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Mental health treatment in the 1950;s
Philosophy living a happy life essay
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What makes a person happier than another person and is there a purpose in studying this? “A Balanced Psychology And A Full Life” by Seligman, Parks, and Steen, brings focus to the new subject of positive psychology and the possibilities that it may hold in creating a more balanced, happy life for people. Many studies and treatments have been made in regards to mental illnesses and unhappiness, Seligman and his colleagues delve into the idea that just because an individual is not clinically depressed or mentally ill, that does not necessarily mean that they are happy. After World War II mental health disorders became more prominent and recognized. Due to this the study and treatment of various mental illnesses were granted significant funding
Newman and Randy J. Larsen’s article “How Much of Our Happiness is Within Our Control?” claims that we have much less control over our happiness than positive psychologists uphold. This shows that you let things that happen in your life control if you are happy or not. These psychologists argue that you cannot make yourself happier. This is saying you can never attain everlasting bliss and that you get used to all the negatives factors in your life. I do not believe this statement is true because I think you can always put a positive spin on every negative factor in your life and that your positive factors in your life can last as long as you want them to. Therefore, I disagree with Newman and Larsen because I believe you are the only one that has complete control over your own happiness. They state that the influential environmental variables in our lives are just as uncontrollable than our genes. However, the reactions to the uncontrollable environmental variables is what controls your mood and happiness. Although there beliefs are different they still have some common ground. The authors of both articles agree that the people who are happier tend to always have particular behavioral characteristics such as gratitude, kindness, positive relationships,
Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology and social psychology. In “How Happy Are You and Why?”, Lyubomirsky argues that happiness mainly comes from genetics and intentional activity, and is only slightly affected by circumstances (184). Lubomirsky also introduces her “Subjective Happiness Scale,” which asks a person to self-report their own happiness in four simple, closely-related questions (183). She says that genetics creates the happiness set point, while intentional activity can be changed in order to affect happiness level (Lyubomirsky 186-195). In contrast, Gilbert’s idea that happiness stems from interpretations of events matches the circumstances component of happiness that Lyubomirsky describes. Lyubomirsky also provides strong evidence for saying that happiness has a genetic component, when she presents the data from studies of twins. These studies revealed that “identical twins were extremely similar to each other in their happiness levels” (Lyubomirsky 187-190). This challenges Gilbert’s view that happiness comes solely from our interpretations of the situations we are in, because the evidence from twin studies shows that a significant part of a person’s happiness level is genetic. This means that there is a component of happiness that cannot be changed, which contrasts with Gilbert’s view that simply seeing the more positive side brings about happiness. Both views are from the psychological
Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. "On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of
In Martin Seligman and other’s article “A Balanced Psychology and a Full Life,” he states that the definition of happiness, “Is a condition over and above the absence of unhappiness” (Seligman et al 1379).
Occupational therapy has been around for a long time. There is proof of occupational therapy methods for the mentally ill found in ancient times as early as 100 BCE (Quiroga). These therapies included: therapeutic baths, massages, exercise, and music. By medieval times the humane treatment of people considered to be insane was almost non-existent. By the 1900’s, the reform of healthcare for the mentally ill was refreshed through the work of occupational therapy. During World War I, soldiers returning from the field were treated by “reconstruction aides” made up primarily of women trying to “do their part” to help the country during war time. Their treatments included many of the techniques used in modern occupational therapy. After the war many people abandoned these therapeutic practices because the emphasis became more on financial and professional gain rather than helping the war effort. To help bring people back to the profession the American Occupational...
Personality predispositions can determine levels of extraversion, which determine the levels to which one seeks social support, thus determining positive affect. Similarly, personality predispositions can determine levels of neuroticism that may influence one’s style of coping in the face of both positive and negative external factors which can determine negative affect (Diener, 1996). Happiness, a core aspect of positive subjective wellbeing, involves maintaining a superior level of positive affect in comparison to negative effect, based on specific positive or negative emotions linked to the recent experiences in one’s life (Emmons & Diener, 1985). Positive emotions such as joy and pride must trump negative emotions such as frustration and sadness in the recent past or present in order for an individual to feel happy. Life satisfaction builds on this and is a cognitive valuation of the quality of an individual’s experiences as a sum throughout their entire life (Emmons & Diener, 1985). Individual personality traits have been found to influence the different patterns and levels of life satisfaction, positive and negative affects and simply general, overall happiness (McCrae, 1983).
In the nineteenth century the United States had established hospitals to house and care for the chronically ill and mentally ill. Several individual states assumed responsibility for mental hospitals in the 1980’s. At the beginning of the twentieth-century mental health treatments proved to have limited efficacy. Many of these patients received custodial care in state hospitals. New psychiatric medications were developed and introduced into state mental hospitals in 1955 as a result of the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH).The medicines that were developed brought new hope and addressed some of the symptoms of mental disorder. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy enacted the Community Mental Health Centers Act. This accelerated deinstitutionalization.
In the book, The How of Happiness, author and researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky sets her book apart from other self-awareness books by being the first to utilize empirical studies. She uses data gained through scientific method to provide support for her hypothesis. This hypothesis consists mainly of the idea that we have the ability to overcome genetic predisposition and circumstantial barriers to happiness by how we think and what we do. She emphasizes that being happier benefits ourselves, our family and our community. “The How of Happiness is science, and the happiness-increasing strategies that [she] and other social psychologists have developed are its key supporting players” (3).
The factors are heavily supported by empirical scientific data. For instance, the feeling of happiness is created and regulated biologically by the release of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. Dopamine is produced in the ventral tegmental area of the brain. Subsequently, it is released during pleasurable situations and motivates one to seek out pleasurable activity (Bromberg-Martin, Matsumoto, & Hikosaka, 2010). Thus, dopamine is essential to experiencing the feeling of happiness. Conversely, positive psychology does not play a role in dopamine production. So if it doesn’t increase dopamine levels, the it doesn’t increase happiness. In addition, the limbic system of the brain is also influential in the regulation of emotion and motivation. The limbic system is an interlinked system of nerves and networks in the brain, involving several areas near the edge of the cortex concerned with instinct and mood (Kalat, 2013). It controls the basic emotions of fear, pleasure, and anger. The proper function of the limbic system is dependent on a healthy brain that is properly interacting with biological chemicals that are produced by the body and received from our dietary intake. In contrast, positive psychology does not play a role in an individual’s body chemistry. Therefore, it is not essential in creating the
Finding the level of ultimate contentment and life satisfaction can be challenging, but the perception of situations or powerful social connections strengthens the level of happiness within a person. Topic Significance: In recent years, the rate of depression in young adults has increased as people struggle to find the meaning of happiness and how they can achieve happiness. As people continue throughout their life, it is important to recognize what makes them happy.
Prager, D. (1997). Happiness is a serious problem: A human nature repair manual. NY: HarperCollins Publishers
"The Futile Pursuit of Happiness" by Jon Gertner was published in September of 2003. It is an essay that discusses the difference between how happy we believe we will be with a particular outcome or decision, and how happy we actually are with the outcome. The essay is based on experiments done by two professors: Daniel Gilbert and George Loewenstein. The experiments show that humans are never as happy as we think we will be with an outcome because affective forecasting and miswanting cause false excitement and disappointment in our search for true happiness.
Only in recent years have psychologists begun to appreciate the benefits of happiness and positive emotion — benefits that include everything from enhanced creativity to improved immune-system function. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina, a leader in the field of positive psychology, posed the question, “What good are positive emotions?” and came up with the following possibilities.
Throughout history, philosophers and scientists of various kinds have been trying to define happiness, identify its causes and the obstacles to reaching it. According to Jon Gertner, psychologist Gilbert and economist Loewenstein have succeeded in pointing out several reasons why people are unhappy (pp: 444-6). It is important to note that according to Gilbert, it is not that people cannot g...
Gilbert, Dan." The surprising science of happiness." Ted Talks. Ted. Ted Talks, Monterey. 1 Feb. 2004. Lecture.