Psychopathology- Deviation from ideal mental health Flashcards
What is meant by deviation from ideal mental health?
the idea that there are distinct markers that signal ‘wellness’ or ideal mental health
What were jahodas criteria for ideal mental health?
-Positive attitudes towards the self
-Self actualisation
-Autonomy
-Resistance to stress
-Accurate perception of reality
-Enviromental mastery
What is meant by positive attitudes towards the self?
-High self esteem
-Strong sense of identity
-Knowing where you fit in the world
What is meant by self actualisation?
-Personal growth and devolpment
-Enables to achieve your life goals
What is meant by autonomy?
-The ability to act independently from others
-Self regulation
-Being able to work by yourself
-Problem solving skills
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What is meant by resistance to stress?
-Resisting stress and being able to cope in stressful situations
What is meant by accurate perception of reality?
-Havinga realistic view of the world and knwoing your place in it
-Undertanding how the world works
What is meant by environmental mastery?
-Adapating and meeting the demands of the enviroment you are in
-Ability to adapt to different enviroments + feel at ease in them
Give an strength (hollistic)
-DIMH is a holistic measure of abnormality as it takes into account all aspects and behaviours of a person
-The person is not viewed simply in terms of their innate, biological traits or their internal cognitions
-The person’s place in the world, their lifestyle and their individuality are all components of this measure
Give a strength (practical application)
-DIMH is a positive measure of abnormality and has useful real world application
-This measure can be used as the basis for therapy and treatments with its emphasis on the whole person and on positive mental health and wellbeing
Give a limitation (unrealistic)
-Jahoda’s (1958) criteria of ideal mental health is almost impossible to live up to as it requires each individual to reach the highest levels of positive mental wellbeing
-Constantly self-actualising would be exhausting and may ultimately lead to self-doubt and disappointment
-Being completely free of stress is not particularly desirable as stress is a necessary motivator in daily life
-Being successful in love, work and leisure time may actually lead people to feel demotivated and low in self-esteem if they do not live up to their own high standards
-The definition’s unrealistic characteristics would mean that many individuals would be classed as deviating from ideal mental health, and therefore abnormal
Give a limitation (culturally biased)
-This measure is also prone to culture bias as it emphasises the importance of the individual which is not aligned with the attitudes and beliefs of collectivist cultures
-Collectivist cultures value ‘we/us’ rather than ‘I/me’ which means that they emphasis what is best for the group rather than for the individual
-Some collectivist cultures - particularly those in the Far East - operate according to a modesty bias
-A modesty bias does not align with ideas of self-actualisation as it would regard the broadcasting of individual achievement as ‘showy’ or disrespectful
