Diana Smay (Department of Anthropology, Emory
University)
"The Disease of Ritual: Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder as 'Hypernormal' Behavior"
Wednesday, February 7th, 2001, 3:00 p.m.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is characterized in many patients
by extensive "ritualistic" behavior. Although OCD is clearly
a mental illness, the striking similarities between OCD and
normal ritual invite a deeper analysis. How can cultural theory
inform our understandings of the clinical presentation of OCD
and its trajectory in patients living within cultural boundaries?
What can mental illness reveal for us about human propensities
in a social world? Do OCD and the normal human propensity to
ritual share a common underlying neurochemistry, differing only
in magnitude, not in kind? This talk is presented by a non-expert
in the field, as an extension of a graduate seminar paper. We
will be looking for additional perspectives and feedback on
these ideas.
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Diana Smay is a third year graduate student in
anthropology. She received her B.A. from UC Santa Cruz where
she studied forensic anthropology and skeletal biology. Her
current interests include bioarchaeology, medical anthropology,
and the evolution of disease. Her dissertation focuses on the
measurement of selection bias and the occurrence of short-term
stress events in cemetery skeletal samples.
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The MARIAL Center
Emory West, 4th Floor, Room 415E
Open to the public
Refreshments will be served
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Events
DIRECTIONS TO THE MARIAL CENTER
The MARIAL Center is located on the 4th floor
of the main building of Emory West, 1256 Briarcliff Rd. There
is ample parking close to the building. Alternatively, you may
take the Emory shuttle (Route W). The shuttle leaves every half
hour from the main campus and is a 10-minute ride. Route W shuttle
stops are located at the corner of Asbury Circle and Pierce
Drive, along Pierce Drive, and in front of the Administration
Building.
Please tell the receptionist at the front window
that you are here for the MARIAL Center lecture.
