Risk Factors of Postpartu1n Depression A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Mohammed Abdel-Latif Mahmoud Mohammed El-Saidi;
Abstract
Summary Page 193
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
The term "culture" is actually very difficult to define. No consensus about definition can be agreed upon, as several aspects of such terminology are often encountered. According to some, culture is defined as "The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought." Cultural psychiatry has gained considerable visibility and prestige as a discipline in the last few decades because of an increased recognition that culture plays a significant role in individuals' lives and has considerable impact on the development of their self-concept.
Psychiatric illnesses are human behavioral anomalies and breakdowns that are culturally shaped, explained, and dealt with in terms of established conventions and meanings. Societies differ greatly in terms of how they define and explain such breakdowns. In every society, psychiatric illnesses have special meanings and can be equated with other formulations of behavior problems. From a very early period, psychiatric illness carried special intellectual, moral, and literary meanings. This included social stigma. These special meanings appear to have been associated mainly with the part of psychiatric illness encompassed by madness. An interest and fascination with, as well as a social condemnation of, madness and insanity was a feature of classical and medieval (relating or belonging to the Middle Ages) societies. During the early modern period there appears to have taken place an accentuation of such special meanings. In addition, heavily somatized "psychiatric" conditions (hysteria, mood disorders) became more closely associated with madness and its special social meanings. In the process, all of these psychiatric illnesses also became more naturalized, clarified, and drawn away from religious orientation because they were very prevalent in many individuals who could not easily be classified as marginal, impaired, or socially deteriorated or, as previously defined, as mad or insane.
Considerable work has been done on the effect of culture on intrapsychic development. A lot of cultural stimuli had lead women to conceptualize their
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
The term "culture" is actually very difficult to define. No consensus about definition can be agreed upon, as several aspects of such terminology are often encountered. According to some, culture is defined as "The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought." Cultural psychiatry has gained considerable visibility and prestige as a discipline in the last few decades because of an increased recognition that culture plays a significant role in individuals' lives and has considerable impact on the development of their self-concept.
Psychiatric illnesses are human behavioral anomalies and breakdowns that are culturally shaped, explained, and dealt with in terms of established conventions and meanings. Societies differ greatly in terms of how they define and explain such breakdowns. In every society, psychiatric illnesses have special meanings and can be equated with other formulations of behavior problems. From a very early period, psychiatric illness carried special intellectual, moral, and literary meanings. This included social stigma. These special meanings appear to have been associated mainly with the part of psychiatric illness encompassed by madness. An interest and fascination with, as well as a social condemnation of, madness and insanity was a feature of classical and medieval (relating or belonging to the Middle Ages) societies. During the early modern period there appears to have taken place an accentuation of such special meanings. In addition, heavily somatized "psychiatric" conditions (hysteria, mood disorders) became more closely associated with madness and its special social meanings. In the process, all of these psychiatric illnesses also became more naturalized, clarified, and drawn away from religious orientation because they were very prevalent in many individuals who could not easily be classified as marginal, impaired, or socially deteriorated or, as previously defined, as mad or insane.
Considerable work has been done on the effect of culture on intrapsychic development. A lot of cultural stimuli had lead women to conceptualize their
Other data
| Title | Risk Factors of Postpartu1n Depression A Cross-Cultural Perspective | Other Titles | عوامل الخطوره لاكتئاب مابعد الولاده من من منظور ثقافات مختلفه | Authors | Mohammed Abdel-Latif Mahmoud Mohammed El-Saidi | Issue Date | 2001 |
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