Latah
Encyclopedia
Latah is a condition where, triggered by the startle reflex, victims fall into a trance in which they engage in repetitive speech or movements. Often these take the form of echopraxic
and/or echolalia
c automatism
s. Latah is found only in certain world cultures and is therefore commonly considered a culture-specific syndrome
.
, is also the name for those with the condition, which is found mainly in women. Latahs are generally not considered responsible for their actions during these episodes. The word latah is originally from Bahasa Melayu
and Bahasa Indonesia
.
Similar conditions have been recorded within other cultures and locations, such as among the so-called Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
, women of the Ainu
of Japan
(imu), Siberian (miryachit), Filipino
and Thai
peoples; however, the connection among these syndromes has been controversial. The Ainu blame imu on possession by snakes.
Echopraxia
Echopraxia is the involuntary repetition or imitation of the observed movements of another. It is closely related to echolalia, the involuntary repetition of another's speech. The etymology of the term is from Ancient Greek: "ἠχώ from ἠχή " and "πρᾶξις "...
and/or echolalia
Echolalia
Echolalia is the automatic repetition of vocalizations made by another person. It is closely related to echopraxia, the automatic repetition of movements made by another person....
c automatism
Automatism
Automatism may refer to:*Automatic behavior, spontaneous verbal or motor behavior; an act performed unconsciously. Defendants have been found not guilty due to an automatism defense ....
s. Latah is found only in certain world cultures and is therefore commonly considered a culture-specific syndrome
Culture-specific syndrome
In medicine and medical anthropology, a culture-bound syndrome, culture-specific syndrome or folk illness is a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms that are considered to be a recognizable disease only within a specific society or culture...
.
Overview
Latah, as a nounNoun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
, is also the name for those with the condition, which is found mainly in women. Latahs are generally not considered responsible for their actions during these episodes. The word latah is originally from Bahasa Melayu
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
and Bahasa Indonesia
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
.
Similar conditions have been recorded within other cultures and locations, such as among the so-called Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a rare psychological or, possibly, a neurological disorder first observed by George Miller Beard in 1878. It entails an exaggerated "startle" reflex which may be described as an uncontrollable "jump" but can also exhibit sudden movements in all parts of the body...
, women of the Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(imu), Siberian (miryachit), Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
and Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
peoples; however, the connection among these syndromes has been controversial. The Ainu blame imu on possession by snakes.
External links
- Introduction to Culture-Bound Syndromes, by Ronald C. SimonsRonald C. SimonsRonald C. Simons, MD, MA is a psychiatrist and anthropologist best known for his work on latah, a culture-bound syndrome found predominantly in Malaysia and Indonesia. He has written on culture-bound syndromes more generally. He is professor of psychiatry and adjunct professor of anthropology at...
, Psychiatric Times, November 2001, Vol. XVIII, Issue 11 - Skeptical Inquirer - Culture-bound syndromes implicated as fakery