There seems to be a wide complex understanding of what mental health is. There is no one right or wrong definition of mental health because individual understanding of mental health is influenced by culture, social-economic factors and religion. Many theorists, psychologists and psychiatrists have attempted and came up with various definitions of mental health in the best way they understood this complex concept. However, Townsend (2003) defined mental health “as the successful adaptation to stressors from the internal and external environment, evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are age-appropriate and congruent with local and cultural norms” (p.16). My perspective of mental health deals a lot with individuals coping mechanisms. Hence, the ability to successfully cope with daily and environmental stressors, such as work, traffic, weather changes, and interpersonal relationships.
A person develops mental health when he/she can recognize, adapt and modify normal human emotions during stressful situations; is productive in the society or environment, is successful in relationship with others, can cope with change and adversity on a daily basis, and above all, posses an appropriate perception of reality. Boyd (2005) argues that “to be mentally healthy means that a person is comfortable with his/her interpersonal relationships” (p. 28). An individual can be physically ill but at the same time struggling on how to mentally cope with the symptoms of the illness. Maslow emphasized an individual’s motivation in the continuous quest for self-actualization. He identified a hierarchy of needs where fulfillment of each hierarchy depends on the situation a person is faced with at that moment. For example, a person undergoing a major surge ...