As I already wrote in the article on the mental health continuum, not only is there a substantial difference between mental illness and psychological suffering, but it is precisely the most developing individuals who are more often predisposed to psychological crises and periods of suffering. The “normality of the most widespread” does not mean a high level of mental health. With regard to mental health, the “average” merely means that a person has a socially adapted personality. That is why it is very important to view mental health as a variable magnitude which, like physical health, encompasses all individuals along a continuum, at the lower end of which are those with the most impaired psyche, passing through the statistically average (usually called “normal”), up to those with the highest levels of mental health. And although high levels of mental health are rare, they are accessible to every person who makes the necessary effort toward self-knowledge and personal development.
You may encounter different criteria for mental health, but for myself I have reduced them to four core ones:
The first and most important criterion of mental health is a high degree of differentiation.
At its core, this means being a separate, autonomous individual—emotionally independent, capable of critical thinking, with healthy ego boundaries and a mature sense of responsibility. Its opposite is the person who experiences themselves as a victim of external circumstances and other people, resists the inevitable limitations of life, and therefore fails to develop mature boundaries of personal responsibility. Such a person is emotionally dependent, reactive in their behavior, and prone to blaming.
The second criterion is a high degree of ethicality and moral self-regulation.
This means goodwill, the capacity for empathy, and genuine care for other people. Owing to differentiation (the first criterion), one’s relationship with others is characterized by high tolerance for difference and respect for their right to free will and choice. There is a desire to contribute to society and to serve the Whole. It is understandable why egoism and hard-heartedness are expressions of low mental health—humanity would have no future if the majority of people were concerned only with their own well-being.
The third important criterion is the capacity for development.
This means flexibility and openness to feedback. Life is a complex system that is constantly developing and changing; therefore, high levels of mental health coincide with the factors that support it—receptivity to feedback from outside and readiness for change. Individuals with lower levels of mental health are too rigid; their leading motivation is the need for security and the preservation of the status quo. Their ego is overly invested in adaptation to society and lacks sufficient resources for change when such change becomes necessary.
The fourth very important criterion is authenticity and inner integrity.
At lower levels of mental health, the individual is internally fragmented and oscillates between opposing opinions and emotional reactions. Here are the people who suppress large parts of their psychic life in order to meet the expectations of others. As a result, they are insufficiently sincere and consistent, since their rejected parts continue to exist in the unconscious, forming what is known as the psychic Shadow. When the rejected material accumulates to critical levels, various neurotic symptoms erupt, grounded in unresolved inner conflicts. Relationships with others also begin to suffer and become conflictual. At high levels of mental health, we encounter a person with a strong ego-center who has united the opposites within themselves. This strong center is experienced as a source of inner strength, which manifests in the outer world as moral integrity, as well as in the courage to be true to oneself and to take risks in situations in which most people withdraw.
All of us manifest these qualities to varying degrees. By making efforts to attain higher levels of mental health, we also contribute to the development of the Whole to which we belong, since families, organizations, states, and societies likewise have their different levels of mental health.
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
