SOCI 136F Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Spirit Possession, Norm (Social), Unthinkable
Document Summary
Psychiatric symptoms of mental illness are instances of rule-breaking and deviance: rule-breaking- behavior that is in clear violation of the agreed-upon rules of a group (social norms) The deviant is one to whom the label as an outsider has successfully been applied. Deviants are a group of people who have been stigmatized as deviants. A residual category; includes witchcraft, spirit possession, and mental illness. Mental illness is also called residual deviance. Called withdrawal when not socially acceptable: occult involvement - subtype of awayness where person gives the impression that they are not aware that they are away. Person engages in unnatural behavior, verbal activities, or mannerisms. Certain occasions where occult involvement is not deemed socially unacceptable like praying, telephone conversations, etc. Psychiatric symptoms like withdrawal, hallucinations, mutterings, etc. are categorized as social norm violations if they are so taken for granted that they are not explicitly verbalized (residual rules)
