SOC 107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Psy, Kleptomania, Neoliberalism
29 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Societies differ dramatically in their response to the same bodily, physical symptoms: pinto (dyschromic spirochetosis), a skin disease, intestinal worms among the african thongas, hearing voices/visions. Erving h. acherknecht (1947) medicine"s practical goal is not primarily a biological one, but that of social adjustment in a given society the notion of disease depends rather on the decisions of society than on objective facts . The idea that some people are psychologically sick or disordered reflects the growth of the pathological approach: psychocentricism, problems are innate -> individual is responsible for fixing. The idea of normal are key to our understanding of modern forms of discipline towards those who are sick or disordered. Distinguishing between the normal and the abnormal is an expression of normalising power: in order to define someone or behaviour abnormal, what essentially do you have to do, consult an expert. Normalizing power is simultaneously a dividing practice. Classifying people is accomplished by looking at signs and symptoms.
