Editor's Note: Due to the length of this article, only excerpts are copied in this page. To read the complete article, go to
this web page.
Introduction And Background
In the last few decades, transformational technological advances have rapidly ushered in newer human
behaviors, and we have witnessed paradigmatic shifts in the socio-cultural landscape of human civilizations.
Renaissance and empiricism movements laid the foundation for advances in modern scientific methodology
that challenged centuries of dogmatism. Technologies deriving from scientific inquiries outpace millions of
years of gradual change. Yet the quest to infer the unmanifested mind remains a challenge even as mental
health's significance is increasingly acknowledged in news, social media, journals, and everyday
conversation.
Since 2020 there have been some critical turns of events. First, the widespread misinformation rejecting the
existence of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, and then the tragic murder of George Floyd that led to a
hyperpolarized society and civil unrest [1]. Lastly, there was outrage about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision
in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade, thereby restricting
an individual's right to abortion [2,3]. Considering these events, the surge in the epidemiological trends of
mental disorders without access to healthcare highlights the imminent status quo and inspires the need for
alternative ideas. Amidst these developments, in 2021 a declaration of a National State of Emergency in
Children’s Mental Health came from the American Academy of Paediatrics, American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association. Complex, intertwined, and confounding
multifactorial aetiologies are gaining more recognition [4,5]. There are organizational efforts to develop
systematic inquiries and uncover potential blind spots by applying the principles of scientific skepticism to
psychiatric phenomenology [6]. The overarching pledge is to create a multifaceted understanding of the
transgenerational effects of race, racism, social justice, and equity. There is a compelling rationale to expand
the scope of the examination to include the societal institution of patriarchy, its marked pervasiveness in
individual and social existence, and its pivotal role in human development. There is, indeed, an urgent need
for systematic scientific verification of the relationship between gender-based discrimination issued from
patriarchal worldviews and mental health trajectories for children, adolescents, and youths. However,
without first having a coherent understanding of the essential construct that might command substantial
consensus among stakeholders and, in turn, lead to objective measures to assess and refine it, there will
remain a steep gap in the clinical practices of contextual psychiatry.
A panoramic overview of the rich literature scattered across disciplines is provided to establish the
groundwork for a better understanding of the relationship of patriarchy to the psyche. Given the systemic
omnipresence of patriarchy and the likelihood of subtle indoctrination among children and youths, this
overview has implications in the context of both developmental psychopathology and implementing
measures for course correction.
Methods
A comprehensive search of several databases from the date of inception to the date of the search was
conducted. The databases include PubMed, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. We also
searched the database of ongoing clinical trials through clinicaltrials.gov. The search was designed using
controlled vocabulary and keywords such as "Patriarchy*", "Mental Health"," Feminism", "Trauma*", "Adverse
Childhood Experiences", "Anthropology", "Developmental Psychopathology", Gender Discrimination
Therapy,", and "Social Determinant*". It was performed in all languages and was limited to human subjects.
We also performed a manual search. The inclusion criteria were any published material on patriarchy across
all ages with links to mental health. Studies focused on social determinants associated with gender-based
discrimination, patriarchy, and developmental psychopathology were selected for the review. We identified
305 published materials after the removal of duplicates. After reviewing the abstract, only 35 studies met our
inclusion criteria. And 24 other studies were added manually after reverse citations were reviewed to update
the material. Figure 1 provides the details.
Is patriarchy a coherent concept?
Patriarchy is often used loosely to indicate women’s oppression through male domination. There is a
growing body of literature studying the impact of patriarchy (as a social determinant) on psychological
functioning, and there are numerous theoretical explanations of patriarchy stemming from various fields,
including not only the social and political sciences but also the humanities [7]. A contextual understanding
of patriarchy’s deeply entrenched roots would be incomplete without diving into historical literature.
Feminist movements paved the way for systematic studies of patriarchy; both Anglo-American and French
feminist criticism and theory, for example, offer unique insights into the term "patriarchy." The former
meditated on the concept of gender in a patriarchal society, and the latter did so in the specific context of
literature and art [8]. In his sociological definition of patriarchy as a system of government in which men
rule societies through their positions at the head of their families, Max Weber refers to "Herrschaft" a
relationship based on the domination of men over women and subordinate men in households [9]. Critics
have found this definition to be focused too exclusively on domination and submission and consequently
grossly lacking in intersectionality.
Given the complexity of the topic, it is imperative to examine the evolution, perpetuation, and factors
associated with the persistence of patriarchy. A panoramic overview of its mention in the various forms of
literature provides insight from various vantage points.
* * * * * * *
To read the complete article, go to
this web page.
* * * * * * *
Anthropological and developmental points of view
Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex argues that mate choice is explicitly
aesthetic...
Perpetuation of systemic patriarchy
According to Walby, six structures-broadly termed the patriarchal mode of production, patriarchal relations
in paid work, patriarchal relations in the state, male violence, patriarchal relations in sexuality, and
patriarchal relations in cultural institutions such as religion, media, and education-perpetuate systemic
patriarchy...
Patriarchy and its historical relationship with psychopathology
Malleus Maleficarum (Latin: Hammer of Witches), a detailed legal and theological document written in 1486
by Heinrich Kramer, an Inquisitor of the Catholic Church, was regarded as the standard handbook on
witchcraft, including its detection and its extirpation, until well into the 18th century...
Developmental psychopathology and patriarchy
The societal impact of patriarchal attitudes toward women’s anatomy is nearly universal...
Impact of patriarchy on mental health
The patriarchal division of gender norms has set certain behavioral expectations for individuals based on
their biological sex...
Addressing patriarchy in clinical encounters
It bears repeating that patriarchy is a fundamentally oppressive, all-pervasive system that permeates all
aspects of life...
Limitations
There are several limitations to this narrative review...
Conclusions
The virtues that supported human evolution since the Neolithic ages are no longer of similar importance.
Especially since inherent subjugation failed to stand the empirical verification process and societal
perspectives began to alter towards progressiveness during the 14th-century Renaissance period.
Likewise, it is critical to validate the subjective experiences of those affected across genders and recognize
and acknowledge the plausible negative effects of patriarchy on mental health. Several confounding
variables require robust empirical scrutiny, and the crucial first step is to spread awareness regarding
patriarchy. While the negative impact of patriarchal oppression on women and other minority communities
has been long recognized across many disciplines, it is vital to highlight that the advantages of this
institution for men are frequently overridden by severe detrimental and long-term deleterious effects. The
recognition of this universal construct perpetuated by existing systems is imperative for institutional
overhaul. It is undoubtedly a tricky proposition, as it will involve a paradigm shift in the societal power
dynamics of gender and heteronormativity and will certainly encounter resistance from many quarters.
Overhauling a systemic, institutionalized philosophy will involve identifying and eradicating the
instruments that perpetuate patriarchy. The decades-long scholarship by feminist thinkers, mental-health
experts, and social workers will be of immense value in this endeavor.
As John Stuart Mill pointed out in The Subjection of Women (1873), we cannot know the inherent nature of
the sexes as long as we are reared in environments in which women are subordinate. Until gender equality
exists, we cannot claim to know what shape the natural unfolding of male and female psyches will take. The
experience of nearly gender-equitable societies such as those in Scandinavian nations indicates that a
society free of patriarchal oppression leads to improved mental and physical health and a thriving and
prosperous community.
* * * * * * *
To read the complete article, go to
this web page.
|
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mayank Gupta, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Southwood Psychiatric Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jayakrishna S. Madabushi, Psychiatry, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Nihit Gupta, Psychiatry, Dayton Children’s Hospital, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Corresponding author: Mayank Gupta, mayank6nov@gmail.com.
|
![[groups_small]](groups_small.gif)