Attitudes regarding Interpersonal Relationships with Persons with Mental Illness and Mental Retardation

Historically, persons with disabilities have been confronted with not only the physical and mental impediments of their disability, but also with the accompanying social stigma and negative social attitudes. A persistent negative attitude and social rejection of people with disabilities is evident throughout history and across cultures. Ancient Roman and Greek cultures viewed persons with physical disabilities as burdens on society and as less than human (Rubin & Roessler, 1995). People with mental illness were viewed as either immoral souls punished by God, or as being possessed by demonic spirits requiring exorcisms and other religious interventions (Deutsch, 1949). Individuals with mental retardation were mocked, teased and used for social amusement (Kanner, 1964). Negative attitudes and a high degree of social distance towards people with disabilities has been well documented. Research has shown, however, that the degree of social rejection and social stigma varies with specific disabilities, creating a well-defined hierarchical order (Strohmer, Grand, & Purcell, 1984). In studies examining the hierarchical attitudes towards disabling conditions, mental retardation and mental illness have consistently been cited as the least socially accepted (Lyons & Hayes, 1993; Jones, Gottfried, & Owens, 1965; Karnilowicz, Sparrow, & Shinkfield, 1994). Negative social responses to persons with mental retardation and mental illness have persisted across generations despite improved care, legislative support, and a more sophisticated medical understanding of the causes and origins of these disabilities. During a time of heightened social awareness, social tolerance in the sixties and seventies began to slowly evolve. Social activists reacted to the "dehumanizing conditions and the absence of individual dignity" evident in institutions serving persons with disabilities, and called for institutional reform and accountability (Scheerenberger, 1987, p. 221). The Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963 furthered the rights of persons with mental retardation and mental illness, resulting in the institutional release of thousands of individuals (Scheerenberger, 1987). With the passage of five major legislative titles under the American with Disabilities Act, growing social awareness and continued efforts towards social progress continued through the 1990's (Rubin & Roessler, 1995). More recently, public service groups have attempted to increase public acceptance of disabilities such as mental illness through educational media campaigns (Martin, Pescosolido, & Tuch, 2000). By building awareness, the hope has been to increase social acceptance and decrease prejudice towards persons with differing abilities. Social Rejection and Social Distance Unfortunately, efforts to reduce negative stereotypes toward disabilities do not appear to have been substantially successful. Link and Phelan (1999) examined national survey data collected in 1996 to assess public conceptions of mental illness. Their findings support both a greater public knowledge of mental illness and an understanding of causal etiology. However, cultural misconceptions attached to mental illness also appear to exist, confounding an already meager understanding of accompanying characteristics and behaviors. Data showed that a significant attribution for increased violence in social interactions was attached to all of the mental disorders listed in the study. In addition, the more violent a mental disorder was perceived, the greater social distance desired by the respondents. Similarly, a high degree of social rejection of persons with mental illness was also found in a study that compared reactions to the behaviors of individuals labeled as mentally ill and those labeled as physically ill (Socall & Holtgraves, 1992). Findings confirmed more willingness to interact with an individual labeled as physically ill than with a similar individual labeled as mentally ill. …