deviation from ideal mental health

• Highly comprehensive criteria

  One strength of the ideal mental health criterion is that it is highly comprehensive.

  Jahoda's concept of 'ideal mental health' includes a range of criteria for distinguishing mental health from mental disorder. In fact it covers most of the reasons why we might seek (or be referred for) help with mental health. This in turn means that an individual's mental health can be discussed meaningfully with a range of professionals who might take different theoretical views e.g. a medically-trained psychiatrist might focus on symptoms whereas a humanistic counsellor might be more interested in self-actualisation.

  This means that ideal mental health provides a checklist against which we can assess ourselves and others and discuss psychological issues with a range of professionals.
• May be culture bound

  One limitation of the ideal mental health criterion is that its different elements are not equally applicable across a range of cultures.

  Some of Jahoda's criteria for ideal mental health are firmly located in the context of the US and Europe generally. In particular the concept of self-actualisation would probably be dismissed as self-indulgent in much of the world. Even within Europe there is quite a bit of variation in the value placed on personal independence, e.g. high in Germany, low in Italy. Furthermore what defines success in our working, social and love-lives is very different in different cultures.

  This means that it is difficult to apply the concept of ideal mental health from one culture to another.
• Its hard to attain all criteria

  Very few of us attain all of Jahoda's criteria for mental health, and probably none of us achieve all of them at the same time or keep them up for very long. It can be disheartening to see an impossible set of standards to live up to.

  On the other hand having such a comprehensive set of criteria for mental health to work towards might be of practical value to someone wanting to understanding and improve their mental health.