Psychiatric categories provide in-groups with behavioral scripts from which behavioral uniformity may be imposed
Psychiatry provides a comforting sense of order in the refusal to accept the chaotic nature of behavior. By asserting psychiatric terminology and morality (Psychiatry plays a moralizing role for society by defining behavior in terms of normal and abnormal) many people seek control over social interactions with the intent to sterilize and homogenize them. This attempt at behavioral uniformity goes hand in hand with the treatment of individuals as members of monolithic, identity-based in-groups. Behavioral uniqueness and variety are often discouraged or condemned when they don’t fit neatly constructed scripts these groups adhere to, as it threatens the stability of their identity. It may also involve how The right hemisphere allows for the recognition of uniqueness and familiarity, while the left only re-presents generic categories of things. This may represent an overbearing left hemisphere resisting unique behavior that does not fit into its predictable categories. Also, Strong social support groups may sometimes only be about homogeneity, conformity, and xenophobia. One’s behavior or emotional expression could be trivialized by being socially called out as ‘problematic’—a label which itself requires the conformity of a generalized consensus to define and enforce.
References
- Flower Bomb. (2020). Descending into Madness. The Anarchist Library: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/flower-bomb-descending-into-madness-an-anarchist-nihilist-diary-of-anti-psychiatry.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Psychiatry / Psychology / Social Psychology Status:☀️