The concept of "ideal mental health" offers a unique lens through which to view psychological well-being. Introduced by Jahoda in 1958, it shifts the focus from the traditional diagnosis of mental disorders to highlighting the presence of positive mental health attributes. This approach implies that deviations from these positive characteristics might suggest potential psychological issues, much like physical health is gauged by the absence of well-being.

Jahoda's six criteria provide a comprehensive framework to assess mental health, with any significant deviations from these ideals potentially indicating a mental disorder. This perspective is deeply rooted in the humanistic tradition within psychology, emphasizing the importance of achieving one’s full potential and maintaining a state of total well-being.

By assessing mental health against these positive criteria, the deviation from ideal mental health model offers an extensive overview of an individual's psychological state. This approach not only focuses on identifying symptoms but also evaluates the overall well-being and functionality of an individual, offering a more optimistic and goal-oriented perspective on mental health

THESE SIX CHARACTERISTICS ARE:

POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS ONESELF

• Detail: This criterion focuses on an individual's self-perception, including robust self-esteem and a secure sense of identity. It suggests that feeling good about oneself and recognising personal strengths and weaknesses is crucial for mental health.

• Example: A person who sets realistic goals based on their self-understanding and accepts their limitations without self-deprecation demonstrates positive attitudes towards themselves. This self-acceptance contributes to their overall well-being and resilience against mental health issues.

SELF-ACTUALISATION

• Detail: Self-actualisation refers to realising one's potential and capabilities. It involves personal growth, the search for meaning, and reaching one's highest possibilities.

• Example: An artist who continually seeks to refine their skills and express deeper emotional truths through their art is on a path to self-actualisation, fostering a sense of purpose and fulfilment.

AUTONOMY

• Detail: Autonomy signifies the ability to be self-directing and independent, making decisions based on personal values and beliefs rather than external pressures.

• Example: A young adult who decides to pursue a career path that aligns with their passions and values, even if it differs from family or societal expectations, displays autonomy, contributing to their psychological well-being.

ACCURATE PERCEPTION OF REALITY

• Detail: This involves seeing the world and oneself objectively, undistorted. It means having a realistic understanding of one's environment and relationships.

• Example: Recognising that failure is a part of learning and growth rather than a personal flaw reflects an accurate perception of reality and helps maintain mental health by preventing disproportionate responses to setbacks.

RESISTING STRESS

• Detail: This criterion is about effective coping strategies for life's pressures. It implies resilience and the ability to maintain stability under stress.

• Example: Someone who practices mindfulness or seeks supportive relationships to manage work-related stress demonstrates the capacity to resist stress, promoting long-term mental health.

ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY

• Detail: Environmental mastery refers to the ability to navigate complex situations, adapt to change, and effectively manage the various aspects of life, including work, relationships, and personal needs.

• Example: Balancing professional obligations with personal life and adapting to unexpected life changes, like moving to a new city, without losing one's sense of control illustrates environmental mastery, essential for mental health.

EVALUATING THE IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH DEFINITION OF ABNORMALITY

*For AQA psychology students, mastering the four definitions of abnormality is essential. However, it's important to recognize that none alone would constitute a complete essay, particularly those worth 16 marks; it's unlikely that a question would focus exclusively on one definition. Instead, broader essay prompts such as “Discuss definitions of abnormality” are designed to encourage students to explore multiple definitions. This approach allows for a fuller essay response and enables students to compare and contrast the different perspectives on abnormality, providing a comprehensive overview. Preparing for these kinds of questions by understanding the strengths and limitations of each definition can help students develop well-rounded and detailed answer

THE DIFFICULTY OF SELF ACTUALISING.: One significant challenge in meeting Jahoda's criterion of self-actualisation involves the practical barriers many individuals face due to external factors such as financial constraints, societal norms, and personal circumstances. The journey towards self-actualization, or realising one's full potential, is deeply influenced by one's socio-economic status, the prevailing zeitgeist, and the specific opportunities available within their environment. For instance, individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds may find it particularly challenging to prioritise personal growth and development when basic needs demand immediate attention. Similarly, societal norms and cultural expectations can either facilitate or hinder personal development, depending on how well an individual's aspirations align with the collective values of their time and place. Class and nepotism can also significantly determine access to opportunities that enable self-actualization. While self-actualization is universally appealing, the reality is that not everyone has the same access or opportunity to pursue this goal, making it a difficult criterion for defining mental health across diverse populations.

UNOBTAINABLE STANDARDS: Critiquing the "ideal mental health" criteria, especially focusing on self-actualization and realizing one's potential, raises profound implications against the broad spectrum of societal and historical contexts. Considering self-actualization as the ultimate achievement in one's career or finding the perfect job that aligns with individual skills and passions would mean that very few individuals reach this pinnacle. The reality for most people is navigating through life, managing duties and roles that might not reflect their ultimate aspirations or potential. This perspective implies, rather controversially, that based on Jahoda's strict criteria, a significant portion of the global population could be labelled as mentally ill for simply operating within the limitations imposed by their social and economic environments.

Additionally, the concepts of careers and professions as we understand them are largely a product of modernity, shaped by socio-economic changes and cultural shifts. In historical contexts, such as feudal societies or times marked by stark class divisions, sexism, and discrimination, the freedom to pursue personal growth or career ambitions was virtually nonexistent. Individual roles were often predetermined by factors like birth, gender, and social standing, leaving minimal space for personal choice or advancement towards self-actualization.

Therefore, Jahoda's model appears somewhat out of place, reflecting ideals that are, in many ways, a reflection of contemporary Western ideologies focused on individualism and personal achievement. While these objectives are commendable, they fail to resonate universally across different societies or historical epochs where the emphasis might have been on communal well-being, survival, and conforming to established social roles. This discrepancy underscores the necessity for a broader, more inclusive definition of mental health that acknowledges the varied expressions of human flourishing across different cultural landscapes and historical moments.

SUBJECTIVITY IN MEASURING MENTAL HEALTH: SUBJECTIVITY IN MEASURING MENTAL HEALTH: A significant obstacle in using Jahoda's criteria for assessing ideal mental health lies in the subjective nature of these measures. For instance, accurately assessing someone's perception of reality or their level of self-actualization poses challenges. Consider the diverse perspectives on what constitutes reality: Is a worldview centred around atheism and nihilism more valid than one founded on religious faith and determinism? Determining what is considered a "realistic" perception varies greatly among individuals, highlighting the complexity of evaluating mental health using Jahoda's criteria. Moreover, unlike the often objective methods available for diagnosing physical health issues, mental health aspects such as self-esteem, personal development, and mastery over one's environment are more abstract and open to interpretation. This necessitates a subjective judgement by mental health professionals, which can introduce variability and potentially affect the consistency and precision of mental health assessments.

SCIENCE VERSUS PHENOMENOLOGY: As a cornerstone of humanistic psychology, the ideal mental health model is characterized by its emphasis on subjective experience and the inherent potential of individuals to grow and achieve personal well-being. However, this orientation also means that the model operates outside the boundaries of traditional scientific inquiry, which relies on empirical evidence, testability, and falsifiability. Humanistic theories, including ideal mental health, are often criticized for their lack of empirical grounding and the difficulty of subjecting them to scientific verification or falsification.

For example, concepts like self-actualization and environmental mastery are challenging to measure precisely or test under controlled conditions, making it hard to apply scientific methods to validate or refute the humanist perspective on mental health. This reliance on subjective interpretation rather than objective, measurable criteria places the humanist approach, including the ideal mental health model, distinct from more empirically-based psychological theories.

CULTURALLY BIASED: CULTURAL CONTEXT AND THE IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH MODEL: Jahoda's ideal mental health model aligns more closely with the values of individualistic societies than collectivist ones. This model presupposes self-actualisation, autonomy, and personal growth are universal priorities. However, these criteria may not hold the same significance in collectivist societies, where communal goals and the group's well-being often precede individual achievement.

In collectivist cultures, the emphasis is on family, community, and social harmony rather than individual desires or achievements. The expectation to prioritize collective goals over personal ambitions can clash with the ideal mental health criteria of autonomy and self-actualization, illustrating a potential cultural bias inherent in the model. This highlights a significant limitation: the assumption that the paths to mental well-being are the same across all cultures, neglecting the diverse values and priorities that influence people's conceptions of mental health.

Therefore, its inherent cultural assumptions may restrict the ideal mental health model's applicability. This suggests a more culturally sensitive approach to understanding and assessing mental well-being that recognizes and accommodates different societies' varied priorities and values.

STRESS CAN BE GOOD: Applying the Yerkes-Dodson Law to critique Jahoda's ideal mental health model highlights a significant oversight in conceptualising stress within the criteria for optimal psychological functioning. According to Jahoda's criteria, an individual's ability to resist stress is a hallmark of ideal mental health. However, the Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests that this view may be overly simplistic and does not account for the complexity of human experiences with stress.

The law posits that a moderate level of stress or arousal can be beneficial, enhancing a person's focus, motivation, and performance. This suggests that the presence of stress is not inherently indicative of poor mental health; rather, it is the management and perception of stress that are critical. By framing stress resistance as a criterion for ideal mental health, Jahoda's model potentially pathologizes natural and sometimes beneficial stress responses, neglecting the adaptive functions of stress in promoting growth, learning, and achievement.

Possible exam questions for the definition of abnormality include:

• Outline and evaluate statistical infrequency can be used to define abnormality

• Outline and evaluate how deviation from social norms can be used to define abnormality

• Outline and evaluate how failure to function adequately can be used to define abnormality

• Outline and evaluate how deviation from ideal mental health can be used to define abnormality (3 marks)

• Describe and evaluate two or more definitions of abnormality (12 marks AS, 16 marks A-level)