Devereux] MOHAVE ETHNOPSYCHIATRY AND SUICIDE 225 



ever, by then, John had learned to work hard and to show initiative and was 

 therefore able to earn his own pocket money. By the time John was in his late 

 teens, the family was quite prosperous by Mohave standards, John's own in- 

 dustriousness contributing appreciably to its prosperity. Since many Mohave 

 are quite industrious (Kroeber, 1925 a), John's work history differs from that of 

 other Mohave Indians only in that he began to perform useful and responsible 

 work somewhat earlier than other Mohave children. 



Unions. — Many Mohave Indians contract several unions before they find a 

 spouse with whom they can settle down permanently. It is therefore significant 

 that at least one of John's earliest unions came to an end through no fault 

 of his own. His most recent and apparently permanent union is characterized 

 by a great deal of mutual tenderness and devotion between the spouses. 



Fatherhood. — John's father deserted him before he was born so that the 

 role of the father had to be filled by a certain father figure who, fortunately 

 for John, was a singularly kindly and affectionate person. These facts explain 

 why John eventually turned into a highly responsible and affectionate father, 

 keenly conscious of the duties and pleasures of fatherhood, even in connection 

 with the offspring of a dissolved union. 



Social relations. — Despite his childhood temper tantrums (see below), John 

 was most of the time a very nice child, well liked by his playmates, school- 

 mates, teachers, and by the adult members of the tribe. He grew up into a 

 fine adolescent and man and is today a respected and well-liked member of the 

 tribe, noted for his industriousness, generosity, intelligence, and kindness. 



The capacity to love is an important aspect of emotional maturity. John's 

 devotion to his current wife and his lifelong ability to form lasting friendships 

 prove that, in some respects at least, he was always relatively mature. On 

 the other hand, his pattern of mate selection, his lasting attachment to his 

 mother, and his extreme reaction to the death of a father figure suggest that 

 he had to struggle with oedipal fixations even during his early manhood. 



Mode of life. — John spent most of his life on the reservation, engaged in 

 pursuits similar to those of other Mohave Indians. His mode of life differs 

 from that of other Mohave Indians chiefly in that, being more prosperous than 

 most, he was able to engage in certain self-destructive and expensive pursuits 

 (see below). 

 Medical history: 



Birth. — Apparently uneventful. 



Childhood ailments. — The usual childhood diseases. 



Other diseases. — Ordinary minor ailments. One relatively serious illness 

 shortly before his psychotic episode. Recurrent accidents of considerable 

 severity, one of which left him slightly disabled for a few years. 

 Psychiatric history: 



Childhood. — Severe temper tantrums and anxiety dreams (see below). 



Adulthood. — Prolonged mourning depression of nonpsychotic intensity, fol- 

 lowed by self-destructive "acting out." Psychotic episode followed by complete 

 recovery and by the termination of accident proneness (see below). 

 Self-definition and ego-identity : 



(I) Ethnic identity. — John's "ethnic" origins, like those of many younger 

 Mohave Indians, are somewhat complex. However, unlike the mixed breeds of 

 earlier years, who were sometimes disposed of at birth (Devereux, 1948 d) or 

 were at least rejected because contact with them was believed to cause illness 

 (pt. 4, pp. 128-150, etc.), John was not discriminated against in any way. 



(II) Sociocultural identity. — Due to the absence of discrimination, John 

 grew up to think of himself — quite rightly — as a genuine Mohave Indian. 



