Deviation from Ideal Mental Health Flashcards
Who put together the first notion of ideal mental health and when?
Mary Jahoda (1958)
What is Deviation from ideal mental health?
> Looks at the positives rather than the negatives: mental health as opposed to mental illness
> We define physical illness by looking at what is different from ideal physical health (e.g. correct temperature, blood pressure) so why not do the same for mental illness
> Jahoda identified 6 criteria for optimal living – she believed it promoted psychological health and wellbeing
> Anyone who lacked these would be vulnerable to mental disorder
What were Jahoda’s 6 criteria?
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Personal Autonomy
Accurate perception of reality
Positive Attitudes towards the self
Resistance to stress
Adapting to and mastering the environment
Self-actualisation of one’s potentiall
Jahoda’s criteria, what is…
Personal Autonomy ?
reliant on your own inner resources and can remain so against hard knocks, frustration and deprivation. Not dependant on others but self-contained; ‘ability to make our own decisions based on what is right for ourselves, rather than to satisfy others’
Jahoda’s criteria, what is…
Accurate perception of reality ?
seeing oneself and the world in realistic terms – as opposed to ‘rose-tinted’ or pessimism. Continual distortion of reality = abnormal
Jahoda’s criteria, what is…
Positive attitudes towards the self ?
Positive self-concept; (healthy attitude, self-confidence, acceptance)
Jahoda’s criteria, what is…
Resistance to stress ?
the ability to tolerate anxiety without disintegration.
- Mentally healthy person = coping strategies
- Vulnerable to stress = most likely to develop psychological problems
Jahoda’s criteria, what is…
Adapting to and mastering the environment ?
being competent in all areas of life: work/relationships/ leisure. Flexibility and Adaptability
Jahoda’s criteria, what is…
Self-actualisation of one’s potential
Understanding we all have potential; constant strive to achieve
– Mental health problems can occur when we are prevented from fulfilling our potential
What are the limitations of ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’
Unrealistic
Benefits of stress
Too simplistic
Cultural relativism
Lacking validity: mental disorders have changed over time
Explain Unrealistic
as a limitation of ‘Deviation from ideal Mental Health’
Who can actually achieve all these criteria? Most people are abnormal to some extent. How many criteria must be lacking before a person would be judged abnormal. The definition lacks validity – can’t be measured
Explain Benefits of stress
as a limitation of ‘Deviation from ideal Mental Health’
Benefits of stress – some people work more efficiently in moderately stressful situations
Explain Too simplistic
as a limitation of ‘Deviation from ideal Mental Health’
Is mental health actually the same as physical health? Many mental illnesses do not have physical signs e.g. high temperature = illness
Explain Cultural relativism
as a limitation of ‘Deviation from ideal Mental Health’
self-actualisation is a good thing in an individualist culture but not in a collectivist culture
Explain ‘Lacking validity: mental disorders have changed over time’
as a limitation of ‘Deviation from ideal Mental Health’
What was ideal health in the 13th Century may not be now in the 21st Century
Who conducted the key study of the pseudo patients and when? (relates to deviation from ideal mental health)
Rosenhan Study (1973)
The Rosenhan Study (1973) - ‘Pseudo Patients’
relates to deviation from ideal mental health
Procedure:
- 8 psychologically healthy people pretended to be psychiatric patients (pseudo patients)
- They sought admission to a variety of different hospitals, complaining of just ONE symptom- A voice in their head saying ‘thud’
- Other than the voice they were completely honest about their psychological state
- Once admitted into hospital, each person behaved as they normally would, said they were fine and that they were no longer experiencing any symptoms
Findings:
- None of the patients were expected of being imposters
- 7 were diagnosed with schizophrenia and were admitted to hospital, even though they said they were fine
- When they were discharged they were diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission – a label that would remain on their medical record
Conclusions
- The study raised a number of issues with the way in which psychiatrists diagnosed mental disorders
- As a result changes were made to the ways in which mental disorders were diagnosed
- One change in particular was the development of a computer system (Composite International Diagnostic Interview) CIDI
- This was an attempt to improve the validity and reliability of diagnosis
