Prelims

Half Title Page

HUMILIATION

Title Page

HUMILIATION

Mental Health and Public Shame

BY

MARIT F. SVINDSETH

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

and

PAUL CRAWFORD

University of Nottingham, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2019

Copyright © 2019 Marit F. Svindseth and Paul Crawford. Published under exclusive licence.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83867-101-3 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-098-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-100-6 (Epub)

Dedications

I dedicate this book to my grandson, Fredrik. I will do my best to see you, listen to what you tell me, and show you empathy. I will help you reflect upon your emotions, interact generously with others and love mother earth. Just now, we are going to play a lot! (Marit)

For two courageous men (Paul).

About the Authors

Marit F. Svindseth is Professor of Mental Health at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), teaching this subject at all levels of higher education. She also has 15 years of clinical experience of working in both secure in-patient and community mental health settings. Her research has focused on mental health, especially on how patients or users of mental health facilities perceive the care and thus acknowledged the presence of humiliation in different settings.

Paul Crawford is the world’s first Professor of Health Humanities, pioneering the field and launching multiple new research, educational, and practice initiatives worldwide. He directs the Centre for Social Futures at the Institute of Mental Health, UK, and co-directs the Health Humanities Research Priority Area at The University of Nottingham. He is also an Adjunct Professor at NTNU. His recent publications include Health Humanities (Palgrave, 2015), which is being translated into Mandarin by Springer Beijing. He is also the editor of the Emerald Arts for Health Series (forthcoming, 2020) for the general reader.

Acknowledgements

Writing this book has been challenging and rewarding. The work would not have been possible without my co-author and colleague Paul Crawford who always chose motivating words when my brain was sleeping. My first grandson, Fredrik Karlsen Svindseth, was born in 2018. He has inspired me to finish writing this book. I want him to be part of a world that takes seriously and responds to the devastation caused by humiliation. Fredrik’s mother, my daughter, Cecilie, has provided wise advice and opinions during the writing process. Together with her partner, Christoffer Karlsen, we have grown closer together through our discussions. The same is true of my son Christian and his wife Tove. They both have the ability to turn thoughts around, find new perspectives, and ask controversial questions in order to shake things up. I thank them for testing our theories and ideas. To my husband, Torstein, who has provided me with the time and space needed to be able to write the book. Thank you for lighting the fire and brewing coffee every morning! My dear friend Åse Scott Dahl has supported me for years, especially when I lost faith in myself. She read the manuscript alongside Paul’s son Jamie Orion. Both eagerly advised finishing the book and offered sound advice. I am grateful to my long-time friend Berit Bjørnestad for our thinking walks with Borzoi Enya and Silken Windhounds Gizmo and Shiko. My dogs have done so much to restore my body after serious health problems. They have given me unconditional love and joy every day. There is always a danger of leaving someone out when thanking colleagues. To those I fail to name, forgive me. Nevertheless, I will give a special mention to the following who have inspired me: Ingunn K. Hunstad, Janne Rita Skaar, Frøydis Vasset, Bente S. Skagøy, and Ingunn Vasset. It has been wonderful to have your energy and encouragement down the years. You deserve the best! I also thank Marie Flem Sørbø who shared my office and her mind on the topic of humiliation. I also wish to thank my professional mentors who have supported me for decades. First, Prof Alv A. Dahl has been irreplaceable; his knowledge and wisdom has given me valuable insight into the topic of personality. I hope he finds his voice within our book. Second, I owe the psychiatrist Arild Hunstad a big thank you for his views and knowledge. I observed the non-humiliating ways he treated his patients when we both worked in the same psychiatric hospital unit. I learned a lot from him about seeing the value and worth of each individual. I also thank patients, friends, and women in abusive relationships, sharing their feelings and reactions to degradation and other humiliating acts. They have provided me with their views of the devastating effects of humiliation. Finally, I started with thanking my co-author; I will end it by thanking him again. Without him, this book would not have been possible.

M.F.S