deviation from ideal mental health

• Deviation from ideal mental health - Jahoda


  Abnormality is defined in terms of mental health, behaviours that are associated with competence and happiness. Jahoda identified six features of ideal mental health and argues deviation from these features indicates abnormality.
• Marie Jahoda's characteristics


  • Self attitudes
  • Mastery of the environment
  • Having an accurate perception of reality
  • Autonomy
  • Integration
  • Personal growth and self actualisation
• Self-attitudes

  An individual's self-esteem levels.For ideal mental health the positive attitude should be at a good level so that the individual feels happy with themself.
• Personal growth and self-actualisation


  The innate desire and tendency to become your best self.A state of contentment, feeling that you have become the best you can be.
• Integration


  Adapting to stressful situations
• Autonomy


  The ability to function as an individual and not depending on others.
• Having an accurate perception of reality


  How the individual sees the world around them.For ideal mental health, an individual's perception should be similar to others' perception.
• Mastery of the environment


  Adaptability to new situations appropriately.
• + Focused


  E - For example, their distorted thinking could be addressed to help their behaviour become normal, as if their thinking is biased then their behaviour will be too.

  E - This definition allows for an individual who is struggling to have targeted intervention if their behaviour is not 'normal'.

  L - Therefore, this definition could allow people to work on any behaviours which are considered abnormal.
• + Positive


  E - This definition focuses on what is helpful and desirable for the individual, rather than the other way round.

  E - This idea allows for clear goals to be set and focused upon to achieve ideal mental health, and, in Jahoda's opinion, to achieve normality.

  L - Therefore, it allows people to improve their behaviour.
• / Feasibility


  E - The criteria outlined by Jahoda makes ideal mental health (normality) practically impossible to achieve.

  E - This means that the majority of the population, using this definition, would be abnormal.

  L - Therefore, the definition is not valid as it considers most people as abnormal.
• / Ethnocentrism


  E - The criteria of autonomy makes the collectivist cultures, where the greater good and helping / relying on others is encouraged, seem abnormal.

  E - As most western cultures are individualist the criteria outlined by Jahoda seem a reasonable fit, but non-western cultures cannot relate to the criteria she outlines.

  L - Therefore, this means that the definition is not generalisable to the rest of the world.