How do social constructs influence our wellbeing and mental health?
A ‘social construct’ can be a difficult concept to get your head around. It would be reasonable to deduce that it has something to do with society and the way in which society is organised, but in what way exactly, who decides how its going to be and what are the implications, particularly on our mental health and wellbeing?
Let’s start by looking at a current definition
“A social construct is a concept that exists not in objective reality, but as a result of human interaction. It exists because humans agree that it exists”¹
These are ideas that have been created, accepted and influenced by social and cultural worldviews, often becoming false beliefs, perpetuated by the majority, adopted by society and held as facts.
Examples of social constructs
Class distinctions – based on wealth, environment and other identifying factors.
Race – a classification system invented to define physical differences between people often leading to oppression and violence.
Religion – based on a set of beliefs, behaviours and norms, imposed and adopted by society.
Gender – ‘boys wear blue and girls wear pink!’
Age - Eastern cultures tend to value age and wisdom, while Western cultures tend to revere youth.
Beauty – in France in the 17th century plump women were considered to be exceptionally beautiful, today it’s considered differently.
These are only a few examples and there are many more.
You’ll notice that many of these views are being challenged by society daily. In one of the Sunday Broadsheets recently there was a two page spread showing Joan MacDonald, a 70 year old women looking slim, healthy, in tight fitting lycra and with muscles that any young body builder would be proud of. How do you think she might have been perceived by readers?
Social Constructs and mental illness
Let’s consider mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association considers mental illnesses to be:
“health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behaviour (or a combination of these)”²
Interesting to consider that there is a school of thought that suggests mental illness is also socially constructed.
Social constructivism theory³ offers that people have different conceptions of mental illness depending on where they live, and the sociatal norms, values and beliefs that are predominant in that area. For example, someone living in India, may have grown up in a culture where mental illness was seen as shameful and a weakness compared to someone growning up in the UK.
Social influences of mental illness
Being Socialised
Medical professionals and how they treat patients with mental illness
Media
Generational influences
Gender influences
Perception of, and reaction to disability
In the UK, this can mean that people who have mental health issues and illness can be ‘socialised’ by well meaning medical professionals to identify as their illness i.e. I am depressed rather than I am a person who has depression; I am a schizophrenic; I am bipolar potentially leading to them being stripped of any individuality and treated only as an object with symptoms. It’s not that long ago that people with mental illness were still being locked away in asylums, the last one closed in the uk in 2010, only 13 years ago.
The media can also perpetuate and shape views, opinions and perceptions (social constructs) of mental illness. For some this is considered to be their main source of information leading to misinformation, misunderstanding and fear.
There is also society’s generational influence of our perception of mental health, particularly with older men who grew up thinking that men were meant to be the strong one, the ‘bread winner’ in the family and it would be frowned upon to admit that they were struggling with anxiety or depression and unable to cope. Women were also not immune to societies expectations that they should stay at home, cook, clean and look after the children with little or no expectation of having a career.
Think about this scenario, a person in a wheelchair is being pushed into a café to grab a coffee. They go to the counter to order a drink. The person behind the counter addresses only the person pushing the wheelchair asking them what they want, rather than address the person in the wheelchair. Had the counter been at wheelchair height, they could have wheeled themselves up to the counter to order their own drink. This reaction to the perception of a physical disability can also support the causal link between our physical and mental health.
As we’ve seen society is shaped by the majority and can often be excluding, perpetuating negative stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, stigma, and can encourage hostility.
It’s not all bad news though because social constructs also give us a framework for how to co-exist, live and work together, communicate, accept difference, encourage tolerance, and engender a greater awareness and understanding. However, it’s also wise not to hold social constructs as fixed immutable facts that quickly become outdated potentially breeding disillusionment, discontent, and conflict.
Summary
Social constructs are created by humans, existing in the main to provide society with a way of relating, believing, learning and communicating. It is a fluid concept, changing rapidly on occasion or taking decades to breakdown and shift perceptions. What can be helpful is to be aware of our personal social constructs with an intention to challenge our views and opinions, and consider the impact on those around us, particularly on our and others’ wellbeing and mental health.
References
2. American Psychiatric Association (2018). What is Mental Illness? Psychiatry.org. https://psychiatry.org/Patients-Families/What-is-Mental-Illness
Tagged as: Social Constructs
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