Mental he alth and mental he alth are actually quite different things. And in case of inferiority on one side or the other, a person's behavior will change, and this will most likely be noticeable. For this reason, mental he alth and mental he alth levels need to be maintained.
Definition of terms
In order to answer the question of how mental he alth differs from psychological he alth, you must first understand both of these terms.
Mental he alth is certain features that allow a person to behave adequately and successfully adapt to the environment. This category usually includes the extent to which the subjective images formed in a person correspond to the objective reality, as well as an adequate perception of oneself, the ability to concentrate on something, the ability to remember certaininformation data and the ability to think critically.
The opposite of good mental well-being are deviations, as well as a variety of disorders and diseases of the human psyche. At the same time, if the psyche is in order, this is not at all a guarantee of mental he alth.
With a full-fledged psyche and complete adequacy, a person can have severe mental illness. Simply put, a person does not want to live. It can be quite the opposite: a wonderful state of mind, combined with mental deviations and inadequacy.
Under the definition of psychological he alth falls not just mental well-being, but also the state of the individual. That is, this is a certain type of well-being, in which the spiritual and personal are combined, a person is doing well in life, while his personality is in a state of growth and readiness to move forward.
Psychological well-being describes the personality as a whole, it refers to several areas at once: cognitive, motivational, emotional, and also volitional areas. In addition, various manifestations of fortitude can be attributed here.
Mental State Criteria
He alth is the basis of all human life, a certain guarantee of success and that everything will be fine. It is one of the prerequisites for achieving goals in life. In many cultures, it is not only the value of one individual, but also a huge public asset.
Psychological foundations of physical, mental and social he alth are usually considered in twoits aspects. The criteria for assessing mental well-being are most fully disclosed by A. A. Krylov. They also apply to the psychological state.
The scientist singles out the criteria according to how they manifest themselves (various processes, properties). Krylov believes that a person who is mentally in order can be characterized by the following properties:
- morality (that is, a sense of conscience and honor);
- focus;
- poise;
- optimistic attitude towards life;
- adequate claims;
- sense of duty;
- lack of touchiness;
- confidence;
- lack of laziness;
- general naturalness;
- having a sense of humor;
- independence;
- responsibility;
- patience;
- self-control;
- self respect;
- benevolence towards others.
Based on these criteria of psychological he alth and mental he alth that Krylov deduced, it is possible to conclude that a normal psyche, as a certain component of well-being in general, includes a set of such characteristics that help to establish balance and provide an opportunity for a person perform their functions in society.
A person with a normal psyche is adapted to life in society, and also takes a direct part in it.
Criteria of psychological state
In science, the topic of normal psychological well-being was developed in detail by IV Dubrovina. differencemental he alth from psychological lies in the fact that the first refers to individual processes and mechanisms of the human psyche, and the second is directly related to the personality in general, and is also closely related to the highest manifestations of the human, so to speak, soul.
The term makes it possible to highlight the problems of psychological and mental he alth. Dubrovina gives a note that a psychologically normal person is capable of possessing such qualities as self-sufficiency, understanding and acceptance of oneself. All this gives a person the opportunity to develop himself in the context of the relationship with the outside world and people in various conditions of culture, economy, ecology and society of our reality.
In addition to all of the above, psychologically normal individuals have such qualities as:
- stability of emotions;
- according to their age maturity of feelings;
- co-ownership with one's own negativity and the emotions it generates;
- the most natural expression of your emotions and feelings;
- the ability to enjoy your life;
- the ability to maintain your usual well-being;
- adequate perception of one's own personality;
- the greatest approximation of subjective images to reflected real objects;
- the ability to focus on a particular subject;
- ability to remember information data;
- ability to process data with logic;
- critic althinking;
- creativity;
- self-knowledge;
- managing your own thoughts.
So, what is the difference between mental and psychological he alth of a person? The first is a certain dynamic set of properties of the psyche of the individual, which are able to maintain harmony between the needs of him and society. They are also a prerequisite for human orientation towards fulfilling one's life purpose.
The psychological norm is usually interpreted as the ability to live an individual, as the strength of this very life, which was provided with the most complete development, as well as the ability to adapt and personal growth in a changing, sometimes unfavorable, but completely ordinary environment for the majority. All this is a prerequisite for normal psychological well-being.
World He alth Organization
What else is the difference between mental and psychological he alth of a person? The WHO defines the mental as follows: it is a prosperous state in which the individual is able to realize his own potential, is able to cope with the usual stresses and irritants in life, make his own contribution to social life, do his work most productively so that it brings the greatest results.
WHO identifies the following criteria:
- Awareness (coupled with a sense of constancy) of continuity, as well as the identity of one's own "I" both mental and physical.
- Feeling of identity and constancy of own experiences in situations of the same type.
- A critical attitude towards oneself, as well as one's own mental activity and its results.
- Correspondence of adequate reactions of the psyche to the frequency and with it the strength of the influences of the environment, circumstances and various situations in society.
- The ability to manage one's own behavior, taking into account compliance with various social norms, laws and rules.
- The ability to plan one's own activities in life, along with the ability to implement these plans.
- The ability to change the way you behave depending on how circumstances and situations in life change.
By the way, there is even World Mental He alth Day, which is usually celebrated on the tenth of October. It started in 1992.
WHO term differences
The WHO distinguishes psychological he alth and mental he alth of a person mainly because mental well-being is usually attributed to completely separate processes of the psyche, as well as its mechanisms. The psychological, in turn, is usually attributed to the personality itself in general. This makes it possible to isolate the psychological aspect of any problem.
The aforementioned Dubrovina introduced such a term as "mental he alth" into the lexicon of science not so long ago. She believes that psychological well-being is an absolutely necessary condition for a person to function and develop fully in the process.own life.
The connection between the psychological state and the physical state is undeniable at the moment.
Psychological characteristics of centenarians
Jewette explored psychological types as a form of mental he alth of people who successfully managed to live to a very old age (80-90 years). The results of the research showed that all these people had the following qualities:
- life optimism;
- calm on an emotional level;
- the ability to feel genuine joy;
- feeling of self-sufficiency;
- high adaptability to difficult life situations.
Portrait of the desired result
Thus, if you make a highly generalized portrait of the inner world of a he althy person based on the characteristics outlined above, you can see a creative, spontaneous person, enjoying his life, cheerful, open to something new, never stopping to know himself and his the world around, not only using the mind, but also using your intuition and sensuality.
Such a person fully accepts his own personality, while realizing the value and absolute uniqueness of the people that surround him. He is also in constant self-improvement and helps other people with this.
Such a person first of all takes responsibility for his own life on himself, and learns useful lessons from unsuccessful situations. His life, of course,filled with the meaning he found himself.
About such people it is usually said that "he is in harmony" both with himself and with the world that surrounds him. From this, a key word can be extracted to describe the term "mental he alth". That word would be "harmony".
Agreeing with yourself
A psychologically normal person has various aspects in harmony, which include mental, intellectual, physical and emotional. The criteria by which one can determine how he althy a certain person is actually quite vague.
The very concepts of mental and psychological he alth of an individual and their norms are mostly determined by the customs, traditions, moral principles, cultural and social characteristics of the community.
The ancient Vikings had such warriors, they were called "berserkers". During the battle, they were able to fall into a state of some kind of battle trance. Such a person was simply indispensable on the battlefield, but outside this field, the behavior of such a warrior can hardly be called adequate.
A not too sensitive and even cynical pathologist in his profession is able to realize his full potential, while outside of his working atmosphere he can look a little strange in the eyes of other people.
The norm itself is a balance between adaptation to reality and reality itself, this is the task of developing one's personality and self-affirmation along witha sense of responsibility and some potential energy of the psyche and activity. Norm is also the ability to overcome difficulties on the path of life and accept the challenge of the world around.
Mental he alth standards
The human psyche deteriorates with age (after about 80 years, sometimes even earlier) and during illness. Well-being of the psyche is not at all something permanent, it is dynamic. The norms of this state include:
- Mental abilities. This is a good intellectual level, the ability to think productively, the desire for a certain positive outcome, while relying on real facts. This norm also includes self-improvement and imagination.
- The concept of morality. It is customary to say about such people that they have a "soul". They are not characterized by moral stupidity at all. At the same time, objectivity and justice are inherent in such people. Their will is strong, but without stubbornness. Mistakes are recognized, but do not torment themselves.
- Adaptability to various social situations. Such people are in contact with various segments of the population of various ages. They are characterized by ease in relation to superiors and inferiors, along with a sense of responsibility. They have a good sense of social distance, and their behavior is somewhat spontaneous.
- Personal optimism. This is the good nature of character and emotional independence. Realistic attitude to life without fear of risk.
- Emotionality, in which there is no extra suspicion or gullibility, while there is freshness of emotionalsensations.
- Sexy. This means taking into account the opinions and various wishes of your partner and respecting his personality.
Various States
The state of human psychological he alth has several levels. First comes the creative (high) level. This is a stable adaptability to the environment and the presence of a reserve of strength to overcome stress, plus an active life position.
Next comes adaptive (intermediate level). Normally adapted to society people fall under it, while feeling some kind of anxiety. They are not adapted to situations beyond their comprehension.
The last level (low) is called maladaptive. People of this level are characterized by the desire to adapt to circumstances, but at the same time they do not pay attention to their capabilities and desires. Or, on the contrary, they take an "attacking" position, wanting to subordinate the world to their desires. Such people, as a rule, need individual sessions and psychological help.
There is a favorite expression of psychiatrists that there are no completely he althy people, there are only underexamined. The data of E. Shaposhnikov indicate that only twenty-five or thirty percent of the population has a complete set of normal psychological indicators. At the same time, in certain life situations, even the most "normal" people can react somewhat unusually.
Approximately fifty percent of people are balancing on the verge of mental norms and various deviations. Atin all of this, approximately five percent are considered mentally deranged and requiring qualified assistance. In different countries, these figures vary slightly.
