suggestion is that a person has certain ways of relating to their environment because of how successful these things have been on reproductive capacity and survival in general. The humanistic perspective was developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers in the 1950s. It looks at issues like motivation in how people think and behave. One concept is self-actualization or the ability to grow and change to reach one’s maximal potential. The idea is that people are naturally driven to do this. Out of humanism came positive psychology, which emphasizes achieving happiness and better health through making positive changes in one’s life.
SOCIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN MENTAL ILLNESS Culture and society have a strong influence on a person’s mental health, the onset of mental illness, and access to mental health services. Culture is what underlies certain culture-bound syndromes, which are mental disorders seen more commonly in some cultures than in others. Culture determines whether or not a person decides to seek help for their mental symptoms. Coping strategies vary from culture to culture and even the meaning of one’s symptoms varies with cultural biases. The clinician’s culture also plays a role in the delivery of mental health services. A culture is a group of people with shared belief systems, norms of behavior, and values. A culture can be based on religious beliefs, common backgrounds, race, or the occupation of the group. Language also determines what culture a person belongs to. Culture shapes mental health in general so you will see patterns of health and disease in certain cultures but not in others. Let’s look first at the patient’s culture. There is a strong influence of culture on the mental health consumer, with influences on mental illness definitions and how healthcare is utilized when it comes to mental illnesses. There are symptoms of mental illness in all parts of the world. Certain disorders are universal, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, panic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. There are many culture-bound diseases that may simply be variations on existing mental disorders. Somatization varies greatly from culture to culture.
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