ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the results of a study of schizophrenia from the sociological approach. The schizophrenic shows a marked divergence from the normal person in the way he thinks, acts, and feels. The actions are markedly eccentric, the habits of thought appear to lack logic, or to have a special logic of their own. The study of the causes of schizophrenia has been made from various points of view. Causes have been sought in heredity, germ diseases, glandular disorders, blood chemistry, brain defects, and other constitutional traits. The false beliefs, or delusions, of schizophrenia are better understood if considered as mere unconventional behavior. The unconventional and eccentric behavior may be thought of as a form of “indifference to communication”. The heterogeneity and the mobility of the population greatly increase the cultural isolation of the person, and in this manner produce breeding grounds for schizophrenia.
