[ExI] Reinforcing our Prejudices

[Samantha Atkins]

On Apr 18, 2008, at 6:07 AM, Stathis Papaioannou wrote:

> On 18/04/2008, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote:
>
>> Perhaps reinforcing the researchers' own biases? At least
>> things along the lines of counting the political opposition
>> as retarded or mentally ill are less prevalent today. A huge
>> number of psychiatrists in the 1960s were willing to affirm
>> that Barry Goldwater was mentally ill for spouting his
>> "nonsense".
>
> Mental illness is not a social construct any more than hepatitis or
> renal failure is a social construct.
>

What is judged to be "mental illness"  can have very real social  
construct components.  For instance, women who actually admitted to  
sexual desires and enjoying sex were considered "mentally ill" not  
that long ago.  Homosexuality was listed as a mental illness much more  
recently.

- samantha