¶ … mental health and poor mental health. Explain two ways your own culture influences your definitions of mental health. Then explain how your definition of mental health might differ from that of your selected culture. Finally, describe a behavior that is considered normal in your culture but would be considered abnormal in the culture you selected.
Defining mental health: Japan vs. The United States
Even within a culture, the definition of what constitutes 'sanity' or 'insanity' can be extremely controversial. Where to draw the line between eccentricity and quirkiness vs. full-blown mental illness? In Western culture, definitions of mental illness have changed over time. For example, during the 19th century, a woman who did not want to get married and have sex outside of marriage might be considered deranged. Today, being gay is not considered a mental illness, but less than 50 years ago homosexuality was officially classified as...
In Japan, for example, a new mental disorder has been identified called "hikikomori," meaning "pulling in" or "withdrawal" (Grisafe 2012) Hikikomori usually affects young men who "withdraw entirely from society and stay in their own homes for more than six months, with onset by the latter half of their twenties, and for whom other psychiatric disorders do not better explain the primary causes of this condition" (Grisafe 2012). Most of these young men are middle-class and come from households able to support them financially. The young men spend their days watching television, playing video games, and pursing other activities that do not require social interaction. While some have reported self-destructive behavior like 'cutting' or obsessive-compulsive cleaning, their most distinguishing…
