Modernity Theories and Mental Illness: A Comparative Study of Chosen Sociological Theorists
Yawo Bessa

Abstract
Background.The analysis of past research shows that the study of mental illness was part of the agenda of the founders of the discipline of sociology. Additionally, the sociological study of mental illness changes to reflect the mark of historical periods such as premodernity, modernity and postmodernity.Aim.The aim of this study is to compare and contrast some modern sociological theories of mental health problems and determine in what ways they reflect or not the period of modernity. Analysis. Comparative analysis of sociological frameworks of four sociologists (Durkheim, Merton, Marx, and Scheff) from the epoch of modernity was conducted. Conclusion.Most sociological studies related to mental illness of the period of modernity mirror key concepts of that epoch such as structure, balance, stability, order, system, and universalism. Implications for policy, future research, and limitations are discussed.

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