Cultural construction of psychiatric illness : a case of amafufunyane

Mdleleni, Thembeka N

Cultural construction of psychiatric illness : a case of amafufunyane

Master Thesis

1990

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Psychology

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore definitions of an illness condition amafunyane and the subsequent help-seeking behaviour amongst Black Psychiatric patients who were attending a psychiatric community clinic in Guguletu, a residential area for Blacks in Cape Town). Psychiatrists have always been faced with the problem of having to deal with patients who present with this condition. The concern was to do an exploratory research in this area using the Explanatory Model framework as a method of enquiry in studying the condition of amafunyane. Within the parameters of this model, Black psychiatric patients presenting at the psychiatric clinic, were studied in order to explore the context of illness definitions regarding the condition of amafunyane. Of importance also was to explore the patterns of help-seeking behaviour employed by these patients, and the effect that the psychiatric orientation adopted at the clinic had on such patterns.

Description

Bibliography: leaves 96-103.

Keywords

Research Psychology

Reference:

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