Is Madness an Evolved Signal? Justin Garson on Strategy Versus Dysfunction – Mad In America

Earthpages.org

February 29

Philosopher Justin Garson discusses the potential benefit of looking at madness not as disease or defect, but as a designed feature.

Source: Is Madness an Evolved Signal? Justin Garson on Strategy Versus Dysfunction - Mad In America

This is an article about madness and mental health. It discusses the medical model and how it is being challenged. The author, Justin Garson, argues that madness should be viewed as a strategy, not a dysfunction. He believes this view is more empowering for people experiencing mental health issues. Garson says the medical model sees mental illness as brokenness that needs fixing. He contrasts this with the view of madness as a way of making sense of the world.

Opinion

I tend to view madness as a tragic event dependent on a variety of factors. One of those factors is the cultural setting in which the initial change occurs. Cultural setting clearly affects how so-called 'madness' will be interpreted. Sri Ramakrishna, for instance, had visions of Kali and wondered at times if he was going mad. But Hindu Indian culture tends to reward such things, and Ramakrishna is largely regarded as a saint.

Another view is that some forms of madness could be a kind of flawed or incomplete phase of human evolution. The human being is striving to become something more than a mere pleasure-seeking, materialistic animal. But the path is thorny and often misunderstood not only by society but also by individuals going through the process.

Some psychologists like R. D. Laing and Carl Jung have championed this perspective, saying we should look at 'psychosis' as potential breakthroughs instead of breakdowns. But if this is true, an empathetic culture or subculture would be essential to a successful, healthy transformation. Just as astronauts need solid support from the ground crew for a successful journey, individuals on an inner quest could encounter difficulty if everyone around them simply views their experience as a 'disorder' to be fixed by Big Pharma.

I wrote about this in grad studies back in the 1990s but a backward professor made things difficult for me. Other professors before this person, however, were quite encouraging and rewarded my innovative thinking with good grades, letters of recommendation, and so on. Unfortunately for my academic career, it only takes one creep with a lot of power to dash your dreams. Why this person had so much power is another question for another day.