Historical Views of Abnormal Behavior
From times Immemorial
we have always marveled in awe and animosity about abnormal psychology. We are
still on the pursuit of excellence in this field. There has been a transmission
of beliefs on this topic over the years. We have traveled from supernatural
beliefs to trust in logic and realistic knowledge. The unique progress made in this discipline is
displayed here:
Demonology,
gods, and magic:
The pioneers of early
writing , The Chinese, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Greeks often attributed any out
or normal behavior to a demon or god. They believe the person had been
possessed. This possession can be either good or evil spirit. If the behavior
appeared to be sacred and mystical in nature, the usual assumption would be the
possession to be of God or Good Spirit. Such people were treated specially for
their supernatural powers.
But the majority of the
possessions were considered to be caused by evil or angry gods. And their
behavior would be out of place, against norms, and generally erratic. And this
was believed to be wrath or punishment of gods. There were increased efforts to
bring back the person to normalcy in those cases.
One such way of getting
rid of these evils was Exorcism. Its techniques varied but typically included
magic, prayer, incantation, noise making and the use of horrible- tasting
concoctions made from sheep’s dung and wine. This was the widely known
treatment of those days. (Abnormal Psychology Over Time)
Later
Greek and Roman thought:
Lycanthropy – it was a
condition where people believed to have been possessed by wolves and they would
start imitating its behavior. During these ages, the onus of treating abnormal
behavior was on clergymen and they employed mild form of exorcism for the
process. Like the touch of relics, holy water, prayers and other sacred
practices to cleanse the soul. During these times, the mentally ill patients
were accused of being witches and often punished or killed brutally.
The
Resurgence of Scientific Questioning in Europe:
This sparkled an age of
criticism of superstitious beliefs prevailing about possession. One such critic
was Paracelsus (1490 – 1541). He brought about the eternal conflict between the
spiritual and instinctual forces. And
proposed a new practice of using magnetic forces called Hypnotism to cure such
abnormalities. But Paracelsus had a loophole by believing in the lunar
influences on a human’s behavior.
John Weyer (1515- 1588)
a German physician and writer, took up an extensive study about the entire
problem of witchcraft and the torturous punishment given out to them. He was one of the pioneers of Psychopathology
.But his views and findings were beyond his timeline, which invited the wrath
of Church and other Social institutions. His works were banned as lately as
till 20th century.
This set up a battle
ground between the demonology and its beliefs against logic and observation.
Science found its upper hand in most occasions and finally emerged the best
possible solution for these problems. (Hooley, 2008)
The
establishment of early asylums:
From the advent of
sixteenth century, sanctuaries or refugee places called Asylums were setup to
treat the mentally ill patients. The first motive was to exclude the mentally
ill patients from the mainstream and limit the amount of damage they would
cause. Even though Scientific enquire was on a rise, these places were more of
a store house of madness against humanistic treatment centers. Father Juan
Pilberto Jofre is said to have established the first asylum in Valencia, Spain.
Few other asylums at the same time were found to be meeting the patients with
disturbing practices. The outrageous patients were used for public display for
meager sums and the less affected were left on streets to beg. There was more
harm than cure for these patients, and were mostly treated like animals. And
this continued till throughout 18th century.
Humanitarian
Reform:
During the eighteenth
century it was high time the mental hospitals in West underwent a reform. And
this call was duly attended by, Philippe Pinel (1745 – 1826) with his
Humanitarian approach. His work was based in France, around the phase of French
revolution. Pinel worked his way through to get permission to unchain patients
as part of an experiment. He propagated the belief that mentally ill patients
need to be treated with special care and tenderness as opposed to being treated
as criminals or animals. Pinel’s experiment was of huge risk, but proved out to
be a worthy one. Kindness and humanness was restored. Some were shown sunlight
after 30 years; the filth was replaced by freshness, cruel by care. This proved
a major fact that, regularity and kindness have more mileage in treating
mentally ill patients than any other forms known then.
Tuke’s
work in England:
William Tuke
(1732–1822) an English Quaker was one of the contemporary reformers during Pinel’s
time. He setup a pleasant place, where the mentally ill patients could find
peace and life. They were provided with all basic necessities and most
importantly treated respectably. They were also given suitable jobs and space
to leisure. It was a noble battle against cruel treatments. The Quaker retreat
at York has successfully been a place of shelter for over 200 years. Over the
next two centuries the Mental Hospitals were known for its number of patients
and acres of land, more than quality of life provided.
Rush
and Moral Management in America:
Tuke’s and Pinel’s
Humanitarian approach and its success catalyzed its reach throughout the world.
In the United States the Humanitarian revolution was reflected in the work of
Benjamin Rush. HE was the founder of American Psychiatry. With his capacity of
Pennsylvania Hospital in 1783, he implemented Humanitarian approach in every
possible manner. He was organized the first psychiatry course, and wrote a
treatise called Medical Inquiries and Observations upon Diseases of the Mind
(1812); which revolutionized the course of Abnormal psychology. Even Rush
wasn’t completely independent of his time’s beliefs. His treatment used to
include astrology, the idea of tranquil chair. Even then, Rush is considered
the most important bridge between the irrational approach to humanistic
approach.
Dix
and Mental health Regime:
Dorothea Dix
(1802–1887) an English woman, who worked tirelessly for the Humanistic
treatment of Prisoners and Mentally ill patients. Her troubled childhood,
tuberculosis, and her work in women’s prison shaped her up to be the
nightingale of the deprived classes. Dix had seen the most inhuman kind of
treatments meted out to the patients. This influenced her enormously. She
carried out a major campaign between 1841-1881 m which drew people and
legislators to lend help and cleanse the world of treatment. Other than the 20
US states, she also set up two major centers in Canada. Along with upgrading
the US hospitals to Humanitarian approach, Dix also set up 32 mental hospitals
in her career. She was also instrumental in bringing together the nursing
forces during the civil war. She has been quoted as the noblest example of
humanity in all history.
Mental
Hospital Care in the Twenty-First Century:
The twentieth century
saw major growth in the number of mental asylums. But their treatment was
neither positive or entirely up to the mark. Clifford Beers was one of the
influential people who helped in setting up numerous mental hospitals. There
were more specific and well oriented treatments for Depression, Schizophrenia,
and Paresis etc. But the hospital stays were much longer in length and gained
better attention and funding by governments. In the year 1946, a novel and
movie by name Snake Pit, portrayed the lamenting condition of Mental patients.
It also emphasized on the necessity of humane treatment for these victims. 1946
also saw the emergence of National Institute of Mental Health, which looked
into the research and training through psychiatric residences. Hill-Burton Act
and Community Health Services Act of 1963 provided increasing funding through
the legislation. In between there was also a reversal of attitude, where few of
the mental hospitals were closed down, as they believed that it’s better to
treat them isolated, than in crowded hospitals. This reduction in late 20th
century was known as Deinstitutionalization. Although backed by welfare motive,
it posed great difficulty for the psychologically ill community. This movement
also helped set up residential and customized healthcare centers. This also
helped curb people misusing benefits of hospitals and the tag of it being
permanent refugee camps. This was also viewed as a much needed impetus to make
the treatment seem more humane and well directed. And it did serve the purpose
majorly.
We have witnessed the
transition of treatment patterns over the years. Every step taken in this
regard has been to make it more Humane and Successful. There have been
increased efforts by the world of Psychiatry, medicines, facilities and legislations.
But the question that remains is, when the society will upgrade itself to
respect and provide humane treatment for mentally ill patients.
Bibliography
(n.d.). Abnormal Psychology Over Time. London:
Pearson Highered.
(2008). Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. In J.
N. Hooley.
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