Topic Summaries

Nature and social distribution of mental illness

A-Level > Sociology > AQA > A Level Sociology Topic Summaries > Health > Nature and social distribution of mental illness
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Exam overview
  • 👤 Szasz (1960): argues mental illness is a myth used to control deviance.
    • Biological evidence supports some psychiatric diagnoses.
  • 👤 Foucault (1985): sees definitions of madness as tools of power to separate the “unreasonable.”
    • Overlooks medical advances improving mental health.
  • 👤 Goffman (1961): in Asylums found psychiatric institutions strip people of identity.
    • Community care can also lead to neglect.
  • 👤 Scheff (1963): labelling can turn temporary distress into chronic illness through societal reaction.
    • Not all labelled individuals become long-term patients.
  • 👤 Rosenhan (1973): psychiatric labels bias staff perceptions, as pseudo-patients’ normal behaviour was treated as pathological.
    • Ethical concerns over deception.
  • 👥Brown and Harris (1978): found working-class women more likely to suffer depression due to life events and lack of support.
    • Patterns changing as gender roles shift

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