Abstract
The preceding chapters offer case studies of instances where cultural conceptions are shown to play a role in how a phenomenon is experienced and communicated. Here the aim is to offer a theoretical sketch for understanding culture, experiences and narratives as inherently inseparable. Bourdieu’s theory of the habitus and field is used to argue for this inseparability. Using this account, an objection is made to the notion of idiom of distress for its lack of explanatory power. The broad use of the notion in the literature, and the theoretical account offered, together demonstrate the notion’s lack of explanatory power thus limiting its use to other points of concern such as highlighting the importance of culture in intervention methods.
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Notes
- 1.
Ian Hacking has also suggested an account of understanding phenomena and our experience of them in a historical context (Hacking 2002), and has shown how the historical developments change our perceptions and understanding of some mental disorders (Hacking 1995). I use Bourdieu’s account in detailing this link, as his account is concerned with history, as well as cultural norms and customs. Thus the links between his account and the arguments presented in this work can be drawn more easily.
- 2.
Note the parallels between this theory and the importance of outer and inner self in the Iranian culture and its influence on the conceptions and experiences of interpersonal relationships, as noted in Chap. 2.
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Mirdamadi, M. (2023). Culture, Experiences and Narratives, and the Problem of Interpretation. In: A Phenomenological Study of Depression in Iran. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30407-1_8
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