Heterogeniteit in de legitimatie van stemmen horen

Samenvatting

Heterogeneity in the Legitimation of Hearing Voices. In the Western world, hearing voices is generally considered as a pathological phenomenon, as a sign of mental disorder. However, some psychiatrists promote a different view by advocating the acceptance of hearing voices, believing that they might be a reaction to personal problems. In one of the projects following this approach, 16 men and women who said they hear voices told their life stories. The research question is whether, and how, they are able to legitimate their hearing voices. The subsequent analysis of the discursive construction of legitimating hearing voices is based on a text sociological methodology. Society expects people to apply generally accepted discourses in order to achieve legitimacy. Refusing these particular discourses would mean a contradiction of the discourses to which they adhere. The research revealed seven legitimating discourses: naturality, intrusive cause special effect, self determination, personal growth, support, knowledge and ability, and acceptance of the inevitable. The heterogeneity of these discourses, on both the personal and group levels, is considered to be an indication of the lack of a generally accepted legitimation of hearing voices, as well as of the informants "work" in developing legitimacy for accepting their voices and for listening to them. 37 References. Adapted from the source document.