Sociology of Mental Illness: the Study of the Un-institutionalized Mentally Challenged in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Nigeria
assume that people within the social structure know what the normal behaviours that are expected of their members are. We can garner this from the fact that we all operate within the boundary of the “assumptive world.” The concept “assumptive world” relates to the fact that our behaviours are continuously being evaluated by others and by ourselves – relative to others. That means that the reactions (real or perceived) of the people to our behaviour(s) will determine/influence how we feel about ourselves, the nature of the world around us, our ability to predict what to expect from others and the resultant effect of our actions (Frank, 1974:27-29). The factor that should be noted is that the assumptive world varies and depends on the culture. For example, it is assumed that shoes are to be worn on the feet, not on the palms. Again, the type of shoes worn depends on the setting — bathroom slippers (depending on the social class) are not expected to be worn to formal functions. Eye contact should be made while discussing with somebody not for one to continue to stare at the other’s ears — the Yoruba culture makes a further restriction, it does not expect a child to maintain eye contact with an adult. This shows that even though these norms are not codified or written into law, they exist and people through socialization are expected to acquire/learn them in conjunction with the appropriate cues. In fact, most of the times we do not know that some of them exist until we have violated them – but we are always prepared to make appropriate amends. Despite this, we are subjected to and we subject ourselves to the reactions of others as to whether our behaviours are positively or negatively responded to. A positive reaction could mean that the behaviour is acceptable within the context in which it occurs and we can thus afford to repeat it. For instance, in some churches, a spiritualist who goes into trance while devouring the wrong doings of others, or while claiming to have seen God if praised for the revelations made is apt to repeat the behaviour following the prescribed cue. However with the interpretation of the Bible today, particularly by the Pentecostal Churches, such persons could be ostracized or marked out for deliverance — for according to this faith or new interpretation, no human being (because of sin) can ever see God but could see His son Jesus Christ. Also, going into trance is not the order of the day but speaking in tongue is the current norm. This being the case, it becomes risky or too expensive of behaviour for any member to repeat the unmerited. The above reinforces the view that a particular behavior in different setting will elicit different reactions and responses from people as dictated by cultural interpretations, definitions and understanding (Frank, 1974; Mechanic, 1980; Henslin, 2002). These definitions and responses are also influenced by factors such as the person involved his/her personality, and the where and when of the behaviour. A good example is an incident that occurred while a hungry Nigerian musician who was in a foreign country was “bowling” down some “akpu/fufu” (a Nigerian meal made from cassava) at a station. Somebody called the police claiming that a Blackman was trying to commit suicide. In summary, all of the above reactions exert influence on the actors and the observers and the decision as to whether to continue with the specified behaviour or not. The key factor is for the person to know the cues and to respond appropriately, else, it draws unwanted attention.
Mental illness is a concept that is very intriguing to study. This supposedly bizarre behaviour has always been of interest and concern to people. For example, during the pre-industrial times, in Europe, the “mentally ill” were professed to be afflicted by demons (Szasz, 1961; Conrad and Schneider, 1980) and therefore to save society, they were burnt or starved to death. Today, the view is much different. Post-industrial revolution produced some people who say that it is the disease of the mind (in the head) caused by sin and as retribution for sin (Ackerknecht, 1968). In the Chinese society it is believed that all diseases are caused by an imbalance of two forces Yin and Yang. These two forces based on supernatural conceptions, represent good/bad, positive/negative, male/female, the moon and the sun. Therefore, an imbalance between the two forces results when people deviate from the “Tao” or the “way.” Tao is regarded as the ethical superstructure which provides for all eventualities in life and for all essential types of interpersonal relationships (Veith, 1955; Sidel, 1975). Thus in this culture, the afflicted is removed from the cause/source of the problem and as such is not held responsible for any behaviour committed while mentally ill.
Just like in the Chinese culture, the Nigerians perceive mental illness as resulting from a person’s