Wealthy men of the Gilded Age, particularly individuals like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, donated substantial amounts of money to causes and institutions that shaped the mental illness industry. These men, though outwardly portrayed as benefactors, often supported initiatives that reflected their ideological beliefs about society, which included the individualization of social problems and a focus on personal responsibility as a means to gloss over the truth: most of society’s problems are rooted in the inequality and hierarchy created and promoted by the ultra-rich.
The Focus on Individual Blame
The wealthy industrialists often viewed social problems—such as poverty, crime, and mental illness—as the result of individual failings rather than systemic issues. In their view, individuals were responsible for their conditions, and if they were suffering, it was because they lacked the moral fortitude or self-discipline to succeed. This philosophy aligned with their broader economic interests, as it allowed them to maintain the status quo and shift the blame for social inequality onto individuals rather than addressing the root causes, like exploitation, inequality, and a lack of social mobility.
Example: Instead of acknowledging the impact of poverty or poor working conditions, many wealthy men funded institutions that promoted the idea that mental illness or criminality was a result of individual deficiencies. This view helped to stifle social reform and diverted attention away from the systemic issues at the root of societal suffering.
Funding Mental Health Institutions with a Control Agenda
Many Gilded Age industrialists funded the creation of institutions like mental hospitals, research centers, and charities that were focused on “curing” mental illness. However, these institutions often had a moralistic or punitive perspective, aiming to correct or reform the “flaws” of individuals rather than addressing societal causes of their distress. The focus on treating the individual rather than changing the social system aligned with the industrialists’ interests in maintaining a compliant, disciplined workforce and preserving the power structures that kept them in control.
Example: Rockefeller’s donations were instrumental in the creation of the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, an organization that promoted the idea that mental illness was primarily the result of individual weakness or moral failure. This shifted the focus away from social inequality and instead encouraged people to manage their conditions rather than challenge the structures causing their suffering.
Philanthropy as a Tool for Social Control
While their philanthropy was often touted as altruistic, the Gilded Age industrialists used their wealth to fund initiatives that served to maintain the existing power dynamics. By funding institutions that blamed individuals for their struggles and promoting the idea that mental illness and social failure were personal shortcomings, these super-wealthy men helped perpetuate a narrative of personal responsibility that avoided confronting the larger issues of class, race, and economic disparity.
Example: The mental hygiene movement, which was supported by wealthy philanthropists like Rockefeller, framed mental health issues as personal problems to be solved through individual treatment rather than societal reform. This focus on individual pathology reinforced the narrative that society’s problems were a matter of individual moral failure, not a result of larger systemic issues, such as exploitation or inequality.
Shifting Focus from Structural to Individual Solutions
By supporting these kinds of initiatives, these philanthropists helped to redirect public attention away from systemic causes of social issues (e.g., economic inequality, discrimination, poor working conditions) and towards individual solutions (e.g., therapy, medication, and personal responsibility). This not only deflected blame from the powerful elites who were contributing to the problems but also ensured that the broader public was less likely to demand structural change.
Continuing Legacy of Individualization in Mental Illness
The legacy of this era can still be seen today in many mental illness approaches, which continue to focus heavily on individual pathology, rather than addressing the systemic and environmental factors that contribute to mental health issues. The pharmaceutical industry, for example, continues to profit from individualized treatment (like medication), which often fails to address the root causes of mental distress, such as poverty, discrimination, or trauma.
Example: The focus on diagnosis and treatment in modern psychiatry often overlooks the social determinants of health, such as the environment in which a person lives, the social and economic systems they are a part of, or the relational traumas they may have experienced. This continues the trend of placing the blame for mental health struggles on the individual, which benefits those who control the system (e.g., pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare providers).
The Impact of Wealthy Gilded-Agers on Mental Health Narratives
Wealthy men of the Gilded Age significantly shaped the mental health narrative in ways that served their broader social and economic goals. By funding initiatives that focused on individual responsibility and ignored systemic causes, they helped establish a shame-based, pathologizing view of mental illness that blamed individuals for their conditions rather than addressing the structural factors at play. This legacy continues to shape the mental illness industry today, where the focus remains on individual treatment rather than addressing the broader social, economic, and political issues that contribute to suffering.
This post includes content generated by ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI. The AI-generated content has been reviewed and edited for accuracy and relevance.
