| There is no unequivocal answer to the question "What | | | | wellness across the life-span. |
| is good mental health?". Attempts to define mental | | | | What one experiences as 'good mental health' another |
| health are subjective. Perspective is influenced by | | | | may not. An individual's self-report is frequently key to |
| innumerable variables: values, beliefs, experiences, | | | | the identification of affective, behavioural and |
| culture, occupation, age and gender to name a few. | | | | interpersonal changes, and it is such changes which |
| Defining mental health or wellness is fraught with | | | | are commonly precursors to mental illness. |
| difficulty and subjectivity. Throughout history mental | | | | Self-description must also be considered in the |
| health has been socially, politically, legally and culturally | | | | assessment of an individual's wellness. |
| defined. It can be argued that the manifestation of | | | | From the author's [albeit biased] perspective, mental |
| mental illness is primarily culturally determined. It makes | | | | health exists on a continuum and at what point the |
| sense, then, that good mental health is also likely to | | | | continuum becomes 'good' is not always clear. One |
| demonstrate cross-cultural variations. | | | | attempt at defining 'good mental health' would be to |
| Many people believe that individuals are afforded good | | | | say that it is individually determined and that it involves |
| mental health when society enables them to have a | | | | the ability to experience cognitions, affect and |
| purposeful social, economic and cultural role. There is | | | | interpersonal relations, which are not consistently |
| much evidence to suggest that connectedness and | | | | persecutory of self or others. |
| caring relationships are important components of | | | | |