Cleanliness/dirtiness, purity/impurity as social and psychological issues

Abstract

The issue of cleanliness in its clean/dirty and pure/impure antinomies definitely has a social and cultural dimension. Some daily cleaning practices are indeed quite common actions in every culture and society, even if some differences in the frequency and quality of the practices and in the value attributed to them do exist. In this article, we will discuss how cleaning practices and contamination fears sink their roots in the social context and in cultural practices. In particular, we will explore the connections between one's own sense of cleanliness and attitudes of prejudice and intolerance toward other groups. First, the issue of cleanliness over the centuries and the exaggerations of cleanliness referring to individual psychopathology will be examined. Then, the psychosocial meaning of cleanliness will be considered in revealing the impact of the clean/dirty and pure/impure antinomies on day-to-day social interactions with others.