Just because a phenomenon is not verbally named by a society does not mean that it does not exist. Cultural autism or social muteness is reflected in individual understanding, so that the individual may also be rendered mute. For example, the phenomenon of childhood sexual abuse has always existed. However, it is only in the last decade or so that its prevalence has been generally articulated and acknowledged. Once acknowledged, the survivors of such abuse have come forward in significant numbers to request psychotherapy, and abuse is now given prominence as a major cause of distress. The same applies to many phenomena, such as that labelled shell shock in the First World War or more recent labelling of distress such as posttraumatic stress. Conversely, because a phenomenon is given a verbal label does not mean that it exists. The cultural relativity influencing our conceptions of psychopathology is emphasized by writers such as Szasz (1972) and Marshall (1966) who explore many of the myths behind our understandings of such constructs as psychosis, schizophrenia and mental illness. Read the rest of this entry »