Social interpersonal dimensions of the psychoses

This paper looks at the patterns for the creation and social management of insanity and the involvements of those concerned. It describes an interaction model with people in a social reality of everyday living, built up of and defined by 'subjective' definitions of a situation. The psychiatric profession, involved in their conventional medical one-to-one confidential consultations with their patients, fails to be informed about the societal dimensions with two, three or more members as first described by Simmel (1902) (1). The differences are traditional, 'Two is company' and 'Three is a crowd'. If one of the possible two-person relationships in a family develops some emotional change to define itself as 'Two is company', this may alter the emotional balance in the whole family and may lead to 'split minds' (schizo/phrenia) and involving relationships with and between other family members. The arrival of the first baby changes two to three and creates 'Our Family'. 'Two is company: but it is not our family. 'Three is a crowd' but now, with three possible pairs, who is the odd one to be left out, or to push in or be pushed out? This is proposed as the interpersonal relationships substrate of the manic-(push in) or depressive (pushed out) psychoses in an older family generation. Both propositions are to be developed using probability theory to define the number of members, the corresponding numbers of their possible kinetic interpersonal relationships, their social dynamism probabilities, and potential outcomes involving modern non-linear mathematics. These patients are described as 'not themselves' or 'beside themselves'. Those who are themselves but described as neurotic or psychopathic will also be mentioned.