Let's start with the concept of the Social Imagination to make sure we can differentiate between the two (sane/insane) given what the social imagination is. The Social Imagination is the collective conscious of a group; therefore, it belongs not only to the one but to the many that participate it.
The other premise which belongs to the concept of social imagination, which I defended in my dissertation, is that no one could be a 'human being' without the social imagination; and, that in fact, as C.H. Cooley put it... there is only the locus of the mind in which society dwells. It is a composition of common ideas among us formed in the mind in a place over time through the process of social imagination.
The Social Imagination is both a thing in itself and a process of itself becoming that very thing which we can tangibly observe and even touch. How? Through shared information (codified/written) which are communicated bits of data, the common among us set of information/data/ideas that we as a group and individual can only truly understand when shared as a group in a place over time... in that sense, the social imagination seemingly has no origination other than in the minds of those who share it.
So, with that in mind, what is sane and insane? Isn't that then everything which is inside of the collective conscious of a group of people in a place over time? Yes.
Let's take a deeper look. Emile Durkheim, one of the founding fathers of Sociology, thought to look at society as exactly that which I described above a collective conscious. This concept of the collective can be understood in the work of a number of classic Sociologists whose aim was to understand not only human behavior as to what motivates people to act but also to understand the human mind.
Durkheim thought that religion played a deep role in society's organization and stability. In fact, it could be seen as the key social fact that determined a society's wellness. This social fact was the overarching 'over and above force' deemed as sui generis. Could this idea of his be considered as a means for determining if sanity and insanity could also controlled by the sui generis? Perhaps.
Max Weber considered religion seriously too but for him it was the motivator to act not the fact that controlled people. According to Durkheim, religion is the product of human activity, not divine intervention. He thus treats religion as a sui generis social fact and analyzed it sociologically. Whereas, Weber saw that religion was the thing that motivated man to act... it was not a product.
They sound similar but the difference is this: Weber looked at the individual as much as he did the group and saw that people act more being motivated by what they believe in... which does not necessarily have to point to religion but rather point to something much bigger than the self as in something bigger and better than self and that this was more the reason than any other reason.
We might surmise that Durkheim looked at the act of suicide as a kind of residue product. According to Durkheim, suicide is not an individual act nor a personal
action. It is caused by some power which is over and above the
individual or super individual which was the sui generis. Durkheim stated that religion is a sui generis social product over and above the group as a means of control. So, if one found him or herself outside of that control could they be pushed by the 'sui generis' to commit suicide?
Before, moving on, let us look more closely at sui generis as a force over and above a group/society. Durkheim saw this over and above 'socially created' thing/force as the means of holding a society/group together in a place; a control mechanism which he largely presumed was created over time in a place by all who participate in it... hence a product of the group.
Durkheim seemed to emphasize that this kind of over and above force as determining the act of suicide; thus his argument for such an act was not psychological but social. He concluded that suicide was the result of social disorganization or lack of social integration/intervention or social solidarity.
So, here we could likely have the first social observation as to what may or may not determine the sanity of an individual in a group... given that back in Durkheim's day suicide was seen as committed by those outside of a sane mind- collective conscious.
If an individual appears to lack social organization skills or refrains from social interaction/integration they can appear to be outside of the sui generis. I think this seems to be quite the rationale when in view of the social imagination.
One might ask though... then, does the group push an individual or even group of individuals to the brink of suicide as a collective measure (in the social imagination) to remove this disorganized person or dysfunctional member (s)? That is a good question. The last two blogs on this site were devoted to understanding the use of information warfare and the power elite... including the tactics they use.
Even if that is not convincing as to what is sane and insane in the social imagination, then consider what experts list as the key symptom of schizophrenia: delusion. The word delusion refers to a belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder.
Could someone be called out as 'delusional' given what we know about the social imagination, the power elite and information warfare? Could someone be listed as delusional if they are 'religious' or patriotic given? Yes, I think so. But, there would have to be an established authority to do that kind of listing to make it all appear legitimate especially in the social imagination... who? Exactly...
Now, all of that could sound a bit delusional... but I couldn't possibly call it out in myself. Its always someone else who does that because the delusional person has no idea its them. If I were, I certainly could not have selected such an appropriate photo/illustration as seen at the top of this blog page.
*Seriously, if you or someone you know displays irrational behavior and or suicidal thoughts as listed above... please, seek immediate help. There are plenty of online medical orgs/sites to direct you. From a Christian perspective, healing starts with the renewing of your mind by reading the Word of God.
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