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Conceptualizations Of Mental Life essay assignment
1. How did James (1890) characterize Spiritualists’ and, conversely, Associationists’ conceptualizations of mental life and its study … and (not-really-a-spoiler alert) in what did he consider them problematic?
2. According to Leary (1992), what, specifically, do we gain in our understanding of James’ psychological theories from knowing about James’ training and experience in the arts?
Conceptualizations Of Mental Life
*Some tips about the readings:
James (1890)
• In the passage relation to his graduation day, the word “dateless” refers to a calendar date (i.e., on an unknown date).
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In the passages relating to the frog and those relating to Romeo & Juliet, focus on the points he is trying to illustrate (i.e., how does it relate to what is interesting about people and what we ought to accomplish in Psychology?).
There is a lack of consensus on the conceptualization of mental health, with models emphasizing negative aspects, positive aspects, or both. The models are mainly theory-based and may not fit in with the population’s opinions. The aim of this ongoing study is to investigate the conceptualizations of mental health in Europe from psychology, science, and engineering students’ perspectives in an explorative way through semi-structured interviews. Their conceptualizations of mental health are investigated qualitatively by thematic analysis to compare seven European countries. Results can be used to improve mental health questionnaires and interventions across Europe by enhancing the fit with students’ conceptualizations.
Historically, mental health has been primarily defined in negative terms (e.g., dysfunctioning, illness) and equated to being free of psychopathological symptoms (Maddux, 2002). With the emergence of positive psychology as a scientific discipline, attention in psychological research has been directed to building and maintaining psychological strengths in addition to preventing and treating psychopathology (Maddux, 2002; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Slade, 2010). Many scholars have suggested including aspects such as autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and self-actualization into the definition of mental health (e.g., Jahoda, 1958; Ryff, 1989a). In line with this, studies have shown that negative and positive aspects of mental health form two related, but separate dimensions of mental health, rather than two ends of the same continuum (e.g., Huppert & Cooper, 2014; Keyes, 2002). This indicates that positive aspects of mental health are complementary to negative aspects and are more than merely the absence of psychopathology. Therefore, a broader and more complete conceptualization of mental health, including both negative and positive aspects, is suggested (Slade, 2010).
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A call for a broader view on mental health is also increasingly visible in global and nationwide policies. For instance, the World Health Organization defined mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (WHO, 2001d, p.1). In the UK, the National Health Service Confederation (2011) showed that mental health and well-being were considered as emerging priorities on the public health agenda by health and government leaders. However, the lack of shared understanding of the mental health construct counteracts the efforts towards improving public and mental health. This lack of consensus may be the result of health care policies that are mainly theory-based and expertise-driven, and often overlook the perceptions of the lay members of the public (Huppert et al., 2009).
In fact, there is evidence that public involvement can improve the quality and impact of health care policies by complementing the views of experts and professionals (e.g., Davidson, 2005). Theorists and researchers (e.g., Hicks, Tinkler, & Allin, 2013) consider subjective perceptual indicators as fundamental for decision-making at the societal level, in conjunction with more widely used objective indicators. Therefore, subjective indicators obtained through public conceptualizations may constitute a powerful way to increase consensus on the definition, components, and day-to-day implications of mental health, and therefore improve European mental health policies and interventions.
The aim of the present study is to investigate conceptualizations of mental health in Europe and compare perspectives of psychology students with those of science and engineering students. The main reason for comparing these two majors is the exploration of different perspectives as a result of science and engineering students’ lack of psychological background. The study seeks to understand how people conceptualize mental health, whether negative aspects, positive aspects, or both, are included, and to what extent these conceptualizations fit in with existing theoretical models of mental health. Data will be collected in seven European countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom). As it concerns an ongoing project which was initiated in July 2013, the subsequent report gives an overview on planned activities and milestones, but does not include results yet.
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Several previous studies show consistent differences between Eastern and Western countries in the conceptualization of mental health and factors contributing to it, with Western countries reporting, for example, more individualistic aspects as compared to Eastern countries (e.g., Lu, Gilmour, & Kao, 2001). However, most of these studies have employed quantitative methods with pre-defined measures, which were restrictive in terms of revealing people’s free and broad associations with the characteristics and descriptions of mental health. A few qualitative studies appear to capture definitions and experiences of mental health better. For example, Ryff (1989b) interviewed American adults to examine their conceptualizations of psychological well-being and her results highlighted the importance of interpersonal relationships as a key component which was not previously considered as an indicator in quantitative measures. Recent cross-cultural studies using open-ended questionnaires found that European, Australian and South African lay adults had shared as well as differing beliefs about the nature of happiness (Delle Fave, Brdar, Freire, Vella-Brodrick & Wissing, 2011), which is not to be confounded with, but is an aspect of mental health as a larger concept. However, the authors note that these studies were conducted with single-item measures, indicating the need for more robust qualitative designs with multiple questions.
Thus, the present study adopts a qualitative approach and explores psychology, science and engineering students’ conceptualizations of mental health through semi-structured interviews. Whereas earlier studies examining the conceptualizations of mental health cross-culturally have either focused solely on positive aspects (e.g., happiness), or on negative aspects (e.g., mental illness), the present study will allow participants to freely draw associations with both positive and negative aspects. The first study aim is to compare psychology with science and engineering students’ conceptualizations, gaining insight into the differences and similarities between persons with and without a background in psychology. The second aim of the study is to examine the similarities and differences in conceptualizations across Europe, with data collected from seven European nations.
Method
Participants
Participants from Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom take part in the study. From each country, a minimum of five psychology and five science and engineering students participate, resulting in a total sample of at least 70 participants with an equal distribution of men and women within each country.
As most of the previous research has been done on adult populations, the current study aims at students, between the ages 18–30. Another reason for choosing this target population is that young adults are at particular risk of mental health problems. Exploring their conceptualizations of mental health could facilitate the adaption of interventions and recruitment strategies to their needs.
The choice of these two areas of study has the aim of achieving sufficiently homogeneous samples across different countries and education systems on the one hand, and on the other hand allowing comparisons between students with a background in psychology and students lacking psychology education, independently from their country. Participants with a major in natural sciences or engineering (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics and mechanical engineering) are regarded as non-experts in psychology. Inclusion criteria are being between the ages of 18 and 30 and following a bachelor or master major in natural or engineering sciences or psychology; PhD students are excluded. In order to isolate cultural differences in conceptualizations of mental health, only participants who were born and raised in the mentioned European countries and have not been living abroad for more than one year are recruited. These countries were selected because of their diverse geographical locations and cultures and the fact that the researchers are from these countries, enabling them to connect to the language and culture needed to reveal cultural differences. To avoid interviewer biases, persons directly known to the interviewer are excluded.
Previous mental health problems of the participants are not investigated and not included in the exclusion criteria, given the assumption that mental health problems are present in the over-all population and are among the many possible experiences of life that can potentially influence a person’s idea of mental health. The exclusion and inclusion criteria mentioned have the scope of obtaining a homogeneous sample across countries, composed of university students with similar age and curricula of study. This population is an interesting target for this kind of research, since it constitutes the potential users and professionals of the mental health system in the near future.
Materials
In this study, semi-structured interviews are conducted. The interview scheme consists of 11 main questions. Example questions are: “What comes to mind when you think of mental health?” and “Do you know anyone who is mentally healthy and what makes you think that?”. Further helping questions are included on the interview sheet to help the interviewer ask for explanation, elaboration of examples to gain a thorough understanding. Demographic questions are included at the end of the interview asking the participant’s gender, age in years, current year of study, study major, country of birth, and amount of time the participant lived abroad and where.
Procedure
Participants are recruited via each interviewer’s social networks and social media by a call for participants, in particular in university groups, and via snowball method. The interviews are conducted face-to-face. The interviewer briefly explains the general purpose of the study. The cross-country nature of the study is not mentioned to the participant, since this may influence the participant’s answers. Participants are instructed to associate freely, and it was explained that the interest is in their own opinion, and that there are no right or wrong answers. Interviews are audio recorded, starting after gaining written consent from the participants. After the interview, the participants receive a small treat to thank them for their cooperation.