MENTAL HEALTH AND CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION 23
If everyday life occurs in certain locations and it is related to the concept of space, it
follows that segregation regulates everyday life as well. Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of
practice states that everyday life is constitutive for the understanding of the processes
of social life in general. Moreover, it shows how everyday practices shape social
space and how they are a reflection of habits and routines that involve individuals in a
non-conscious way. As a consequence of the social condition in which individuals
live (Tomlinson 2007), mental health is influenced by these non-conscious efforts,
which are in turn influenced by a segregated condition, due to residential segregation.
De Certeau’s theory (1984) considers everyday practices as tactics that are explicative
for the understanding of conflict transformation. In effect, they are sites where social
structures are transformed. These practices are constitutive of the wider complexity of
social life, and the spatial and social distance (Bourdieu 1977) in which individuals in
segregated areas live. As such, separation from the public space (Smyth and
McKnight 2010), can influence mental health.
A weakness of French’s research is evident through certain aspects of his 2009 study
that are underdeveloped and “left to further research” (French 2009: 889). He did not
engage with the relationship between mental illness and the Troubles and its impact
in other non-segregated areas. Maguire, French and O’Reilly (2011) provided
evidence, through a statistical collection of data, demonstrating that the likelihood of
antidepressant and anxiolytic use was higher in segregated than non-segregated areas.
They conclude their study by arguing that segregation is definitely related to poor
mental health because the people living in segregated areas are economically
disadvantaged (Maguire, French and O’Reilly 2011: 365). There is evidence of the
prevalence of mental illness by socio-economic position and, in many countries, the
poorest groups have twice the risk of high-income groups (World Health
Organization 2001). How residential segregated areas can be affected by
disadvantaged economic conditions has been analysed in detail by some specifically
researching Northern Ireland (Hughes et al 2003; Plöger 2007; Muir 2014). Even
Ferry et al (2008: 38) argued that “the risk of PTSD generally decreased as income
level increased”. This shows how the complex framework of mental illness in postconflict Northern Ireland is clearly influenced by economic factors.