Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
Abnormality is defined as possessing characteristics the mentally healthy should not possess, and/or not possessing characteristics the mentally healthy should possess
*Jahoba’s Checklist for Mental Health*
- Being able to make your own decisions
- Being able to resist stress
- Being able to perceive reality accurately
- Being able to ‘self – actualise’
- Being able to adapt to the environment
Limitations:
- Most people do not satisfy all, many or any of the ideals.
- Claims about ‘ideal mental health’ are value judgements
- Different cultures have different ideals (bound by culture)
- Even within a culture ‘healthiness’ is determined by the context in which the behaviour occurs
- Era dependent
- A persons stage of development
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