Chapter 8 - Mental Health and ‘Be Happy’ Psychology

Summary

The causal-reductionist model has resulted in a classification system and set of treatments for mental health that assumes people are self-contained individuals, operating independent of context. Despite the good efforts of community psychology and a number of progressive therapists, as well as the historic meaage of the anti-psychiatry movement, the powerful role of social class and particularly poverty on mental health is disregarded. This is epitomized by the positive psychology movement, the focus on individual happiness (independent of context), and the development of a 'happiness index' which regards progress as being independent of GDP and other material measures. In essence, 'positive thinking' and 'be happy psychology' is proposed as a solution. But even positive psychologists have been forced to admit that the probablity of mental health problems increases as we move down the social classes, so that poverty is a powerful context leading to a higher probability of individuals suffering mental health problems.