The Major Theories of Mental Health & Mental Illness (Advanced)

Week 3

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tab.png Context

In order to understand mental health and mental illness within the context of Western science and philosophy, we need to identify what theories have been used to help understand mental health problems, and to explore how the different approaches to understanding mental health have influenced treatment options. We also need to consider how different perspectives of mental health influence our interactions and response to mental health. Although this course is set within the Western science and philosophical framework because it is aimed at health and social care staff in the UK, we are aware that other perspectives exist, and we hope that these will emerge in the discussions

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Historical Contexts

The theories we are going to consider here all have historical, cultural and religious influences. Socrates (469-399 B.C.) and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) were early "thinkers" who wrote about the brain and tried to understand what influence the brain had on ‘the mind’ and how people behaved. Aristotle believed that the heart, not the brain, was important for intelligence. Aristotle, building upon the work of the earlier philosophers and their studies into mind, reasoning and thought, wrote the first known text in the history of psychology, called Para Psyche, 'About the Mind.' In this landmark work, he laid out the first tenets of the study of reasoning that would determine the direction of the history of psychology; many of his proposals continue to influence modern psychologists. As much of the early Greek studies was written down, it has been seen as the basis for modern thought into mental health, however, other ancient civilisations also set out their ideas in different ways.

China

Hsün Tzu (ca. 312–230 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States period and ...was compared with Aristotle as a naturalist who emphasised the regularity and orderliness of nature. The Chinese described Yin and Yang Links to an external site. as both opposite and complementary forces. Yang is associated with force, hardness, heat, dryness, and masculinity. Yin is associated with weakness, softness, cold, moistness, and femininity. Equilibrium between Yin and Yang is essential to physical and psychological health. In this way the Chinese opened the door to physiological psychology with their belief that mental processes are central and are associated with the physical body.

Egypt

Egyptian psychology was deeply intertwined with the polytheistic Egyptian religions and the emphasis on immortality and life after death. Although the Egyptians appear to be the first to describe the brain, they most often viewed the heart as the seat of mental life.

Other Eastern Philosophies

Thinkers in India, as reflected in the Vedas and the Upanishads Links to an external site., investigated knowledge and desire, among many other topics. Hebrew philosophy Links to an external site. and psychology must be understood in light of radical monotheism: 'Humans have two sides, a biological, self-serving side and a spiritual side capable of serving the larger community'. The Hebrews had well-developed notions of mental disorders that were attributed to the anger of God or human disobedience. Persia was the birthplace of the Zoroastrian religion Links to an external site. based on the teachings of Zarathustra and the holy book Avesta. Zoroastrianism is the first monotheistic religion recorded in history; flourished until the Muslim conquest of Persia. Human beings were the testing grounds of good and evil, and mental and physical disorders were viewed as the work of the devil; demonological diagnoses and treatments were common.

Major theories to understanding mental health & mental illness

There are a number of major or grand theories relating to understanding mental health:

  • Analytical/ Developmental theories: "Theories of development provide a framework for thinking about human growth, development, and learning. If you have ever wondered about what motivates human thought and behaviour, understanding these theories can provide useful insight into individuals and society."  (Cherry, 2014) Theorists: Freud, Jung, Eriksson, Kohlberg.
  • Behavioural theories: "Behavioural psychology, also known as behaviourism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning. Advocated by famous psychologists such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, behavioral theories dominated psychology during the early half of the twentieth century. Today, behavioural techniques are still widely used in therapeutic settings to help clients learn new skills and behaviours." (Cherry, 2014) Theorists: Watson, Skinner, Pavlov
  • Cognitive theories: "Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember, and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics.." (Cherry, 2014) Theorists: Tolman, Piaget, Chomsky
  • Social theories: "Social psychology looks at a wide range of social topics, including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behaviour, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. It is important to note that social psychology is not just about looking at social influences. Social perception and social interaction are also vital to understanding social behaviour."  (Cherry, 2014) Theorists: Bandura, Lewin, Festinger

There are lots of resources on the Internet for exploring these theories. One of the best places to start is http://www.simplypsychology.org/ Links to an external site.. Before moving on to the modern views, we would like you to make sure you have a good grasp of these 'Grand Theories'.

A modern view

Do the 'Grand Theories' discussed above fit with modern thinking? Can theories from a hundred years ago really tell us what is and what is not mental health or illness? The following two videos from the TED series offer quite different viewpoints.

1. The first talk is by Johnathan Haidt (a Social Psychologist), from 2008, "The moral roots of liberals and conservatives":

2. The second video is by Thomas Insel, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist, and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, from 2013, "Toward a new understanding of mental illness"

Both of these speakers look at ways in which we make judgements about ourselves and about others. Their views both contain elements of the 'Grand Theories' but are harnessing the power of science (web science & semantics, and physiological imaging) to gather data and to help us understand where the boundary is between mental health and mental illness.

tab.png References and Further Reading

Allport, G. W. (1985). The historical background of social psychology. In G. Lindzey, and E. Aronson, (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology, 1, (3), 1-46

Carver, C.S. & Scheir, M.F. (2000). Perspectives on Personality. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Cherry, K. (2014) Psychology Theories [WWW] http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/u/psychology-theories.htm Links to an external site.

Sternberg, R. (2003). Cognitive Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth