Scrutinizing sexuality and psychopathology: a Foucauldian inspired strategy for qualitative data analysis¹

1. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2003 meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

Abstract

This article discusses a Foucauldian‐inspired strategy applied to the analysis of the production of truths about psychopathology, sexuality and young people. Drawing on an interpretation of Foucault’s genealogical tactics, this strategy involves the deployment of four angles of scrutiny: discontinuity, contingency, emergences and subjugated knowledges. The authors discuss how these angles can be drawn on to scrutinize those practices that diagnose young people with behavior disorders—or that make essentialist claims about a young person’s sexual identity. Drawing on examples from their own research in education relating to the construction of psychopathology and sexualities, the authors consider how these angles of scrutiny can be applied to critiquing essentializing truths, and thereby inform the task of qualitative data analysis.

Notes

1. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2003 meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

2. Blinick’s partner is Linda Garber, editor of Tilting the tower: lesbians, teaching, queer, subjects (1994).

3. With one exception, participants agreed to be identified; all were given the option of remaining anonymous. Most of the participants in this study were on the public record as working to develop programs in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) identified teachers and students, so preserving anonymity because of fears of being ‘outed’ was generally not an issue.

4. The following is the DSM‐III‐R definition referred to by Frances (1994): ‘In DSM‐III each of the mental disorders is conceptualized as a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is typically associated with either a painful symptom (distress) or impairment in one or more important areas of functioning (disability). In addition, there is an inference that there is a behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction, and that the disturbance is not only in the relationship between the individual and society. (When the disturbance is limited to a conflict between an individual and society, this may represent social deviance, which may or may not be commendable, but is not by itself a mental disorder) (American Psychiatric Association, 1980, p. 6).

5. The most recent amendment to the DSM is the DSM‐IV‐TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), a ‘text revision’ of the DSM‐IV. In this text revision the definitions for conduct disorder have remained as per the DSM‐IV.

6. This is confirmed by Lahey, Applegate, Barkley, Garfinkal, McBurnett, Kerdyk, Greenhill, Hynd, Frick, Newcorn, Biederman, Ollendick, Hart, Perez, Waldman & Shaffer (1994, p. 1163) who state that, for conduct disorder, ‘explicit diagnostic criteria was first provided in DSM‐III’.

7. This reference is to Jenkins and Hewitt (1944) and Hewitt and Jenkins (1946).

8. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

9. Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

10. The American Psychiatric Association (1994, p. 645) states that Antisocial Personality Disorder is also ‘referred to as psychopathy, sociopathy, or dyssocial personality disorder.’

11. Notwithstanding these discursive shifts in official psychiatric discourse, groups within Australia and the United States such as Homosexuals Anonymous are still intent on curing homosexuals of their pathology. Arguing that homosexuality is not fixed, such groups see the notion that sexual identity as innate is ‘a major stumbling block to recovery’ from homosexuality. See http://www.nw.com.au/∼billb/hachange.htm (accessed 29 March 2004).

12. For an in‐depth discussion of the medical treatment of people who identify as intersex see Fausto‐Sterling, A. (2000) Sexing the body: gender politics and the construction of sexuality (New York, Basic Books), Kessler, S. (1998) Lessons from the intersexed (New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press).

13. Spurlin borrows this term from Teresa de Lauretis; see de Lauretis, T. (1994) Habit changes. differences: a journal of feminist cultural studies, 6, 296–313.

14. The American Psychiatric Association’s (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV).

15. Benestad quotes the figure of 4%; see Benestad, E. P., Esther (2001) Options of gender belonging. Live video link (viewed 26 July 2001).

16. People working to support LGBT‐identified teachers and students in secondary educational settings in Australia and the US who were interviewed in the course of Rasmussen’s doctoral research.

17. Executive staff in schools are defined here as principals, vice‐principals and department heads.

18. According to the organization’s website, GLSEN: ‘combats the harassment and discrimination leveled against students and school personnel. GLSEN creates learning environments that affirm the inherent dignity of all students, and, in so doing, teaches them to respect and accept all of their classmates—regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. GLSEN believes that the key to ending anti‐gay prejudice and hate‐motivated violence is education.’

19. See http://www.glsen.org/templates/about/index.html?section=25 (accessed 18 December 2002).