Pathological normalcy: A construct for comprehending and overcoming psychological aspects of alienation.

Abstract

Burston has made an important contribution to broadening and deepening the field of academic psychology. In ''Cyborgs, Zombies and Planetary Death: Alienation in the 21st Century,'' he brings an impressive knowledge of European social theory to the field of psychology. He uses this background to illuminate important features of contemporary capitalist society, and how these bear on psychological issues. The reader is treated to a masterful overview of important social theorists such as Heidegger, Lacan, Fromm, Lukacs, Goldmann, and others. Burston utilizes their theories to make incisive observations about contemporary capitalism. Especially important is his critique of modern markets as alienated, depersonalized, instrumental, materialistic, transient, ''liquid'' (in Baumann's terms) social relations.Burston pinpoints the neglected question of whether alienation is socially constructed and changeable, or whether it is intrinsic to civilization and the human condition. He points out that Marx articulated the former position, and Heidegger and Lacan adopted the latter, more pessimistic position. Lacan went so far as to build alienation into language! Burston urges us to evaluate these claims, and wonders whether a grand synthesis of these positions is even possible. After all, alienation cannot be historically constructed-changeable and also intrinsic to human nature. Burston seems to favor Marx's position, and urges us to apply this notion of alienation to contemporary social problems. This advice directs us to look deeply into the causes of alienation and propose alternatives to them. I take up this challenge by exploring Erich Fromm's work on alienation. In the process, I critique contemporary approaches in the mental health field that fail to address the problem of alienation and its implications for social and psychological critique and enrichment.Following Marx, Fromm recognized that alienation, is first and foremost, a social, structural phenomenon-people are alienated from work and the products of their own activity because these have been expropriated from the worker-producers by the capitalist owners of the means of production, who generally control the levers of government. This state of affairs creates a malaise of mystification, commodification, and stultification. Fromm termed these ''The Pathology of Normalcy'' (Fromm, 2010), meaning that social life in contemporary society is often debilitating, stressful, and dehumanizing. Modes of behavior that are deemed normal or adaptive in this context are not actually healthy or fulfilling, but undermine human happiness and well-being in numerous ways.Ratner calls the psychological fall-out of alienation ''the psychology of oppression'' (Ratner, 2011(Ratner, , 2014a(Ratner, in press, 2014b. Psychology of oppression and pathological normalcy are Correspondence should be addressed to Carl Ratner,

A Critical Analysis of Debates Around Mental Health Calls in the Prehospital Setting

“…We begin by noting that properly addressing a greater than ordinary or desirable volume of “mental health” calls requires that we understand what constitutes a patient with “mental illness.” The terms are not explicitly defined in the literature, although without a clear understanding of what counts as health and what counts as illness, significant challenges for establishing effective and appropriate health care policy emerge. 24 , 25 …”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” 26 We would like to suggest that were the WHO to include the social, cultural, and political contexts that create inequities, this definition would lead us to question what counts as normal or abnormal states, and concomitantly what counts as normal or abnormal responses to a given set of circumstances. 25 …”

“… 39 However, ideological barriers continue to place the source of distress largely or solely at the level of individuals, shifting responsibility away from social and political structures. 10 , 25 , 42 …”

Classic and Revisionist Sociocultural Theory, and their analyses of expressive language

“…It tends to be subjective and anarchist, to be eager for the change which comes from individual initiative. ' Individualistic, liberal social philosophy leads to a politics of respect and validation of personal agency, authenticity, and creativity (Ratner, 2014b, c;Ratner, 2015a). It glorifies individual acts without recognizing their oppressive origins, content, and function.…”

“…8. This is pathological normalcy (Ratner, 2014b) and psychology of oppression (Ratner, 2011) which is a form of governmentality. 9.…”