Everyday Spaces of Mental Distress

The Spatial Habituation of Home

Bibliographic Data

ID4476371
AuthorsIan Tucker (0000-0002-1314-2222, University of East London, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume28
Issue3
Pages526-538
Publication date2010-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning D Society and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-7758 • E-ISSN: 1472-3433
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1068/d14808
OpenAlexW2055737381
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited43

Theorising psychological activity as a spatial product appears a logical extension of moves in social theory to emphasise the role of space and place in the consideration of experience. Catalysed by turns in social and human geographies to highlight the role of space and location in constituting psychological activity, various forms of the 'spatialisation of experience' have emerged. In this paper I will follow this theoretical direction in relation to the underlying destabilisation of everyday life that emerges as a product of theoretical formations that emphasise the fluidity of space. More specifically, I will take the example of the home as a central space in the ongoing activity of people with enduring mental distress. Forging a theoretical line that takes in geographies of mental health, the home, and finally, Gilles Deleuze's work on 'repetition' and 'habit', I will analyse the role of home spaces in everyday life. Key here is a concern regarding the impact of theoretical emphases on continuity, mobility, and instability on understandings of the everyday lives of mental health service users. This includes addressing conceptualisations of the home space alongside the activities of the people who occupy, and hence co-make, such spaces. The article concludes by framing 'spatial habituation' of the everyday as central to creating a perceivable stability, analysis of which can aid understanding of the challenges facing people suffering with mental distress

Aesthetics · Distress · Epistemology · Everyday life · Mental health · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Computer Science · Homelessness and Social Issues · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Psychology · Social Psychology

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