An Analysis Of Nancy Scheper Hughes s Saints, Scholars,...

The typical Irish personality as seen through the ethnography of Nancy Scheper-Hughes is similar among the Irish population. The reason we see these similar traits among the Irish population is because of the hardships that the people go through as they are raised from children to adults. Ireland is known for their high rates of diagnosed mental illness. Through the author’s fieldwork we are able to learn about the personality traits found among the Irish. Nancy Scheper-Hughes states that, â€Å"the Republic of Ireland has the highest hospitalization treatment rate for mental illness in the world† (Scheper-Hughes 60). The book titled, Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics Mental Illness in Rural Ireland, talks about the mental illness Schizophrenia and mentions reasons why the Irish population has been diagnosed with so many cases. Scheper-Hughes observes, â€Å"Schizophrenia is the core problem – more than half of the patients are so diagnosed† (Sche per-Hughes 60). The reason behind these diagnosed mental illnesses has a lot to do with the way the Irish are raised. Most of the Irish population is raised in a similar way, which does not allow them to make decisions for themselves. There are certain social and cultural values that Irish parents place upon their children, which may be the reason why there are so many cases of mental illness seen throughout Ireland. One reason that may affect these children is the pressure put on them by parents. In Irish culture at least oneShow MoreRelatedSaints, Scholars and Schizophrenics1506 Words   |  7 PagesSaints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics: Mental Illness in Rural Ireland. Nancy Scheper-Hughes 28 November 2011 Anthropology 1103- 001 Scheper-Hughes, Nancy 1979 Saints, Scholars and Schizophrenics: University of California Press â€Å"It is generally accepted that schizophrenia is a condition in which the person alters his representation of reality in order to escape or withdraw from seemingly unresolvable conflicts and from social interactions that are painful.†(Nancy quotes Hill, Lewis B 1955)