The Faces Of Madness In Modern Society

Anxiety disorders are a mental problem as old asform, is it any wonder that employees tend to
civilization, though there are numerousdevelop anxiety disorders over time?
unconfirmed reports that more people are havingReason #2: Ignorance
problems with anxiety and phobias now than ever.This one requires a bit of explanation. There is a
While these reports lack concrete evidence togeneral tendency for citizens of one country to
back their claims up, there are several mentalbe completely and utterly ignorant of the culture,
health issues that need to be considered here.customs, and mores of another culture. This is
Modern society, with all the concerns over ethics,true even if the other culture is basically the
morality, propriety, and social rules can have acountry next door. This inevitably leads to people
rather unpleasant effect on the mind.feeling a collective fear and anxiety when
While not all minds fall apart from the pressuresexposed to those foreign cultures, all the while
and demands placed by living in a "civilized" world,being completely unaware of how much fear and
there are some scenarios and elements thatanxiety their own culture causes people in other
make people feel as if they're dangerously closecountries. This ignorance, along with the fear and
to that precarious edge. Again, there is currentlyanxiety that follows, can result in any number of
no real, hard evidence to back the following claimsnegative backlashes. Even ignorance of the quirks
up, but the sheer amount of anecdotal evidence isand habits of one's neighbor can result in
able to spark more than just a passing concern.irreversible harm being done to one's family,
The fact is, a lot of people feel that modernfriends, or even one's community. How do you
civilization has produced more fear and anxiety inthink the Salem Witch Trials started in the first
its own citizens than any civilization before it, andplace? Anxiety and phobias directed towards the
below are a few of the most commonly citedvulnerable and unwanted members of the
reasons for this view.community, mixed in with a healthy dose of good
Reason #1: Bureaucracyold-fashioned religious fascism.
As things get larger and more complex, the moreReason #3: The Media
difficult it becomes to connect the dots betweenThe media, more than any other factor in the
one part and another. This is true for themodern world, is the source of countless social
ecologies of large natural environments, whereproblems. From telling people that "greed is good"
even the most hardened ecologists have difficultyback in the early 80s to pushing the idea that
putting together all the links in the chain. This isbeing bigger than a size zero means you're fat,
also true for the modern environment, wherethe media has long exerted a degree of control
each department is set up to be an independentover people that is far from healthy. Several
authority over its specific task, yet is inevitablycases of performance anxiety, status anxiety,
linked to each other department in ways thatand even social anxiety can be traced back to a
nobody but the people in charge really seems tofictional character or the media portrayal of a
actually understand. People can sometimesfamous personality. In a few rare cases, the
develop massive amounts of stress and anxietymedia can even push a person to feel separation
when dealing with bureaucracy, whether it is inanxiety, generally in the form of an extreme
the places where they work or in the institutionsunwillingness to let go of the "legacy" of some
around them. With this sort of frameworkdead celebrity, such as Elvis or Princess Diana.
present in pretty much every company in some