Shame and community: social components in depression.
Although there are many theories of the causes of depression, they all assume that some cases are primarily endogenous; that is, they are largely independent of situational influences. This article proposes that most cases of depression have a social component that is closely tied to the immediate situation. During 5 months in 1965 I observed nearly all intake interviews of male patients in a mental hospital near London. Most of them were over age 60, and all but one were diagnosed as depressed. However, there was usually a temporary lifting of depression in those interviews in which the psychiatrists asked the patients about their activities during World War II. At the time I didn't understand the significance of these episodes. I now offer an interpretation in the light of current studies of shame and the social bond: Recounting memories of belonging to a community temporarily resolved shame and depression. These episodes suggest a modification of existing theories of depression, that shame and lack of community, in addition to biology and individual psychology, could be a component of major depression.
Scheff
T J
TJ
Department of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. scheff@soc.ucsb.edu
D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012752:Shame; D012919:Social Behavior; D013997:Time Factors