Social Norms and Mental Disorder Essay

The downside of these customs is more obvious in a modern world. Rural Irish villages typically had only about a dozen households, so marriage between second cousins was common (Schepper-Hughes, 2001). Prior to the 1950s, most marriages were arranged, so the experience of romantic love and attachment was uncommon. Under the weight of both social and religious sanctions against homosexuality, gay men and women could find themselves facing a life of marriage and conformity that forced them to reject their true nature. Bachelor farmers facing a long winter sometimes spent their time working menial jobs in England, while courting and marrying an Irish woman of the same class. When these women returned with their husbands, they face a lifetime of social isolation.

Discussion

Schepper-Hughes (2001) painted a grim portrait of an Clochan and it's hard to argue with most of her conclusions; however, she seems to miss the historical significance of the village norms and customs in terms of adaptive behavior. When these rural Irish villages began to transition into the modern world, many of these norms and customs became maladaptive. Accordingly, the village leaders responded to nonconformists by handing out schizophrenia diagnoses and warehousing them in mental wards. The village populations have been eviscerated by forced emigration of first born sons and daughters, which has fueled the growth of bachelor farmers and childless late marriages. The local economies collapse and entire communities become dependent on government subsidies and welfare. The choices facing the children born into these villages in 1974 were…