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The Sociological Study of Mental Illness: A Critique and Synthesis of Four Perspectives

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Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

This chapter identifies two dimensions of sociological styles of thinking about mental disorder. The first is whether studies explain how symptoms emerge in individuals the social response to symptomatic persons. The second dimension is whether mental symptoms are viewed as properties of individuals or as cultural products. The intersection of these dimensions identifies four styles of thinking about mental disorder. The etiological style views mental illness as an individual state and searches for its social causes. The sociological psychology approach also conceives of mental illness as an attribute of individuals, but treats symptoms as cultural products. The social response model concerns social reactions to these symptoms. Finally, social constructionist studies examine how social definitions of mental disorders are constructed and employed. The chapter discusses the nature, strengths, and weaknesses of these four styles of sociological explanation of mental disorder.

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Abbreviations

ADHD:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

DSM:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

HD:

Harmful dysfunction

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson St, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Allan V. Horwitz

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  1. Allan V. Horwitz
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Correspondence to Allan V. Horwitz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Carol S. Aneshensel

  2. Department of Sociomedical Sciences Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Jo C. Phelan

  3. Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Alex Bierman

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Horwitz, A.V. (2013). The Sociological Study of Mental Illness: A Critique and Synthesis of Four Perspectives. In: Aneshensel, C.S., Phelan, J.C., Bierman, A. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_6

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