deviation from ideal mental health

• looked at what is normal

  • a different way to look at normality and abnormality is to think about what makes someone 'normal' and psychologically healthy
  • then identify anyone who deviates from this ideal
• Jahoda's list of criteria

  • she suggested the following criteria for ideal mental health:
  • positive attitude towards the self
  • self-actualisation
  • autonomy
  • resistance to stress
  • environmental mastery
  • accurate perception of reality
• inevitable overlap between definitions

  • someone's inability to keep a job may be a sign of their failure to cope with the pressures of work (failure to function)
  • or as a deviation from the ideal of successfully working
• strength = approach is comprehensive

  • ideal mental health includes a range of criteria for mental health
  • it covers most of the reasons why we might need help with mental health
  • this means that mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals (eg psychiatrist or CBT therapist)
  • => ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others
• limitation = definition may be culture-bound

  • some criteria for ideal mental health are limited to the US and Europe (eg self-actualisation is not recognised in most of the world)
  • even in Europe there are variations in the value placed on independence (high in Germany, low in Italy)
  • means that it is very difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another
• extra evaluation = extremely high standards

  • few of us attain all Jahoda's criteria for mental health, and moreover maintain them for long
  • an impossible set of standards can be disheartening
  • on the other hand = such comprehensive criteria for mental health might be of value to someone wanting to improve their mental health
  • means that a set of comprehensive criteria for ideal mental health may be helpful for some but not others