On humour and pathology: The role of paradox and absurdity for ideological survival

Humor: Power Conveying Social Structures Inside Forensic Mental Health Nursing

According to research literature, humor inside the staff-patient interaction seems to be significant in the area of forensic mental healthcare. However, existing literature on the subject is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of the use humor by forensic mental health staff members in interactions with forensic mental health inpatients. The study included 32 forensic mental health staff members, used 307 hours of participant observations, 48 informal interviews, and seven formal semistructured interviews. Outcomes identify four themes concerning the conveyance of power to, from, and between forensic mental health staff and patients as they interact: (a) "the informal use: the human-to-human approach," characterized by an informal use of humor and without any reference to mental health issues; (b) the "formal use of humor: the staff-patient approach," characterized as formal with a view on the patient as mentally ill, unable to understand humor, and with the aim of using humor to prevent conflicts or negative behavior; (c) "protest against requested care: the human-patient approach," characterized by the use of humor as a protest against requested care; and the use of (d) "inadequacy humor: the staff-human approach," characterized by the use of inadequacy-humor referring to, for example, patients' physical features. Recommendations and clinical implications are discussed.

The use of humor in forensic mental health staff-patient interactions

Humor utilized in the practice of forensic mental health nursing might seem somehow inappropriate, given the serious circumstances surrounding most forensic mental health patients. However, some recent research has pointed to the use of humor as an important component in staff interactions with forensic mental health patients. This study reviews the existing international forensic mental health research literature on humor to investigate (a) what characterizes forensic mental health staff-patient use of humor and (b) what significance humor holds within the forensic mental health setting. The search was conducted in June 2013. Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, and PsychINFO were searched using keywords relevant to the study. Articles were categorized using a literature matrix and analyzed using thematic analysis. Twelve research articles were reviewed and included in the analysis. Three themes were identified: (a) "humor as staff skill," showing that staff found humor to be important as an interpersonal ability; (b) "humor as a relational tool" with the purpose of establishing and maintaining staff-patient interactions; and (c) "the impact of humor on patients," describing impacts on conflicts, dimensions of health, and motivation. The results of the analysis are however limited because of the dearth of published articles on the subject.

Relationships between humor, subversion, and genuine connection among persons with severe mental illness

Although humor has been linked to resilience among many populations, little is known regarding the role of humor in the coping of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). In this study, a series of interviews focused on humor was completed by 15 individuals with SMI, with narratives analyzed using grounded theory methods.The marginalized and stigmatized social position occupied by persons with SMI was found to affect both the use and meanings of humor. Humor was described as being the subject of clinical scrutiny. Humor was also emphasized as a means of subverting power differentials revolving around the identity of SMI with, for many, the primary goal being the development of "real" and genuine connections with service providers.

Humour as Resistance: Deviance and Pathology from a Ludic Perspective

Humour, as one aspect of the ludic, has been argued to evolve with humankind as a higher order of social cognition. In a slum community known for its social dysfunctions and multiple psychopathologies, street humour is used to re-classify messages, situations and relationships, in a variety of contexts. How can we make sense of the discontinuity? This paper builds on work reported in a previous one (Cardeña 2003 ). Departing from information collected through participant observation, document analysis and clinical work carried with the community, the first paper documented the ways in which humour aids the assertion of a social identity. In the current paper, this point is developed further to scrutinize the role of 'pathology' under the light of a theory of humour, the ludic and meta-communication. The need to address the stature of socially patterned psychopathology as communicative act is emphasized. Deviant and aberrant behaviour, as ludic processes in the culture, embody a higher order of signification that is often overlooked by mental health agents. The failure at addressing this complexity halts the communication between the community's locals and the mental health agents, feeding back the kind of detrimental paradoxes that are at the core of the local's resistance.