EXAM CRACKERS ASSAM

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Mental Health and Hygiene, Adjustment and Mechanism
Educator – ANAND KHATI
INTRODUCTION

MENTAL HEALTH & MENTAL HYGIENE

Mental health is a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of mental illness. It is the
"psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional
and behavioural adjustment". From the perspective of positive psychology or holism, mental
health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities
and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. The states of health and illness are defined
according to the values of a society. Generally, when a persons’ behaviour is adaptive to his
environment, we say that he is healthy, and when his behaviour is maladaptive, we say he is ill.
The state of emotional well- being, or mental health, means the person functions comfortably
within his society and is satisfied with himself, his society and his achievements. We say that
some person is mentally healthy, only when we see that he has maintained a balance or
integration between his body, mind, spirit and his environment.

CONCEPTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE

Health is often used to refer to a state of physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing of the
individual. Thus, mental health is one of the components of the broad concept of health. It is
concerned with an optimum level of emotional and behavioural adjustment of the individual. It
is a state of maintaining harmony or balance between the needs, desires, aspirations and
attitudes of the individual with respect to the prevailing conditions in the external environment.

• According to the World Health Organisation

“Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can
cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution
to his or her community.”

• According to Hadfield ‘mental health is the full and harmonious’ functioning of the whole
personality.

• It is a positive, active quality of the individual’s daily living.

American Psychiatric Association has defined mental hygiene as “a science which suggests
measures for prevention of mental illness and restoration of mental health by the cure of mental
illness”.

Encyclopedia Britannia: “mental hygiene as the science of maintaining mental health and
preventing the development of psychosis, neurosis, or other mental disorders”.

It is the science, which deal with

 The prevention of mental illness,

 The preservation of mental health, and

 The care of mental illness.

The term mental hygiene is closely related to mental health. We use the term hygiene to refer to
keeping oneself and one’s living and working areas neat and clean in order to prevent illness and
disease. When we extend this concept to the domain of mind it stands for the art of developing,
maintaining, and promoting necessary behavioural, emotional, and social skills to sustain good,
effective and efficient mental health. One can achieve this by following some basic strategies at
mental and behavioural levels in one’s daily life. These are as follows:

A. Reality Contact: In order to maintain good and sound mental health it is important to have a
realistic appraisal of one’s own reactions, emotions, and abilities. If you are in touch with reality
you may be able to avoid a number of disappointments and frustrations in your daily life.

B. Impulse Control: A person with healthy adjustment would have good control over his/her
behaviours and impulses. So in order to maintain good mental health it is necessary that you
should be in complete control over your impulsive behaviours.

C. Self-Esteem: The awareness about oneself is called self-concept. It includes all the statements
about “I” or “me” expressed in terms of feelings, beliefs and values. Thus self-concept is sum
total of all that a person is aware about his or her own self. Self-esteem is the evaluative
component of self. The personal evaluation of self could be either positive or negative. A sense
of personal adequacy or positive self-concept is essential for mental health.

D. Positive Thoughts: The quality of mental health depends on whether we direct our thoughts
in positive or negative ways. Negative thoughts generate negative emotions such as anger, hate,
jealousy, fear, and despair. The effect of such negative emotions on our mind is unhealthy. They
also harm the endocrine system. Therefore in order to maintain good mental health, we need to
develop the power of positive thinking which generates positive emotions such as love, joy,
happiness, hope, compassion, empathy, and optimism in us. Such emotions strengthen our
capacity to cope with various life challenges.
MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILL-HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS

In order to understand mental health in a better way you are also required to know the meaning
of mental ill-health and mental illness. Mental ill-health is defined as the absence of the qualities
of positive mental health in the individual. For example if someone among you often displays
negative feelings and attitudes about others, you can assume that this person is displaying the
characteristics of mental ill-health. Mental illness is a broad term which includes almost all the
disorders of behaviour which are caused by faulty perception, emotion, thinking and attitude.
Such individuals have problems in making adjustment with others in the society. We will discuss
the categories of mental illness in lesson.

INDICATORS/SIGNS OF POOR MENTAL HEALTH

As human beings we are required to maintain sound mental health. However, we develop certain
behaviours and habits which can lead to a poor state of mental health. Such behaviours range
from mild irritation to severe forms of anxiety and depression. The main behaviours which
indicate poor mental health are as follows:

(i) Haphazard and disorganized daily life routine.

(ii) Short-tempered and irritating behaviour.

(iii) Anger and aggressive behaviour.

(iv) Restlessness.

(v) Increased or poor appetite and indigestion.

(vi) Irregular sleeping pattern such as insomnia, disturbed sleep, or narcolepsy (excess sleep).

(vii) Poor interpersonal relationships.

(viii)Anxiety and worry.

(ix) Negative attitude toward self and others.

(x) Withdrawing from relationships.

(xi) Irregular and abnormal physiological conditions (e.g., blood pressure, heart palpitation, and
pulse rate).

(xii) Excessive use of drugs (e.g., alcohol, tranquillizers, and hallucinogens).

(xiii)Cigarette smoking and use of tobacco in other forms.

The above may cause threat to mental health. If an individual is frequently involved in such
behaviours or remains in a particular state for a long period then it is more likely that (s)he may
develop various kinds of mental disorders.

MEANING OF ADJUSTMENT

Adjustment, in psychology, the behavioral process by which humans and other animals maintain
an equilibrium among their various needs or between their needs and the obstacles of their
environments. A sequence of adjustment begins when a need is felt and ends when it is satisfied.
Hungry people, for example, are stimulated by their physiological state to seek food. When they
eat, they reduce the stimulating condition that impelled them to activity, and they are thereby
adjusted to this particular need. In general, the adjustment process involves four parts:

a) a need or motive in the form of a strong persistent stimulus,

b) the thwarting or nonfulfillment of this need,

c) varied activity, or exploratory behaviour accompanied by problem solving, and

d) some response that removes or at least reduces the initiating stimulus and completes the
adjustment.

Social and cultural adjustments are similar to physiological adjustments. People strive to be
comfortable in their surroundings and to have their psychological needs (such as love or
affirmation) met through the social networks they inhabit. When needs arise, especially in new
or changed surroundings, they impel interpersonal activity meant to satisfy those needs. In this
way, people increase their familiarity and comfort with their environments, and they come to
expect that their needs will be met in the future through their social networks. Ongoing
difficulties in social and cultural adjustment may be accompanied by anxiety or depression.

Symonds, adjustment can be defined as a satisfactory relationship of an organism to its

environment". According to him environment consists of all surrounding Influences or forces
which may influence the organism in its efforts towards maintenance. Thus, it is a process
through which an organism moulds itself in response to conditions it faces.

As per the Traxler the most desirable state of adjustment is one in which the individual is perfectly
happy and satisfied with all aspects of life.

According to McKinneys, “Adjustment is in essence the building up of attitudes or the changing

of the environment so as to meet u the thwarted or unsatisfied motives".

Shaffer "Adjustment Is the relationship which becomes established among biological heritage or
organism, the environment and personality"
Skinner "Adjustment involves the organization of personality. This organization leads to the
stability that is an active adjustment of individual to his social and physical environment.

Adjustment is defined in two ways:

a) Adjustment by some is considered as a process,

b) Adjustment by some is considered as a level which a person has attained (a product), and

Adjustment is both individual and social. The individual aspect tells how an individual is free from
internal conflicts and tensions or inconsistencies and how he is skillful to adapt to new situations.
The social aspect reveals how an individual has established a satisfactory relationship between
himself and his environment, between his needs and desires and those of other people.

Process of Adjustment

It is said above that adjustment can be considered as a process. The process of adjustment if
analyzed consists of the following components:

a) A Motivating Condition: A need or motive in the form of a strong persistent stimulus. For
example: a bodily need, a wish, an anticipatory goal.

b) An environment or mental condition that thwarts or conflicts with the motive resulting into a
state of tension. For example: absence of food, fear physical defect,

c) Trial and error behaviour. For example: the individual reacts positively or negatively to a
number of stimuli; reaches, withdraws shows over aggressive behaviour.

d) The discovery of stimuli which bring out a response that satisfies the motivating condition For
example; eating, removal of feared object, success. Emotional maladjustment due to; failure to
find stimuli, to satisfy motivating situations For example; continued hunger, continued fear,
persistent worry over physical condition.

e) Satisfaction of motivating condition by responses that conflict with other motivating

conditions. For example: eating too rapidly and becoming ill, removing object which is feared but
also cherished, over aggressive behaviour which results in unpopularity. Adjustment to
emotional disequilibrium through understanding of the problem (as analyzed In this outline) in
order to learn new responses or to find a new environment. For example: to learn how or where
to obtain food, to become accustomed to the feared object or to move away from it to find
success in a field that does not require physical perfection, or to have the defect remedied.

Characteristics of a well-adjusted person:

A healthy and well-adjusted person should possess/display some observable behavioral patterns.
These behavioral patterns must be according to the social expectations of an individual. These
patterns are as follows:

a) Maturity in thinking

b) Emotional balance

c) Warm and understanding towards others

d) Free from tension due to routine events

e) Independent in decision making

Maladjustment and its causes

‘Maladjustment’ is a process whereby an individual is unable to satisfy his biological,

psychological or social needs successfully and establishes an imbalance between his personal
needs and expectation of the society resulting in the disturbance of psycho-equilibrium.

Characteristics of a Maladjusted Person:

There are numerous reasons in and out of the school which create frustration, that lead to
maladjustment. Let us analyze the symptoms one by one. If a student is:

- Withdrawn and timid: Frequent withdrawals from difficult situations may make individual timid
and weak in facing real life situations.

- Shy and self-conscious: Shyness is usually associated with the self-consciousness, concern with
the impression one gives to other people, and concern with their negative evaluation. A shy
individual has low self-esteem and tends to anticipate adversities, thus often keeping silent and
avoiding eye contact.

- Fearful: Fear is a strong emotion involving perception of danger, unpleasant agitation and often
a desire to hide from meeting students of higher classes, being alone in a room, and fear of dogs,
strange noises, the dark, etc.

- Anxious: Anxiety is a personality trait. It results from conflict, which is an invitable part of life.
Anxiety describes the individual's level of emotionality. We see many students who are tense and
worried (highly anxious) and those who are cool (hardly anxious). Since anxiety is an inferred
emotional state of an individual, it cannot be directly observed. It can be measured through
psychological tests/techniques.

- Delusions: Delusion is an irrational and obstinate belief that the individual actively defends, e.g.,
a child does not work hard for the final examination and thinks that it is the God only who can
get him through the examination and he fails. This shows the delusion in him which makes him
maladjusted.

- Extremely aggressive: Aggressive students show enterprising or energetic behavior or tendency

to be dominating in the class or the school. Sometimes an individual fails to show the tendency
of dominating in a social situation and hurts herself instead e.g. a child beats her doll, kicks the
dog, or other objects.

- Tension: When a person does not feel a kind of inner freedom, the strain which results from
muscular contradiction and through which muscles, tendons, etc., are stretched under a
threatening situation.

- High aspirations: A person has high hopes and aspirations for his future life. When the hopes
are not achieved, he becomes unrealistic in life.

- Feeling of inferiority: A feeling of inferiority, arising from the sense of imperfection and
incompletion in a particular sphere of life, which motivates the individual to strive for a higher
level of development and as such, are the cause of all improvement in life situations. Each time
a new level of achievement is reached, inferiority feelings reappear, continuing to stimulate
upward movement. If inferiority feelings become exaggerated by adverse conditions at home,
physical or mental disorders on inferiority complex may develop which makes an individual
maladjusted.

Causes of Maladjustment:

We can classify the causes of maladjusted behavior of adolescents under five main categories.
They are as follows:

1. Family

(a) Social

(b) Economic

(c) Psychological

2. Personal

3. School

4. Teachers

5. Peer Group

Commonly used defense Mechanisms:

1) Denial: Denial is one of the most common defense mechanisms. It occurs when you refuse to
accept reality or facts. You block external events or circumstances from your mind so that you
don’t have to deal with the emotional impact. In other words, you avoid the painful feelings or
events. This defense mechanism is one of the most widely known, too. The phrase, “They’re in
denial” is commonly understood to mean a person is avoiding reality despite what may be
obvious to people around them.

2) Repression: Unsavory thoughts, painful memories, or irrational beliefs can upset you. Instead
of facing them, you may unconsciously choose to hide them in hopes of forgetting about them
entirely. That does not mean, however, that the memories disappear entirely. They may
influence behaviors, and they may impact future relationships. You just may not realize the
impact this defense mechanism is having.

3) Projection: Some thoughts or feelings you have about another person may make you
uncomfortable. If you project those feelings, you’re misattributing them to the other person. For
example, you may dislike your new co-worker, but instead of accepting that, you choose to tell
yourself that they dislike you. You see in their actions the things you wish you could do or say.

4) Displacement: You direct strong emotions and frustrations toward a person or object that
doesn’t feel threatening. This allows you to satisfy an impulse to react, but you don’t risk
significant consequences. A good example of this defense mechanism is getting angry at your
child or spouse because you had a bad day at work. Neither of these people is the target of your
strong emotions, but reacting to them is likely less problematic than reacting to your boss.

5) Regression: Some people who feel threatened or anxious may unconsciously “escape” to an
earlier stage of development. This type of defense mechanism may be most obvious in young
children. If they experience trauma or loss, they may suddenly act as if they’re younger again.
They may even begin wetting the bed or sucking their thumb. Adults can regress, too. Adults who
are struggling to cope with events or behaviors may return to sleeping with a cherished stuffed
animal, overeat foods they find comforting, or begin chain smoking or chewing on pencils or pens.
They may also avoid everyday activities because they feel overwhelming.

6) Rationalization: Some people may attempt to explain undesirable behaviors with their own set
of “facts.” This allows you to feel comfortable with the choice you made, even if you know on
another level it’s not right. For example, people who might be angry at co-workers for not
completing work on time could be ignoring the fact that they’re typically late, too.

7) Sublimation: This type of defense mechanism is considered a positive strategy. That’s because
people who rely on it choose to redirect strong emotions or feelings into an object or activity that
is appropriate and safe. For example, instead of lashing out at your employees, you choose to
channel your frustration into kickboxing or exercise. You could also funnel or redirect the feelings
into music, art, or sports.

8) Reaction formation: People who use this defense mechanism recognize how they feel, but they
choose to behave in the opposite manner of their instincts. A person who reacts this way, for
example, may feel they should not express negative emotions, such as anger or frustration. They
choose to instead react in an overly positive way.

9) Compartmentalization: Separating your life into independent sectors may feel like a way to
protect many elements of it. For example, when you choose to not discuss personal life issues at
work, you block off, or compartmentalize, that element of your life. This allows you to carry on
without facing the anxieties or challenges while you’re in that setting or mindset.

10) Intellectualization: When you’re hit with a trying situation, you may choose to remove all
emotion from your responses and instead focus on quantitative facts. You may see this strategy
in use when a person who is let go from a job chooses to spend their days creating spreadsheets
of job opportunities and leads.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1) Which defense mechanism did Freud believe to be a sign of maturity?

a) Repression

b) Displacement

c) Sublimation

d) Regression

Answer: C

2) Shyam has an argument with her boss and yells at her kids when she gets home. Which defense
mechanism is Mary displaying?

a) Denial

b) Rationalization

c) Displacement

d) Reaction formation

Answer: C
3) After being diagnosed with cancer, Gyan learns everything he can about his illness. His
response is an example of:

a) Intellectualization

b) Regression

c) Sublimation

d) Rationalization

Answer: A

4) Tara gets fired and blames her job loss on her co-workers. This is an example of which defense
mechanism?

a) Displacement

b) Denial

c) Rationalization

d) Sublimation

Answer: C

5) While she wanted to be a doctor, Jaya didn't get accepted to medical school and became a
pharmacist instead.

a) Acting out

b) Compensation

c) Avoidance

d) Aim inhibition

Answer: D

6) Who said, "Mental hygiene is a science that deals with the human welfare and pervades all
fields of human relationship”?

a) Crow and Crow

b) Hadfield

c) Professor Homal

d) Draver
Answer: A

7) Who stated, “Mental hygiene is concerned with the maintenance of mental health and the
prevention of mental disorders”?

a) Crow and Crow

b) Hadfield

c) Professor Homal

d) Draver

Answer: B

8) Which individual expressed, “Mental like physical health is a matter of degree”?

a) Crow and Crow

b) Hadfield

c) Professor Homal

d) Draver

Answer: C

9) Who provided the definition, “Mental hygiene means investigation of the law of mental health
and the taken for advocacy of measures for its preservation”?

a) Crow and Crow

b) Hadfield

c) Professor Homal

d) Draver

Answer: D

10) The mental health of an individual is determined by his adjustment in ______.

a) Social interactions

b) Environment

c) Genetic factors

d) Educational background

Answer: B
11) Mental hygiene is the ______ to maintain mental health.

a) Random approach

b) Systematic process

c) Occasional effort

d) Unpredictable journey

Answer: B

12) Mental hygiene helps in ______ development of personality.

a) Physical

b) Emotional

c) Mental

d) Social

Answer: C

13) Curing mental disease is the ______ function of mental hygiene.

a) Secondary

b) Main

c) Tertiary

d) Auxiliary

Answer: B

14) Mental hygiene is the ______ and mental health is the ______.

a) End and means

b) Means and end

c) Start and finish

d) Process and outcome

Answer: B

15) Mental hygiene is the adjustment with maximum ______ and minimum ______.

a) Stress, joy
b) Challenges, obstacles

c) Mental health, mental hygiene

d) Conflict, resolution

Answer: C

16) The objective of mental hygiene is to obtain ______.

a) Physical well-being

b) Emotional stability

c) Mental health

d) Social recognition

Answer: C

17) Mental hygiene has three important aspects: preventive, curative, and ______.

a) Restorative

b) Preservative

c) Supportive

d) Proactive

Answer: B

18) ______ function of mental hygiene is related to the check of mental disorders.

a) Curative

b) Preventive

c) Preservative

d) Supportive

Answer: B