Moderating Mutual Denials Using Partial Language

Language has the power to shape the cultural psychology. The words we use describe reality and reconstruct it. “Illness” in itself is a frame upon which we hang a perceived problem to be solved; “spiritual influence” on the other hand invites us to consider forces beyond ourselves. Both terms are just words which are tools. With these tools, we shape our understanding but with which cannot ever fully capture the complexity of what our experiences. We can get close enough for accurate replication in the mind of a third-party.

The illusion of finality and full comprehension is dangerous. In fact, it may be the single most dangerous position for the human mind to be in. When we label something as a mental illness or spiritual influence that cannot be affected, we close off further inquiry in certain directions. If it is merely a defect to be fixed, then there may be no need to ask deeper questions. If it is merely a spiritual struggle, then perhaps there is no room for the materialist perspective. In actual reality, both are parts of a larger whole.

Language also has the power to disarm us entirely, and destroy us psychologically. When we speak of “mental illness,” the implicit message is that the person is broken more than the usual: flawed beyond average, defective to great degree, or in need of inordinate repair. This can lead to stigmatisation, as if their suffering is something to be managed rather than understood, and a sign of deeper underlying weaknesses that basically cannot be overcome. Conversely, when we speak of “possession,” we may inadvertently suggest that the problem lies outside the person, which can be easily interpreted as their not being responsible for their own thoughts and actions.

Language matters deeply, so much so that it manifests the very way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. To call something a “mental illness” implies a failure greater than our responsibility; to call it “possession” suggests that it is beyond control. However, if both are true instead, and if the mind is not simply a machine or a vessel for unseen forces, but something much more complex, interconnected, and deeply influenced by both material and spiritual factors, then we have a landscape of potential causation which can hypothetically account for all events as honestly as possible.

This is the beauty of language and its capacity to invite us into deeper inquiry. The language can be made to better fit the concepts with which we contend. Using words carefully, we avoid simplistic and less useful categories. With more accurate and sophisticated nuance in our word culture, we can ask questions that go beyond surface reality, opening the door to greater comprehensions.