Globalisation of the American Psyche
America, more than any other nation, has contributed to the cause of globalisation. We’re all being ever-so-slightly Americanised a little more each and every day of our lives. Consumerism as an ideology is at least as strong, probably stronger, than the ideologies of the earlier 20th Century like fascism and communism.
Having just finished reading the New York Times article by Ethan Watters titled The Americanization of Mental Illness, the profound cultural effect of American influence appears to be more permeating than I had previously taken time to consider. The article explains that research into the expression of mental illness across cultures shows heterogenous definition and expressions of mental illness through a culturally-localised ‘repertoire’ of symptoms. That is to say, our western view of mental illness is just one of any number out there – no more or less valid than other culturally bound expressions of mental stress.
Enter the globalisation of the Amercian psyche. The research shows that non-western cultures are being exposed to our western repertoire of legitimate expressions of mental stress – anorexia, depression, post traumatic stress disorder – these expressions are spreading through those cultures at epidemic speeds and replacing their existing repertoire. The resulting impact on the heterogenous cultures of the planet is an alignment towards the homogeneity of culture – globalised Americanisation.
Also interesting in Watters’ article is the effect that has resulted from redefining mental illness to be an illness of the brain rather than as the result of an affliction. This, I might interject, has occurred just when the western world has legitimised the idea that we are all victims of something. Apparently not for the mentally ill – they have a disease. The interesting part of that transformation of how societies perceive and respond to people with mental illness is surprisingly that we now think they are more dangerous and we consistently seek greater distance from them… because we see them as having a hard-wired brain disease as opposed to being afflicted with an illness. This has increased their social isolation.
My only real comment on the Watters article is that our striving for globalisation is a direct attempt at cultural homogenisation. Bare no bones about that – free trade as a theory in its pure form is unworkable. What we’re really up against is the idea that everybody thinking the same way, doing the same things and buying into the same paradigms is a better world. It definately is not.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:18 pm
[...] recently published an article on this website called Globalisation of the American Psyche about the New York Times article by Ethan Watters titled The Americanization of Mental Illness. [...]