Introduction
Discussing the relationship between socio-political concept of people’s cultural identity and the degree of their susceptibility to mental illnesses represents a certain challenge, especially given the fact that the etiology of such illnesses has not been thoroughly studied yet. In Chapter 1 (Criteria for Assessing a Classification in Psychiatry) of a study book “Psychiatric Diagnosis and Classification”, Assen Jablensky and Robert E. Kendell state: “Current classification systems mainly remain “descriptive”… Our knowledge today, with a few exceptions, does not allow us to elucidate the underlying mechanism as to what actually constitutes the disorder or produces the symptom.
The path from appearances to essence depends on the progress of scientific knowledge” (Jablensky & Kendell, 2002, p. 26). Nevertheless, in recent years, it has been assumed by overwhelming majority of psychiatrists that various genetic factors play a crucial role even in triggering comparatively mild mental disorders.
The groundbreaking discoveries in the field of genetic biology, which had taken place over the course of last few decades, point out to the fact that it is namely the “prevention”, rather than “rehabilitation” techniques, which represent a key to effective combating mental disorders. In its turn, this allows suggesting that it is only the matter of comparatively short time, before the code of medicinal ethics, concerning the treatment of mentally ill patients, will be thoroughly revised.
In their article “Genetics and Medicine: An Evolving Relationship”, Charles Scriver, Claude Laberge, Caroline Clow and Clarke Fraser suggest that just about any study on the subject of mental illnesses and its effects, can ill afford skipping the exploration of possible inborn subtleties, behind such an illness: “The genetic paradigm recognizes the role of intrinsic (genetic) factors for individual homeostasis and susceptibility or resistance to disease; the medical paradigm emphasizes the importance of extrinsic (environmental) factors in the etiology of disease.
Because individuals have their own genetic signature, it follows from the genetic paradigm that each person is at his or her own specific risk for a particular disease. This is quite different from obviously unscientific medical paradigm which views all persons as if they were at equivalent risk” (Scriver, Laberge, Clow & Fraser, 1978, p. 946).
This suggestion provides us with the insight on how this paper’s subject matter should be addressed – the particularities of people’s ethnocultural affiliation do affect these people’s attitudes towards mental illness; however, it is mainly objective genetic factors, which define populations’ susceptibility to various forms of mental inadequateness. This idea will serve as our work’s foremost thesis, because in this paper, we will aim at exposing the mechanics of how mental illnesses affect culturally distinctive populations as being rather biologically then environmentally predetermined. Also, we will describe the particularities of how selected populations are being affected by these illnesses.
Main Part
As we have mentioned earlier, understanding intrinsic factors, behind a particular form of mental illness is quite indispensable, especially within a context of discussing why individual’s likelihood to be affected by mental diseases appears to be linked to particularities of his or her ethnocultural background. There can be no doubt that severe forms of mental illness serve as the proof to theoretical validity of the concept of “biological degeneration”, as such that affects different populations to various degrees.
Ever since the dawn of civilization, it has been well known that marriages between close relatives substantially increase the likelihood for the children to be born with inherited physical and mental abnormalities. The reason for this is simple – people’s kinship implies genetic sameness, which in its turn, implies that related parents’ recessive genes are being inherited by the offspring on both: fatherly and motherly lines. This results in only one possible consequence – after being passed to the offspring, these genes become dominant, while predetermining the extent of children’s vulnerability to mental disorders, even before they are being born.
Thus, during the course of this study, we expect to find empirical proofs to the following set of predictions:
- Mental illnesses should be more likely to affect the representatives of so-called “small island cultures”, particularly Polynesians
- Mental illnesses should be more likely to affect the native populations in Europe’s remote mountainous and rural regions, and also the members of European royal families
- Mental illnesses should be more likely to affect the members of closed national and religious communities, which deliberately withhold from socializing with other people as the mean of maintaining their ethnic or religious exclusivity – thus, becoming the subjects of inbreeding. The members of Jewish community should fall under this category.
Also, we expect different forms of mental illness to be more commonly spread out among populations affected by environmental pollution, undernourishment, over-exposal to sun radiation and lack of drinking water, as well as among representatives of ethnicities where consumption of alcohol constitutes a cultural tradition, such as Native Americans, Australian Aborigines and Canadian / Russian Eskimos, because the mentioned above negative environmental and social factors, have long ago been proven as such that affect people’s DNA.
Since the realities of living in today’s Western countries, are now being heavily affected by social policymakers trying to actively defy the laws of nature, by institutionalizing citizens’ physical and mental inadequacy, as such that represents their “uniqueness”, we also expect to find mental illnesses to be especially common among people that are being deliberately deprived of their cultural and racial pride, due to the policy of “multiculturalism” being forcibly imposed upon them – specifically, White “yuppies”.
The methodology we intend to utilize, during the course of substantiating the validity of earlier predictions, will amount to the review of relevant literature and also to the analysis of statistical data, in regards to the subject matter, if available.
As we have stated in previous part of this paper, there are many biologically objective preconditions for the nations of South Pacific to be affected by disproportionate numbers of mentally ill individuals, within a society. The analysis of available literature that deals with the issue, fully confirms the validity of such our suggestion. In his article “In Search of the Social Roots of Mental Pathology in Micronesia”, Francis Hezel provides us with the insight onto the fact that in countries of Micronesia, often as many as 40% of citizens cannot be considered as mentally adequate: “The mentally disturbed are a highly visible phenomenon in almost every part of Micronesia.
Nowhere, however, are they more visible than in the towns where these wandering psychotics roam the streets, sometimes in a partial state of undress, begging cigarettes and engaging passersby in bewildering conversation” (Hezel, 1987). Even though author continuously refers to such state of affairs as being the legacy of European colonialism, he fails to logically articulate his opinion in this respect.
The real reason why natives of Pacific island-nations are known for their tendency to live in the “world of their own” has been explained earlier – these people’s mental health has been negatively affected by inbreeding. In its turn, this explains why the rate of mental inadequateness among Micronesians and Polynesians had been drastically increased, after island-states have gained independence. In its turn, this also explains the fact that it is namely schizophrenia and progressive mental retardation, to which Micronesians and Polynesians appear to be especially susceptible, as these mental pathologies are being strongly associated with the practice of inbreeding.
The utilization of the same practice by members of European nobility, over the course of centuries, had produced a similar effect. It is not a secret that the percentile ratio of individuals, affected by variety of pathologic anxieties, among European aristocrats is best described as rather over-proportionate.
In their article “The Role of Inbreeding in the Extinction of a European Royal Dynasty”, Gonzalo Alvarez, Francisco C. Ceballos and Celsa Quinteiro, bring readers’ attention to the fact that the practice of close relatives marrying each other, within the Royal family of Habsburgs, did not only bring about the physical extinction of this bloodline, but also continues to negatively affect the mental well-being of members of other European royal families even today: “The kings of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty (1516–1700) frequently married close relatives in such a way that uncle-niece, first cousins and other consanguineous unions were prevalent in that dynasty. In the historical literature, it has been suggested that inbreeding was a major cause responsible for the extinction of the dynasty” (Alvarez, Ceballos & Quinteiro, 2009).
However, unlike what it is the case with intermarrying Polynesians and Micronesians, the members of European nobility are likely to fall victims to more subtle neurotic diseases, such as bipolar disorder and depression. This can be partially explained by physiological particularities of their racial makeup, even though the exact mechanism as to why it happens remains a mystery.
One of the most distinctive effects, associated with White people succumbing to mental illness, is that they are much more likely to become suicidal, as a result, when compared to representatives of other races. For example, despite the fact that in such countries as Denmark and Sweden, citizens enjoy the highest standards of living in the whole world, suicidal rates in these countries are also some of world’s highest.
In his article “Religion, values and Scandinavian Social Problems as Reflected in Film”, Tony Eldridge comes up with a remark that in his view, is meant to explain why disproportionally large number of Scandinavians experience an unhealthy attraction towards suicide: “Sweden is a very open society but it is just as clear, that it is a society that displays an emptiness and devaluation of self. Perhaps this accounts for the high depression factor and suicide rate” (Eldridge, 1997).
From our perspective, the reason why many citizens in Scandinavian countries experience suicidal urges, appears to be banaler – according to statistics, up to 40% of these countries’ citizens reside in remote rural areas (more then in any other European country). In its turn, this implies that the percentage of citizens in Scandinavian countries, affected by inbreeding, is also higher then what it is the case with citizens of other European countries. Aubrey Lewis’ article “Demographic
Aspects of Mental Disorder”, contains proof as to validity of such our suggestion: “Essen-Moller (I956) in an exceptionally thorough study of a rural Swedish population numbering 2550, all but thirty of whom were personally interviewed by him and three of his colleagues, determined that 2-3 % of the female and 1-4 % of the male adult population were suffering from neurotic illness at the time of the investigation. When he included those who had previously had such an illness from which they were now recovered, the figures rose to 8-2% for the women, 4-4% for the men” (Lewis, 1963, p. 204).
Nevertheless, it would be wrong to associate the practice of inbreeding with solely negative effects on the mental state of those affected by such practice. Under specific circumstances, mentally unstable people appear as being quite capable of benefiting a society they live in. In order for us to substantiate the conceptual soundness of this idea, we will need to explore the effects of inbreeding on the members of Jewish community, around the world.
In his article “Sibling Incest, Madness, and the “Jews”, Sander L. Gilman reveals the fact that the rise of anti-Semitic sentiment in 19th century can be explained by the fact that, throughout their history as ethno-religious group, Jews used to extensively practice incest: “Anti-Semitism in the late nineteenth century saw the Jews as an essentially “ill” people and labeled the origins of that illness as incest/inbreeding, “consciousness of kind.” The illness dominating the discourse of the anti-Semitic science was madness, and its origin was in the “dangerous” marriages of the Jews: their refusal to marry beyond the inner group.
These marriages were viewed as criminal activity, even when such “inbreeding” was not consanguineous” (Gilman, 1998, p. 159). Yes, it is a truth that, throughout their history, Jews have been extensively intermarrying, which in its turn explains the fact why percentage of people, affected by mental illnesses within a Jewish community is significantly higher, as compared to situation within other religious or ethnic communities. Moreover, it also explains why suicide rates within this community are even higher then among Scandinavians.
In his article “Suicide Touchy Subject, but must be Addressed”, Chris Garifo says: “Ask rabbis and mental health professionals about suicide within the Jewish community, and their initial reaction is to pause, to hesitate. Then they explain that suicide among Jews is a sensitive subject, one that many are not very comfortable discussing” (Garifo, 1999). Nevertheless, it is also a well known fact that the average rate of IQ among Jews equals 110-120, which is considerably higher when even compared to the average IQ of people of European descend.
In his famous work “The Man of Genius”, Cesare Lombroso points out to the fact that, when Jews are being concerned, it is often quite impossible to distinguish between insane individuals and geniuses: “The Jewish elements in the population furnish four and even six times as many lunatics as the rest of the population… Jews, indeed, initiated Nihilism and Socialism on the one hand, Mosaism and Christianity on the other. Commerce owes them the bill of exchange, philosophy owes them positivism, literature the neo-humorism…The Jews of Europe have risen above those of Africa and the East and often surpassed the Aryans” (Lombroso, 1901, p. 133).
Despite the fact that many famous members of Jewish community, such as Albert Einstein, have been traditionally suspected of being affected mental illness, it nevertheless did not prevent them from attaining social prominence. On the contrary – it was often Jewish philosophers, writers and scientists’ existential oddness, which resulted in these individuals being referred to as eccentric geniuses. Therefore, we can say that, unlike representatives of previously discussed distinctive ethnocultural and social groups, Jews often experience a scientific inspiration, as the result of being affected by mental illnesses.
The same can be said, although too much lesser extent, about such loosely defined, but absolutely real category of citizens that are being commonly referred to as “yuppies” (young urban professionals) – specifically, White “yuppies”. It has been noticed since long ago that representatives of this social category of citizens often tend to exist in the “world of their own”, while preferring to ignore the objectiveness of surrounding reality, as such that does not correspond to their idealistic worldviews, and as such that distorts them from executing their professional duties.
However, it is also White “yuppies”, whose contribution to serial homicides committed in America annually, amounts to 90%. In their article “Multiple Homicide: Patterns of Serial and Mass Murder”, James Alan Fox and Jack Levin state: “The serial killer is typically a professional white male in his late twenties or thirties who targets strangers encountered near his work or home. These killers tend to be sociopaths who satisfy personal needs by killing with physical force.
Demographically similar to the serial killer, is the mass murderer, executes his victims in the most expedient way – with a firearm” (Fox & Levin, 1998, p. 407). As practice shows, White “yuppies” usually suffer from such a specific type of mental illness as split personality disorder and bipolar disorder. That is – the integral parts of their personality often act independently of one another, which in its turn explain distinctiveness with which these people’s mental inadequacy affects society – middle aged White professionals are known for their tendency to “snap”, in psychological context of this word, which often results in them embarking on shooting sprees.
Mark Wallheiser’s article “Man with Grudge Kills 10 in Alabama Shooting Spree”, provides us with the insight on how a typical serial murder, committed by middle aged White male, usually looks like: “Michael McLendon killed his mother, grandmother, uncle, two cousins and five others including an 18-month-old girl in a spree on Tuesday that bore the hallmarks of a planned attack… He (McLendon) was a nice quiet kid, no trouble.
He was always polite and nice” (Wallheiser, 2009). It is needless to mention, of course, that yuppies’ susceptibility to bipolar and split personality disorders can hardly be explained by these people being affected by inbreeding, as overwhelming majority of them are urbanites, even though that some researchers do believe in the existence of a link between contemporary White males’ inclination towards berserkerism and the berserkers of Vikings. What seems to be at the play here, is the fact that White people in America simply cannot accept the idea that they now live in multicultural country on subconscious level, even when they consider themselves an ardent supporter of “celebration of diversity” policy.
This is the reason why White “yuppies” usually target the representatives of racial minorities, when they “snap”. The article “Whites with a Terrible Habit of Hate: Did my DNA make me do it?”, available in “The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education” from Autumn of 1997, contains a rhetorical question, which subtly implies that “education” cannot possibly be thought of as the key to elimination of racism in America: “Why do millions of whites in our country take inordinate comfort in beliefs that they are superior to blacks and that this racial advantage was ordained by God or nature? What is it in the psychological makeup of whites that a black person’s purchase of a home next door is viewed with the same horror that one experiences in a diagnosis of cancer?” (JBHE, 1997).
Thus, we can say that results of this short study fully support the validity of study’s initial thesis as to what constitute risk factors, within a context of representatives of distinctive ethnic and social groups becoming affected by mental illnesses, and how such illness modify these people’s behavior.
Conclusion
The following are this study’s recommendations:
- The members of secluded ethnocultural, religious, and social communities should be encouraged to participate in socialization with other people, outside of these communities.
- Newlywed couples must be prompted to seek physician’s counseling, in regards to their genetic makeup, before they decide to conceive a child.
- In order for middle aged White professionals to be less likely to succumb to neurotic illnesses, they should be forced to spend more time on fresh air, away from computers, and also to indulge in physical activities. Moreover, they should be forbidden from residing in secluded White suburbia, as they tend to do now.
Bibliography:
Alvarez, G., Ceballos, F., & Quinteiro, C. (2009). The Role of Inbreeding in the Extinction of a European Royal Dynasty. PLoS ONE. Web.
Eldridge, T. (1997). Religion, Values and Scandinavian Social Problems as Reflected in Film. Celsius Centre for Scandinavian Studies. Web.
Fox, J. & Levin, J. (1998). Multiple Homicide: Patterns of Serial and Mass Murder. Crime and Justice, 23 (15), 407-455.
Garifo, C. (1999). Suicide Touchy Subject, but must be Addressed. Jewish News of Greater Phoenix Online. Web.
Gilman, S. (1998). Sibling Incest, Madness, and the “Jews”. Jewish Social Studies, New Series, 4 (2), 157-179.
Hezel, F. (1987). In Search of the Social Roots of Mental Pathology in Micronesia. Micronesian Seminar. Web.
Jablensky, A. & Kendell, Robert. (2002). Criteria for Assessing a Classification in Psychiatry. Psychiatric Diagnosis and Classification. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lewis, A. (1963) Demographic Aspects of Mental Disorder. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 159, (974), 202-220.
Lombroso, C. (1901). The Man of Genius. London: Kessinger Publishing.
Scriver, C., Laberge, C., Clow, C., L. & Fraser, C. (1978). Genetics and Medicine: An Evolving Relationship. Science, New Series, 200 (4344), 946-952.
Wallheiser, M. (2009). Man with Grudge Kills 10 in Alabama Shooting Spree.Reuters. Web.
Whites with a Terrible Habit of Hate: Did my DNA make me do it? (1997). The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 17 (25), 24-27.