From perplexity to imagination:
working with madness
by Andrew Phelps
Abstract
How might social constructionists relate productively to the
mental health clients movement? Replacing the old,
clinic/medication centered paradigm requires a new practicum
for working with madness. Relying on practical experience in
client organizing, we argue that the intractable social
dimension is accommodation to and normalization of perplexity,
rather than appreciation of imagination. An historical episode
- Gibbon's account of the execution of Boethius - serves as
metaphor for the difficulty clients have when their creativity
is recognized as 'for real'. The existence of such real
social barriers provides an opening for professionals/support
persons to provide the interpretation and social construction
necessary for articulating and representing the products of
their creativity in mainstream society. It is suggested that
the utilization of social constructionist theory can help
professionals/support persons form alliances with the mental
health clients movement; together they can develop new forms
of treatment and activism. This alliance would feature a
shift in the understanding and treatment of 'mental illness':
Whereas in the past psychiatric treatment and client ideology
could be described as habituation to perplexity, a better
approach might be described as sensitization to imagination.
We envision new kinds of workspaces dedicated to the exercise
of imagination.
