Mini Review

Mind and Health in the Context of Psychological Health

Yener Ozen*

Department of Education Science, Education of Faculty, Erzincan University, Yalnızbağ Campus, Erzincan, Turkey

Submission: February 10, 2023; Published: February 20, 2023

*Corresponding author: Yener Ozen, Department of Education Science, Education of Faculty, Erzincan University, Yalnızbağ Campus, Erzincan, Turkey

How to cite this article: Yener Ozen. Mind and Health in the Context of Psychological Health. Ann Rev Resear. 2023; 8(4): 555741. DOI: 10.19080/ARR.2023.08.555741

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, the state of being healthy; It is not only the absence of disease or infirmity, but also a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. As the definition suggests, mental health is an integral part of health. From a psychological point of view, health can be defined as the adaptation of the individual to the environment by controlling his emotions. In this sense, it is possible to say that the mind is a prerequisite for psychological health. Because the individual’s ability to control his emotions, to calm himself, and to show flexibility in adapting to different situations is realized thanks to the mind. As a result of the value given to the mind, there has been an interest in defining the mind, clarifying its structure and mental health from past to present, and as a result, many different definitions have been made. In Western societies, mental health has often become the subject of medicine and the object of research.

Keywords: Psychological Health; Mind; Well-Being

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization, the state of being healthy; It is not only the absence of disease or infirmity, but also a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (World Health Organization Charter, 1948). As the definition suggests, mental health is an integral part of health. From a psychological point of view, health can be defined as the adaptation of the individual to the environment by controlling his emotions. In this sense, it is possible to say that the mind is a prerequisite for psychological health. Because the individual’s ability to control his emotions, to calm himself, and to show flexibility in adapting to different situations is realized thanks to the mind. Mind, which is one of the inseparable parts of mental health, is used in the sense of logos, which is the essence of existence in Greek Saldıray [1], and it is a skill that enables the individual to reach a conclusion with the help of his perceptions. Reason is highly valued, and the absence of reason is expressed with the concept of abnormal and is seen as an undesirable situation. As a result of the value given to the mind, there has been an interest in defining the mind, clarifying its structure and mental health from past to present, and as a result, many different definitions have been made. In Western societies, mental health has often become the subject of medicine and the object of research. A mental deprivation has been tried to be explained only in medical terms and only medical treatments have been in question. In the early ages, supernatural powers were attributed to people with mental health, and the idea that these people were haunted by evil spirits prevailed Öztürk 2014. As a result of this, these people were tried to be separated from the society by excluding them from the society. In the Middle Ages, mental illness was associated with witchcraft and witchcraft Szasz [2]; Scott [3]. By the 17th century, the idea that mental patients should be kept away from society and kept under control became widespread and the concept of psychiatrist emerged Szasz [2]. Psychiatry, which developed as a result of the research of the soul, defined the individual as a patient and differentiated it from others Foucault [4]. In the first and middle ages, shamans and witch doctors sought treatment by expelling harmful spirits with the help of various ceremonies, destroying the objects that were thought to hide the souls, fits of madness and trance states Öztürk [5]. In the 17th and 18th centuries, mental illness was tried to be cured with physical treatments, and after the separation of body and soul, interventions for the soul began to be carried out. The treatment is shaped according to the distinction between body and soul.

Psychological Health and Mind

Today, the World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual can realize his/her abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and efficiently, and contribute to the community” WHO [6]. The presence of mental health includes positive emotions, individual and social functionality and is defined as a state of well-being, while the absence of mental health includes low levels of positive emotions and individual and social functionality and is defined as a state of well-being Keyes [7]; Westerhof & Keyes, 2010. Mental health and psychological health are closely related. Mental health is seen as a prerequisite for psychological health. Therefore, it is considered important to examine the relationship between psychological health and physical health. Psychological health and physical health affect each other and are also affected by each other. When an individual has a mental health problem, some physical symptoms also occur. It is observed that diseases related to the skin and gastroenteric system are most common in individuals with psychological problems, followed by headaches, neck pains, muscle tension, body aches, palpitations, and breathing difficulties. At the same time, deteriorations in mental health affect the immune system of the individual negatively and make the individual vulnerable to diseases. For example, depression is a disease that can occur when the serotonin hormone is low, but a number of events such as environmental and trauma can affect this situation. In other words, deterioration in physical health can also lead to deterioration in psychological health. Similarly, deteriorations in psychological health also cause deterioration in physiological health, for example, it is inevitable for an individual with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, obsessive- compulsive personality disorder, to have an obsession with cleanliness and to have eczema on his hands. There are basic concepts that contribute positively to psychological health, and it is thought that examining them is important in the context of psychological health.

The first of these concepts is psychological resilience. The concept of resilience, which has a positive effect on psychological health, is defined as the individual’s capacity to easily overcome a traumatic life event with a risk factor and return to his former functionality Li [8]. The basis of the emergence of the concept of psychological resilience is the realization of the fact that each individual’s level of influence in the face of a difficult life event is not the same and researches to determine the reasons are formed. In order to be able to talk about the concept of psychological resilience, the individual must encounter a negative life event. Psychological resilience also has a variable feature Rutter [9]. For example, an individual may not be able to overcome the difficulties he encounters in a period of his life and his level of psychological resilience may be low, while he can overcome the difficulties he encounters in a period of his life and his level of psychological resilience may be high, which varies according to environmental conditions. It can also vary depending on the characteristics of the individual. For example, the adaptation period of each child who has lost a parent to daily life, the ability to overcome this traumatic event and the mourning process are not the same. Headache and heart pain may be observed due to tension and school life, there may be significant declines in school life by deteriorating functionality, there may be some communication problems with the environment and a state of introversion may be observed in the individual. Another child, on the other hand, can overcome the loss of a parent more easily and continue his communication with his environment without any significant deterioration in his school and daily life relationships, except in situations that can be considered normal during the grieving process. Both children are the same age, why does one get through this process easily while the other gets through it very hard? The reason for this differentiation can be explained by the protective factors or risk factors that the individual has. Risk factors, negative experiences that an individual will encounter throughout his life are accepted as risk factors in demonstrating psychological resilience Karaırmak [10].

Werner and Smith [11] divided risk factors into three categories. The first of these, individual risk factors, includes situations that are related to the personal characteristics of individuals and negatively affect their lives Sezgin [12]. For example, being an introverted and shy child is a risk factor for being bullied at school. The second factor, the familial risk factor, includes the situations that negatively affect the individual’s family life Açıkgöz [13]. For example, having a broken family with a low socioeconomic level is considered among the familial risk factors. The third factor, environmental risk factors, includes the environment in which the individual lives and negative situations arising from external factors Sezgin [12]. For example, war, famine, epidemic, natural disasters are among the environmental risk factors. Protective factors are the factors that help the individual to overcome the negativities he encounters with the least damage. Protective factors are divided into three categories Karaırmak [10]. The first factor, individual protective factors, is the individual’s innate or acquired personal characteristics that help eliminate the negative effects of risk factors Tanyeri, 2016. For example, the individual’s self-esteem, self-compassion, and a harmonious personality are among the individual protective factors. Mind is also one of the individual protective factors that are effective in the level of psychological resilience of the individual. It helps the individual to have a mind, to use his mind as necessary and to act rationally, to analyze the negative life events he has experienced, to learn lessons, and to find different alternatives and turn to them when faced with the same situation. Thus, as the individual sees that he/she can find a solution, he/she is in hope that he/she can solve different problems, and psychological resilience and therefore psychological health are positively affected by this situation. The second factor, familial protective factors, includes the conditions of the family and the characteristics of family members Tanyeri, 2016.

Living together with parents, having parents with a high level of education and socioeconomic status are among the familial protective factors. The third factor, environmental protective factors, includes environmental factors that help eliminate the risk factors faced by the individual. The presence of social support and growing up in a good social environment are among the environmental protective factors. The high level of psychological resilience of the individual contributes positively to psychological health and plays a role as a protective factor in the deterioration of psychological health. Another concept that contributes positively to psychological health is self-compassion. Self-compassion is the ability of an individual to help himself if he needs it Germer [14]. Self-compassion includes the individual’s ability to direct compassion towards himself and to approach himself in an understanding way without blaming himself harshly. An individual with a low level of self-compassion tends to attribute to himself some negativities that do not originate from himself and to burden himself unnecessarily, which negatively affects the psychological resilience level of the individual. Self-compassion; it consists of self-compassion, common stakeholder and awareness components Costa, Donovan, & Jessor, 1994. Self-compassion is the individual’s ability to be understanding to himself after challenging life events Neff [15]. When faced with a failure, the self-loving person is relieved by approaching himself with an accepting attitude without judging himself harshly. Another component, my common stakeholder, is that individuals realize that they are not the only ones who experience negative experiences that cause unhappiness, but that they are situations that everyone can encounter Neff [16], Neff [15]. In the face of a negative situation, the individual starts to think that this situation only happens to him and that he is very unlucky. This situation is also seen frequently in adolescence.

Man is a social being, he is in constant communication and comparison with others, but when it comes to the worst and worst, he does not make this comparison, he only resorts to comparison when there are people who are better than himself, whereas knowing those who are worse than himself or knowing that there are people who have the same problem as himself makes the person psychologically psychological. This situation will also contribute positively to self-compassion and psychological resilience. It is possible to exemplify the concept of my common stakeholder with group counseling. Universality, which is one of the therapeutic forces in group counseling, is a therapeutic force that helps the group member to show compassion and hope for himself by experiencing that he or she is not alone in experiencing the problem in question. Awareness, which is another component, includes the individual’s being aware of his feelings and thoughts in the face of a distressing situation and evaluating them in a balanced way Neff [16]. For example, it is observed that many individuals with anger problems resort to this method as a last resort because they cannot express their opinions openly in situations that make them uneasy in daily life. Some individuals cannot easily say what they think and feel to the people around them, and they blame themselves for not being able to say it and they are not satisfied with this situation, however, if the individual realizes and evaluates his feelings and thoughts and acts in the face of the situation that he is not satisfied with, this will also affect his self-compassion positively. Self-compassion, self-compassion and awareness dimensions of self-compassion are interrelated and each can be effective on the other and increase its development Neff [15]. At the same time, the individual’s upbringing and early experiences have a significant effect on self-compassion in the future Neff [16].

Individuals with a high level of self-compassion experience less anxiety and stress than individuals with a low level of self-compassion, and they manage the anxiety and stress situations they encounter more successfully and in a psychologically healthier way Deniz & Sümer [17]. Another concept that is closely related to psychological health and positively affects psychological health is well-being. Well-being can be defined as synonymous with happiness, but different concepts of well-being can mean different things. Well-being is conceptualized as subjective well-being and psychological well-being. Subjective well-being reflects pleasure, and psychological well-being reflects psychological functionality. Subjective well-being refers to the cognitive and emotional state of the individual related to life satisfaction. Subjective well-being includes general and subjective evaluations of the individual’s whole life. So it is a kind of life evaluation. Subjective well-being can be evaluated in two dimensions: the cognitive dimension, which indicates life satisfaction, and the affective dimension, which includes positive and negative affect Diener [18]. The cognitive dimension of subjective well-being refers to life satisfaction and is related to how people interpret their individual lives holistically. The affective part refers to the mood, and includes negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, shame, guilt, distress, grudge, anger, and positive emotions such as joy, excitement, love, and peace Diener [19]. Subjective well-being represents the hedonistic part of happiness. Psychological well-being means that the individual realizes himself in the face of problematic situations in life and can use his potentials correctly without losing the meaning of his life Ryff & Singer [20].

The high level of well-being of the individual is the prerequisite for being psychologically healthy. Another concept that contributes positively to psychological health is quality of life. A quality life is something that people desire. Quality of life can also be defined as understanding the role of the individual in life within the framework of his values and wishes. It includes life satisfaction and happiness. Quality of life has been seen as synonymous with happiness. According to Jenkins [21], quality of life, subjective emotions and feelings related to subjective well-being; It includes physical, cognitive, self-care, interpersonal skills and functions based on social role fulfillment, and future dimensions that include emotions and functionality sufficient to live the future. Although quality of life includes well-being, it expresses a broader concept. It is thought that individuals with a high level of quality of life are psychologically healthier than individuals with a low level of quality of life. As the level of meeting the expectations of the individual increases, the probability of reaching happiness will also increase. If an example is given from Ericson’s self-integrity versus despair phase, the individual makes an evaluation of his life in this period and attributes a value to himself according to the result of this evaluation. If the individual does not find his life worth living, if he is not happy, when he looks back, if he has a wish instead of a good ki, his level of satisfaction will decrease, which will reduce his functionality and create a risk factor in terms of psychological health. Another concept associated with psychological health is happiness. Happiness is a psychological and biological event that occurs when an individual reaches the spiritual or material elements they want to achieve Alush & Selçukkaya[22]. Happiness has always been a point that people aim to reach.

It is possible to relate this to the fictional concept of finalism in Adler’s theory of Individual Psychology. The individual wants to reach a goal and he realizes his efforts to reach the goal by thinking of the pleasure he will get when he reaches the goal. The definition of the concept of happiness is BC, where the science of psychology did not break away from philosophy. It was built in the 2400s Eryılmaz [23]. When we look at the birth of philosophy, we see that philosophy is a developed discipline with the aristocratic people’s thinking on thought, because the ability to think, which is perhaps the most distinctive feature that distinguishes humans from other living things, is not used for the same purpose by everyone. While a worker who is in charge of plowing the fields, who works nonstop except for sleeping, thinks about how he can finish the job faster and how much he can make a living, a noble and rich person who does not have such worries will be able to think about the meaning of life, existence, happiness, death. It would not be a very realistic thought to expect someone who is stuck at the first step of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to reach the stages of knowing-understanding, aesthetics and self-actualization. Happiness is also a very subjective concept and is highly influenced by the phenomenological field of the person. For example, for an individual who is very poor and has to live in a house with a leaky roof, happiness may be a warm house with a repaired roof, while happiness for a very wealthy individual with cancer may be having a healthy body.

Although it is not possible to make a general definition of happiness due to the subjective variables it contains, when we look at the opinions of people who direct the field of psychology about happiness; According to Freud [24], Freud [25], happiness is a process that occurs by meeting the needs that cannot be met by hindering them. According to Maslow, the founder of humanistic psychology, emotions such as happiness and life satisfaction are situations that occur with the individual’s self-realization Maslow[26]. According to Erich Fromm, self-actualization is important in terms of being happy. The prerequisite for being happy is to be free from ambitions Fromm [27]. According to Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, the individual’s search for meaning helps the individual to be happy and empowers the individual to cope with difficulties. Meaninglessness causes the individual to turn to instant pleasures Frankl [28]. According to Seligman, the purpose of positive psychology is to increase lasting happiness, which includes being content with the past, looking to the future with hope and being happy in the moment Seligman [29], but pleasures are not enough to make the person happy, for example, after you buy the house you want to buy, you start to want a better one, this is a state of dissatisfaction. and it is called “the vicious circle of pleasure” Seligman [29] and according to Seligman, religion is a concept that helps the individual to think positively and be happy Seligman [29]. According to Lazarus [30], who is the designer of Multimodal Therapy, the emphasis on the positive excludes the negative, and in this sense, he thinks that happiness is overloaded with meaning. When the views are evaluated as a whole, happiness can be defined as the state of enthusiasm when the individual reaches his goal or when a problem situation disappears [31,32,33]. It can be said that the concept of self-actualization also contributes to happiness in a positive way, but the point to be distinguished here is that happiness is not based on instant pleasures, but on real happiness [34,35].

Conclusion

Being curious about one’s self and trying to find a meaning in life also acts as a door opener on the way to happiness. Happiness is a situation that emerges with the acquisition of the meaning that is important, therefore it is possible to say that a person who does not seek meaning and does not have a philosophy of life is a few steps away from happiness [36,37]. Psychological health is positively affected by the concepts of resilience, well-being, quality of life, and happiness, and mental and mental health has been evaluated as a protective factor in this sense. Due to the complex nature of human beings, the slightest malfunction in the system can affect other systems [38,39]. A decrease in any of the concepts related to psychological health may cause a decrease in the level of psychological health [40]. Therefore, it is thought that increasing the levels of these concepts by approaching them from a holistic perspective will contribute positively to psychological health.

References

1. Saldiray A (2011) The concepts of "Essence" and "Form" in Aristotelian philosophy (Master's thesis). Diyarbakır, Dicle University.
2. Szasz, Thomas (2007) The Manufacture of Madness, (Translated by Gözde Genç), Istanbul: Yerdeniz.
3. Scott G Ryley (2003) History of Torture, Ankara: Dost Kitabevi Yayınları.
4. Foucault M (2013) Mental illness and psychology. Emre Bayoğlu (Translated by him), Istanbul: Detay Publications.
5. Öztürk O (2001) Mental health and disorders. 8^th Edition, Ankara, Feryal Printing House p: 1-15.
6. World Health Organization [WHO] (2001) Strengthening Mental Health Promotion. Geneva, World Health Organization.
7. Keyes CLM, Shmotkin D, Ryff CD (2002) Optimizing Well-Being: The Empirical Encounter of two Traditions. J Pers Soc Psychol 82(6): 1007-1022.
8. Li X, Chi P, Sherr L, Cluver L, Stanton B (2015) Psychologıcal Resilience Among Children Affected By Parental HIV/AIDS: A Conceptual Framework. Health Psychol Behav Med 3(1): 217-235.
9. Rutter M (1987) Psychosocial Resilience and Protective Mechanisms. Am J Orthopsychiatry 57: 316-331.
10. Karaırmak Ö (2006) Psychological resilience, risk factors and protective factors. Turkish Journal of Psychological Counseling and Guidance 3(26): 129-142.
11. Werner EE, Smith RS (1992) Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood. Cornell University Press.
12. Sezgin K (2016) Investigation of Psychological Resilience and Religiosity Levels of University Students: The Case of Dicle. (Unpublished Master's Thesis). Dicle University Institute of Social Sciences.
13. Acikgoz M (2016) Investigation of the Relationship Between Psychological Resilience, Humor Styles and Happiness Level of Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine Students (Unpublished Master's Thesis). Cag University Institute of Social Sciences.
14. Germer C (2009) The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions. Guilford Press: United States of America.
15. Neff KD (2003b) The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Self compassion. Self And Identity 2(3): 223-250.
16. Neff KD (2003a) Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself. Self And Identity 2(2): 85-101.
17. Deniz ME, Sümer AS (2010) Assessment of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in University Students with Different Levels of Self-Understanding. Education And Science 35(158).
18. Diener E (1984) Subjective Well-Being. Psychological Bulletin 95(3).
19. Diener E (2006) Guidelines for National İndicators Of Subjective Well-Being And İllbeing. Applied Research İn Quality of Life p. 1.
20. Ryff C, Singer B (2008) Know Thyself and Become What You Are: A Eudaimonia Approach To psychological Well-Being. Journal Of Happiness Studies 9(1): 13-39.
21. Jenkins CD (1992) Assessment of Outcomes of Health İntervention, Social Science & Medicine 35: 367-375.
22. Aluşh Y, Ve Selçukkaya S (2015) The Turkish family's perception of happiness and its values. Journal of Social and Cultural Research 1(2): 151-175.
23. Eryılmaz A (2014) The Playbook of Happiness for All Positive Psychology from Theory to Practice. Ankara: Pegem Academy.
24. Freud S (2016a) What We Call Happiness - Aphorisms (4^th Edition). Peren Demirel (Translated by Istanbul: Aylak Adam Yayınları.
25. Freud S (2016b) Our Possibility of Being Happy - Aphorisms (8. Edition). Mustafa Fırat (Translated by Mustafa Fırat). Istanbul: Zeplin Kitap Yayınları.
26. Maslow A (2001) The Psychology of Being a Human, Translated by Okhan Gündüz, Istanbul: Kuralsız Yayınları.
27. Fromm Erich (2003) To Have or to Be, Translated by Aydın Arıtan, Istanbul: Arıtan Publications.
28. Frankl Victor E (2007) Man's Search for Meaning, Translated by Selçuk Budak, 8. Edition, Istanbul: Other Publications.
29. Seligman, Martin EP (2007a) Gerçek Mutluluk, Translated by Semra Kunt Akbaş, Ankara: HYB Yayınları.
30. Lazarus RS (2003) Does the Positive Psychology Movement Have Legs? Psychological Inquiry 14(2): 93-109.
31. Altinok Z (2022) Making sense of life in the context of the positive psychology approach and religion. Master's Thesis. Marmara University Institute of Social Sciences.
32. Asle Aandroodi, Zakieh (2017) Predictors of Quality of Life: The Case of Turkey and Iran. PhD Thesis. Hacettepe University Institute of Educational Sciences.
33. Bakacak AG, Boyacıoğlu AÖ (2012) A Qualitative Study on Mental Health Definitions of Individuals. Journal of Sociology, (27): 1-15.
34. Costa J, Marôco J, Pinto‐Gouveia J, Ferreira C, Castilho P (2016) Validation of the Psychometric Properties of the Self‐Compassion Scale. Testing the Factorial Validity and Factorial İnvariance of the Measure Among Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Eating Disorder and General Populations. Clin Psychol Psychother 23(5): 460-468.
35. Demirci E (2022) Examination of Psychological Resilience, Cognitive Resilience and Self-Compassion Situations in Psychological Counselor Candidates. Erzincan Banali Yıldırım University.
36. Keyes CLM (2005) Mental Illness And/Or Mental Health? Investigating Axioms Of The Complete State Model Of Health. J Consult Clin Psychol 73(3): 539-548.
37. Koç MS (2022) Difference, Self-Compassion, Beliefs About Emotions, and the Relationship of Emotion Regulation to Mental Health: A Model Test. Bahçeşehir University Institute of Graduate Studies.
38. Özdemir O (2017) Mental Mind from a Psychiatric Point of View and the Discipline of the Mind. Current Approaches in Psychiatry 9(1): 115-121.
39. Özen Y, Yazıcıoğlu C, Müfide M (2022) Normal (?) Olan Mental Health, International Journal of Psycho-Social Education Research 2(3): 94-109.
40. Öztürk O (2004) Mental Health and Disorders, Ankara: Nobel Medical Bookstore 10. Impression.