deviation from ideal mental health

• p: one of the major criticisms of this definition is that, according to ideal mental health criteria, most of us are abnormal.

  E: jahoda presented them as ideal criteria. we also have to ask how many need to be lacking before a person would be judged as abnormal. Furthermore, the criteria are quite difficult to measure.

  L: this means that this approach may be an interesting concept but not really useable when it comes to identifying abnormality.
• P: another limitation of this definition is that it tries to apply the principles of physical health to mental health

  E: physical illnesses have physical causes such as a virus or bacterial infection, and as a result this makes them easy to detect and diagnose. Its possible that some mental disorders also have physical causes but many do not. they are the consequence of life experiences.

  L: therefore, it is unlikely that we could diagnose mental abnormality in the same way that we can diagnose physical abnormality
• P: this definition focuses on the positives rather than the negatives

  E: it offers an alternative perspective on mental disorder that focuses on the 'ideal' what is desirable rather than undesirable. Even though jahoda's ideas were never taken up by mental health professionals, the ideas have had some influence.

  L: a strength of this approach, therefore, lies in its positive outlook and its influence on humanistic approaches