norm? The idea of what is “normal” in society is what plagues the monster in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Wanting to be a functioning member of society, the creation of Doctor Frankenstein is judged based on his physical differences rather than given a chance to show his true nature. However, society is not always to blame for a person or creatures’ adversity with society.
This essay will explain why it is difficult to define, classify and diagnose normal and abnormal behaviour. It will evaluate abnormality through cultural issues and diagnostic techniques and strive to, illustrate the possible causes of mental disorders.
1. The main thesis of the article is that deviance means going against the social norms. Social norms are also different for which person. Rosenhan says that pseudo patients are never detected as sane because each staff member has a confirmation bias. The setting of the mental hospital confirms their bias and they read each behavior from every patient and taper the behavior to fit the diagnosis.
Michel Foucault his full name was Paul-Michel Foucault, was born October 15, 1926, Poitiers France—died June 25, 1984, Paris. He the grandson of a physician.You could say that he was born into a solidly bourgeois family, Also his father was a doctor so you can see that being intelligent runs in the family, his mother was just any ordinary housewife Foucault’s mother, Anne, was likewise the daughter of a surgeon, and had longed to follow a medical career, but her wish had to wait until Foucault’s younger brother as such a career was not available for women at the time. It is surely no coincidence then that much of Foucault’s work would revolve around the critical interrogation of medical discourses .Foucault was schooled in Poitiers during the years of German occupation Foucault excelled at philosophy and, having from a young age declared his intention to pursue an academic career, persisted in defying his father, who wanted the young Paul-Michel to follow his forebears into the medical profession. The conflict with his father may have been a factor in Foucault’s dropping the ‘Paul’ from his name. The relationship between father and son remained cool through to the latter’s death in 1959, though Foucault remained close to his mother.
Sociological pathology uses medical terms to offer explanations for deviant behavior. Terms, such as, biological, psychiatric models, psychoanalytical, and psychological presents deviant behavior as a “social sickness” which needs to treated and through medicine and psychiatric counseling. Biological explanations, usually, views deviant behavior as being an inherited trait. Cesare Lombroso was highly criticized for his studies of atavism, his theory of identifying criminal behavior as a biological degenerate. William Sheldon established an idea of a certain body build would be more prone to deviant or criminal acts. The psychiatric model view deviance as a product of some character flaw within the individual such as personal disorganization or a maladjusted personality. Under the psychiatric model, deviance is a symptom of some psychological sickness that effect individuals unless it is, effectively, detected and treated. Childhood experiences produce effects that transcend s those of all other social and cultural experiences. When these experiences are troubling to the individual it will also manifest itself as deviant behavior. The psychoanalytic explanation of deviance is best explained by Sigmund Freud’s basic conflict between the conscious and unconscious self. Psychoanalytic theory supporters say that deviance occur when the superego cannot effectively balance the id, unconscious and instinctual drives, and the ego, the conscious self. Psychological explanations attribute certain personality traits and behavioral patterns cause deviant acts. Psychologist attempt to explain deviance as products of abnormalities in psychological structures of individual deviants. They believe that inadequacies in personality traits interfere with an individual’s adjustment to society.
...ociety tries to control what should be seen as normal, but as humans we are all individual and there is no 'norm' there is only an ideal self, how society would like everyone to be and conform.
From time to time do individuals acknowledge negative behavior patterns are thusly destructive until wellbeing, companions, and whole families have abandoned them? Their absurd and egotistical activities need to stop for the advantage and strength of everybody. Presently considering the few stages to take out unfortunate propensities from individual lives, there are just three that are so essential. These are distinguishing the propensity, making a move with help, if necessary and being diligent. The initial step is to recognize the negative behavior pattern. In the event that
From a young age, children in are taught to behave in a way that satisfies their society's standards of behavior. Each society has its own standards of behavior, also known as norms. One set of norms may be similar to those of another society, or one society's own set of norms can be the complete opposite of those of another society. But no matter how different or similar, norms are a part a society's core for they are the guidelines to how members are expected to act, and draws a line between what is acceptable and unacceptable. Despite efforts to enforce norms through social control, there are many people who deviate from these norms. Deviance is behavior that violates the standards of a group or society (Witt, 2013, p. 135). The act of deviance comes in many forms that range from harmless acts like a girl shaving her head, or it might be an action that is more extreme like committing murder.
The notion of truth is explored in everyday life as well as constructed through theoretical situations such as television dramas. Through the exploration of the representation of certain topics concerned with psychology the notion of truth can be explored ultimately answering the question “How is the notion of truth portrayed?”. Although “Grey’s Anatomy” is known for its scandals, and medical plot, there is also a fair amount of psychology involved in the characterization, and in the cases in which the doctors are involved.
Such forces may lead to overdiagnosis or an “unintended medicalization of normality” that reduces the validity of the concept of psychopathology (Frances & Widiger, 2012). But physicians and clinicians operate with an understandable bias for making false positive diagnoses over false negatives, which is likely reflected in their definitions of disorder. Nowhere is that clearer than in Rosenhan’s 1973 study on the “sane in insane places.” Professionals are the ones defining psychopathology on a daily basis through diagnosis and treatment, and they are biased by setting (the institutions they work in) and prior diagnoses—once a patient had a label, they were stuck with it. As Rosenhan (1973) concluded, “Psychiatric diagnosis betrays little about the patient but much about the environment in which an observer finds
As we all have observed, throughout history each culture or society has unique norms that are acceptable to that group of people. Therefore, to establish and come to the acceptance of these basic norms, each society must develop its’ own strategies and techniques to encourage the fundamentals of behavior, which is clear in our modern society. Most do assume that everyone in a society will follow and respect such norms. However, some tend to deviate from the adequate norms and demonstrate deviant behavior. Nevertheless, we are inclined to ask ourselves, why do people decide to violate such important standards of living?
Complete free exercise of will inhibits individual and societal freedom. According to Mill, one may act as one chooses unless one is inflicting harm onto others. He argues that one is free to behave “according to his own inclination and judgment in things which concern himself” as long as “he refrains from molesting” (64). The problem arises in the freedom allowed to the individual performing the potentially dangerous act. People are often blinded by the situation in which they are in and by their personal motives which drive them to act. Humans, by nature, have faults and vices that are potentially harmful. It is the responsibility of society to anticipate harm, whether to oneself or to others. Once dangerous patterns and habits are recognized it is imperative to anticipate and prevent injury from reoccurring. To allow any individual to be inflicted harm forces citizens to lose tr...
Hayes, T. A. 2010. Labelling and the Adoption of a Deviant Status. Deviant Behaviour, 31 (3), pp. 282-297.