J. CONSTANT found syndromes of acute confusional states or bouffée délirante exceptionally frequent in Guadeloupe, French West Indies. However, the average picture of this disorder differs from that described in Europe. The author's interpretation is mainly based on cultural factors. On the basis of one case study, E. BOURGUIGNON suggests that the members of the Haitian élite experience "socialized ambivalence" in the face of radical social change in a society in which the ancestral elements have not been completely assimilated, whereas the peasant masses and the lower classes are characterized rather by cultural syncretism. This hypothesis is critically discussed by the reviewer.
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References
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Ey, H.1954. Etude no. 23. Etudes Psychiatriques3:303. (Anything like a literal translation misses the spirit of this passage.)
