Understanding Social Sciences: Culture, Society, and Mental Health
Anthropology & Sociology
Global Study of Human Societies
Anthropology is the global study of the variability of human societies.
Scientific Study of Human Social Life
Sociology is the scientific study of human social life.
Evolutionists
Evolutionists focus on the similarities in changing societies.
Social Interactions
Social interactions encompass the real social behavior of individuals and groups.
Functionalist Perspective
The functionalist perspective emphasizes consensus on values, order, and stability.
Conflict Perspective
The conflict perspective focuses on inequality, stress, and change.
Food & Society
In our society, food is linked to diseases like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. The biological need for food is universal, but what we eat is regulated by culture. Food, as a social phenomenon, changes in different social and historical contexts. Cultural norms define what is edible, how it is obtained, prepared, and served. Companies structure daily cycles of food consumption, including meal times and fasts.
Food in Contemporary Society
We must constantly choose: eating rich or healthy, fashionable or fast, or cheap. There’s a great variety of fast food rich in fats and sugars. Our choices are influenced by the availability of time and money.
Alcohol & Society
Alcohol is often used as a mechanism of social integration. In some cases, it is used to counter social problems.
Death & Society
Death is inevitable and a universal event. As a social phenomenon, death has cultural meaning. Every culture has beliefs and actions related to death.
Death in the 19th Century
Until the early nineteenth century, doctors only accompanied the dying as “something to do.” There was a fear of not knowing. With the creation of the stethoscope (1818), the figure of the physician as supervisor emerged. Doctors acquired prestige, and death ceased to be solely the domain of religion and philosophy, becoming a matter of medical science.
Death in the 20th Century
Progress in health technology led to critical care, which prolongs the lives of patients. This changed the way people died. The fear of not knowing shifted to the fear of knowing too much.
Work & Gender
Reproductive Work
Reproductive work encompasses activities necessary for maintaining the biological and social reproduction of the human species. It is primarily the responsibility of women, involving a heavy workload that is not socially valued or remunerated.
Productive Work
Productive work involves activities that produce goods and services in exchange for remuneration. This social responsibility is assigned to men and involves social recognition. Women’s productive work is generally considered secondary.
Community Work
Community work aims to improve the living conditions and quality of life of the community, with special attention to vulnerable groups. These tasks are often assigned to women, adding a significant burden of work.
Autonomy & Empowerment
Autonomy: Physical, economic, political, social, and cultural independence.
Empowerment: Developing actions for women to have equal access to resources, enabling growing autonomy and self-confidence.
Paradigm Shifts & Modernity
Medieval World View
- Geocentric nature
- Hierarchical world
- Human world acquires meaning beyond itself (faith)
- Knowledge is subordinate to faith
- Man is privileged and static
Principles of Modernity
- Skeptical and critical thinking
- Idea of progress
- Tolerance and pluralism
- Social mobility
- Rational, scientific thought
- Capitalism and technological innovations
It’s difficult to argue that we have completely moved beyond Modernity. The theory of progress is weakened but survives. The theory of economic development may be just a belief.
Psychopathology
Kraepelin
Classified diseases according to different criteria.
Freud
Related disease to past experiences and the mind’s construction. Mental illness is the result of psychic conflict.
Bleuler
Coined the term “schizophrenia,” providing a dynamic approach where the abnormal is given by a split.
Jaspers
Applied phenomenology (the study of phenomena) to the study of the mind. The focus is on describing the phenomenon, reality, and the intent of the experience.
The phenomenological method is widespread and provides a link between normal and abnormal development and behavior.
Adaptation & Stress
Some people adapt better to situations than others due to:
- Stress: A reaction to demanding situations.
- Coping: How people handle difficulties.
- Vulnerability: The probability of maladaptive responses to certain situations (genetics).
Mental Disorder
Current theories about mental disorders can be simplified into three:
- Biological defect of genetic origin
- Result of certain personality types forged through conditioning and learning
- Defined deviant and unacceptable behavior
Social-Psychological Theory of Schizophrenia
Basics: Communication is basic to the development of the mind, and lack of communication leads to mental collapse. Isolation is a key feature of schizophrenia.
Socialization
Socialization is the set of habits acquired under the rules and expectations of society. It includes two main components:
- Awareness: The general provision to prevent antisocial behavior, often due to fear of punishment.
- Pro-sociality: [Further definition needed]