Healthy Life Skills

Mastering the 7 Essential Health Skills will help to form a strong foundation for your health. Using the 7 skills can help and benefit you in your everyday lives by following these easy steps.

As defined by experts, a mental illness is a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and involves changes in thinking, emotion, behavior, interpersonal interactions, daily functioning, or a combination. The causes of mental illness are complex and vary depending on the theories associated to the different biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The etiology of mental illness is based on five broad models: biological, psychological, behavioral, cognitive, and social.

Mental health is defined as the state of satisfactory use of mental function, which results in productive activities, interactions, adjustment to change and coping with challenges (Healthy People 2020, 2012). It is fundamental to one's personal well-being, his interpersonal relationships, and fruitful participation in, and contribution to, society in general. Mental illness or mental disorder refers as a whole to all diagnosable disturbances of the mind. These disturbances are characterized by changes in thinking, mood, and/or behavior, which produce pain, discomfort, abnormal functioning or death. Mental illnesses are serious medical conditions, which cannot be overcome by simple will power. They are not caused by personality weakness or intelligence (Healthy People 2020; NAMI, 2012).

Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell,

• Individual’s relation to reality in terms of Autonomy, Perception of reality, and environmental mastery.

“A mental disorder (mental illness) is a psychological pattern that is generally associated with a defect or disease of the individual’s mind. It causes a disability that may affect an individual’s behavior patterns in ways that are not part of one’s normal development or culture. Mental disorders are common in the United States. Within any given year, nearly 25 percent of adults and slightly over 20 percent of children are diagnosable for one or more mental disorders. While mental disorder appears to be widespread among the population, the main burden (or threat) emanates from about 6 percent of those who suffer from a debilitating mental illness.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011)

The issue of humanity’s mental health is something our species has dealt with since the beginning of our existence – even if it wasn’t publically acknowledged. Mental health is generally defined as a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being: a disorder of thought or mood which significantly impairs the judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to cope with the ordinary demands of life resulting in possible harm to themselves or others. The World Health Organization, also known as WHO, has defined mental health as “a state of well-being that enables a person to cope with the normal stresses of his or her life, do productive work, contribute to the community, and otherwise realize his or her potential” (WHO, 2014). What we as humans face, is the overwhelming struggle to attain a proper state of psychological and emotional well-being – which can be more difficult than commonly thought in today’s society all around the world.

A mental disorder, also known as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a diagnosis by a mental health professional of a behavioral or mental pattern

What is a mental disorder? A mental disorder is an illness that affects a person’s cognitive thinking, behavior, and mood. There are numbers of different mental disorders from depression to psychosis. Different mental disorders affect people differently; mostly, in negative ways. However, if a person is labeled as mentally disabled, the patient usually gets medical treatment.

Realistically, diagnosis of a mental illness is only a medical diagnostic tool for the physician and it does not taking into account what the average person is dealing with or living with when they have a mental illness. One of the flaws of mental illness diagnosis is that it does not address the questions like what is the life quality of a patient or what other issues could arise in that patient based on these diagnoses.

A mental disorder can be defined as a clinically significant behavioural or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom.”

Mental disorders are classified as conditions involving alterations in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning and are associated with impairment and/or distress. Mental disorders may be present as a result of genetics, family history, environmental, hereditary, and social factors, or possibly a combination of the above (American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 2010).

According to Mentalhealth.gov, "Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices."

The purpose of this paper is to compare the views of two individuals in different age groups and compare their responses to Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory. Erik Erikson psychosocial theory includes eight stages: trust versus mistrust; autonomy versus shame and doubt; initiative versus guilt; industry versus inferiority; identity versus identity confusion; intimacy versus isolation; generativity and stagnation, and integrity versus despair. Each of the eight stages has a crisis that must be resolved. Erik Erikson believed that during human development, an individual must reach the respective stage according to their age to avoid social or emotional conflict. After explaining the eight stages that begins from infancy to late adulthood, a

For my life journey I have chose to use Eric Erikson’s theory I have decided to use his theory because to me his theory suited my life appropriately. Eric Erikson is a well known theorist from the twentieth century, he has produced many theories. One of his most known and recognized theory is the psychosocial development. This theory describes the steps a person goes through in life. There are nine stages in his theory. Originally his theory only eight steps, but his wife found the last step after his death and published it. The nine stages are: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy and soliditary vs. isolation, generativity vs. self absorption and stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. Although, I have not gone through all of these steps yet due to my age I am only twenty two. I will speak about the steps I have gone through so far.