Social Work Commons^™

Foreign Aid, Susanna R. Mathew, Rachel Accas, Jervonne Ward, Ellery Kent

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

While foreign aid is generally thought of as a positive means to help the poor, in many areas it may do more harm than good. This presentation will provide a review of literature that focuses on the effects of foreign aid on developing economies. This presentation will highlight some harmful examples of global foreign aid by highlighting these examples in several different countries. First, the presentation will discuss the history and development of America’s foreign aid. Secondly, the presentation will highlight the positive and negative effects of foreign policies. Third, the presentation will consider a more recently developed form of …

The Role Of Culture In Making Psychiatric Diagnosis: Hwabyung (火病) And Neurasthenia (神經衰弱), Jonghyun Lee

2013 New England Association for Asian Studies Conference

The Role of Culture in Making Psychiatric Diagnosis: Hwabyung (火病) and Neurasthenia (神經衰弱)

My paper looks at two psychiatric illnesses and discusses their social and cultural dimensions. The two illnesses to be compared are the Korean affliction called hwabyung, and the once-popular Western malady labeled neurasthenia, a common ailment in 19th century America.

Neurasthenia was defined as “a disorder characterized by feelings of fatigue and lassitude,” which is caused by the nervous system. That definition could fit most people at some time or another. Hwabyung, on the other hand, means “fire illness.” Koreans believe that chronic distress can …