6/6/2019; Week 7: Response to Culture and Psychology
Professor Ivers' lecture (BYU-I circa 2013) hit a lot of points today: witchcraft/mass hysteria, mental illness, cultural stereotypes, the effect culture has on self-esteem, and more ! The point of the lecture was that our brains take what our culture teaches us - whatever that may be- and train us as people to act as though the culture was 100% accurate.
I would really like to address the mental illness aspect, since mental illness runs frolicking through my family, but it would take a couple thousand words, at least, and that is too much for the purposes of this assignment. Instead, I will touch briefly on Schizophrenia from my own personal studies and family experience.
The hallmark of Schizophrenia is confused thinking. There is no cure, only treatment. Each afflicted person must consciously sift through what their brain is bombarding them with and decide what is accurate. People with firm standards and strong support systems - no matter what their culture teaches - tend to be more stable than those without, since they have a frame of reference to measure 'truth' and appropriate behavior with.
There are 2 general types of Schizophrenia: Positive and Negative. The Positive type has a lot of energy, tends to 'act out' inappropriately without medication or a good support system. The Negative type has very low energy/motivation, tends to become a 'hermit' without medication or a good support system. Both types tend to do better with regular structure/habits in their lives.
I have some family experience with Positive Schizophrenia. From my observation, they tend to be excitable and believe in conspiracy theories. This can lead to verbal and even physical altercations if the person feels they are in danger and must act. ( *This is very rare.) These are the Schizophrenics portrayed on TV raving and violent during psychotic breaks.
I have a lot of experience with Negative Schizophrenia, as our older son has it. The Negative type tends to be overwhelmed by a lot of noise and action. They tend to be very quiet or retreat to have the peace that they need to make sense of the world. If a person with Negative Schizophrenia has a psychotic break, they would be fairly catatonic: They might stay in bed or seated in a chair for hours or days. The mental overload might leave them unable to properly function physically without outside assistance and they might possibly be unable to respond verbally. (*This is also very rare).
While Schizophrenia is a genetic, life-long condition, it does not define a whole person, just like diabetes does not define a whole person. Each person can have success and find joy in their life, even if, like diabetics, they must work harder for good health.
For more information in the US, look up NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
I would really like to address the mental illness aspect, since mental illness runs frolicking through my family, but it would take a couple thousand words, at least, and that is too much for the purposes of this assignment. Instead, I will touch briefly on Schizophrenia from my own personal studies and family experience.
The hallmark of Schizophrenia is confused thinking. There is no cure, only treatment. Each afflicted person must consciously sift through what their brain is bombarding them with and decide what is accurate. People with firm standards and strong support systems - no matter what their culture teaches - tend to be more stable than those without, since they have a frame of reference to measure 'truth' and appropriate behavior with.
There are 2 general types of Schizophrenia: Positive and Negative. The Positive type has a lot of energy, tends to 'act out' inappropriately without medication or a good support system. The Negative type has very low energy/motivation, tends to become a 'hermit' without medication or a good support system. Both types tend to do better with regular structure/habits in their lives.
I have some family experience with Positive Schizophrenia. From my observation, they tend to be excitable and believe in conspiracy theories. This can lead to verbal and even physical altercations if the person feels they are in danger and must act. ( *This is very rare.) These are the Schizophrenics portrayed on TV raving and violent during psychotic breaks.
I have a lot of experience with Negative Schizophrenia, as our older son has it. The Negative type tends to be overwhelmed by a lot of noise and action. They tend to be very quiet or retreat to have the peace that they need to make sense of the world. If a person with Negative Schizophrenia has a psychotic break, they would be fairly catatonic: They might stay in bed or seated in a chair for hours or days. The mental overload might leave them unable to properly function physically without outside assistance and they might possibly be unable to respond verbally. (*This is also very rare).
While Schizophrenia is a genetic, life-long condition, it does not define a whole person, just like diabetes does not define a whole person. Each person can have success and find joy in their life, even if, like diabetics, they must work harder for good health.
For more information in the US, look up NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
I liked very much your analysis, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing something so personal. I think you are, we are falling behind when it comes to our knowledge and sensitivity about people with special differences. I know of so many people who were able to get a diagnosis and treatment because their teacher was able to observe something in them that was invisible to others.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I have a companion in the mission field who was diagnosed with the same mental illness. It was hard for me to adjust to her behavior. I had to inform my Mission President about it. I have realized the challenge of such, but as you said this condition does not define the whole person.
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