| What is Jahoda's definition of the deviation of ideal mental health? | Notes that we often define physical illness by looking for the absence of signs for physical health. Jahoda wanted to do the same for mental health.
Proposed six categories that were a condition of normality |
| What are the 6 categories (Jahoda) ? | 1.Self-attitudes
2. Personal growth
3. Integration
4. Autonomy
5. Reality
6. Successful mastery of the environment |
| What is self-attitudes? | positive self esteem and a strong sense of identity; feeling happy in themselves and with who they are. |
| What is personal growth? | extent of development towards full capabilities; ability to visualise and reach your potential/Self-Actualisation (Maslow). |
| What is intergration? | ability to tolerate and cope with stressful situations competently without distress. |
| What is autonomy? | being independent and able to self-regulate thoughts and behaviour, not dependent on others |
| What is reality? | Having an accurate perception of reality about the world and environment around you. |
| What is successful mastery of the environmnet? | having the ability to love, function at work and in interpersonal relationships, adjust to new situations and solve problems |
| Strength of Jahoda's definition? | -Positive in its approach.
-Offers an alternative perspective on understanding abnormality whereby is focuses on desirable behaviours rather than negative or undesirable behaviours.
-However, Jahoda’s ideas were never really taken up by mental health professionals.
-They have had some influence and are in accord with the ‘positive psychology’ movement as seen in humanistic approaches. |
| Weakness of Jahoda's definition? | -An unrealistic criteria proposed by Jahoda.
-There are times when everyone will experience stress and negativity, for example grieving a loved one. However, according to this definition, these people would be classified as abnormal, irrespective of the circumstances which are outside of their control.
-With the high standards set by these criteria, how many need to be absent for diagnosis to occur must also be questioned. |
| Weakness of Jahoda's definition? | -cultural relativism.
-Some of the criteria for ideal mental health could be considered Western in origin and considered ethnocentric. For example: her emphasis on personal growth and development may be considered overly self-centered in other countries of the world who favour community over individualism.
-Likewise, independence within collectivist cultures is no fostered thus making the definition culture bound.
-This could lead to misdiagnosis or misjudgment in interpreting people’s people. |
