ebook img

Personal Adjustment and Mental Health PDF

605 Pages·2012·11.8 MB·English
by  
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview Personal Adjustment and Mental Health

Personal Adjustment and Mental Health BOOKS BY ALEXANDER A. SCHNEIDERS Introductory Psychology: The Principles of Human Adjustment Workbook in Introductory Psychology Personal Adjustment and Mental Health Personal Adjustment and Jl!{ental J-{ealth e .... q ALEXANDER A. SCHNEIDERS Professor of Psychology and Director of Psychological Serv ices, Fordham University. Formerly Professor of Psychol ogy and Chairman of the Department, University of Detroit; Director of the Psychological Clinic, Sarah Fisher Home for Children, Detroit, Michigan; Director of Student Personnel, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON,. NEW YORK S~ptember 1960 Copyright ©, 1955, by Alexander A. Schnei~ers Printed in the United States of America All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 55-7548 To my brother M. C. Schneiders, in appreciation of his guidance, counsel, and encouragement NOTE TO THE READER This book has been written with one principal aim in mind-the better understanding of man's relation to himself and to reality, as ex pressed in his day-to-day adjustments. It is primarily a psychological study of the 'adjustment process. The fact that the concept of mental health is brought into the picture is simply testimony to the close relation between adjustment and mental health; in the absence of a discussion of the latter, the psychology of adjustment would be incomplete. Then, too, the prac tical principles of mental hygiene outlined in the text are dependent on a clear statement of the nature and criteria of mental health. The psychology of adjustment and mental health should, of course, be more than a theoretical excursion into the peculiarities of human re sponse. It should be practical, or at least it should provide a secure groundwork for the development of practical principles that can be ap plied successfully to daily living. This has been an important secondary aim throughout; and, although the major portion of the book is devoted to explaining what adjustment and mental health are, there are countless practical implications scattered throughout the various chapters, implica tio'ns that are finally brought together in a set of practical principles at the end of the book. As an illustration of this fact, the reader is urged to consult Chapters Four and Seventeen, where the criteria and the prin ciples of adjustment and mental health are outlined. These two chapters bring out clearly the essential connection between the nature of adjust ment and the principles that are necessary to achieve and maintain a good level of adjustment in daily living. The plan of the book is relatively simple. Part One, which includes the first two chapters, constitutes an introduction to the study of adjust ment, indicating general objectives and values, practical goals, the signifi cance of studying adjustment and mental health, and the characteristics of a scientific approach to adjustment and mental health. Part Two, which includes Chapters Three through Nine, is the heart of the text. Here are studied the basic concepts of adjustment psychology, including normality, abnormality, and maladjustment (Chapter. T1i'ee), the criteria by which ~} vii Note to the Reader adjustment and mental health can be properly evaluated (Chapter Four), and the important relation between adjustment and personality (Chapter Five). \ The general concept developed in Chapte{ Five is examined more minutely in Chapter Six, and the conditions and determinants of adjust ment are outlined in considerable detail. In both \ these chapters, there are many implications of a practical nature. Chapt6rs Seven and Eight are devoted to the dynamics of adjustment, and an effort is made to determine the role of internal, motivational tendencies in the process of adjustment. Particular emphasis is put upon the relation between adjustment and basic human needs. This section is concluded with an intensive study (Chapter Nine) of the process of adjustment itself, in which the relation between adjustment and reality, the essential pattern of adjustment, the effect of frustration on adjustment, and the proper evaluation of adjustment proc esses are closely investigated. In Part Three, the emphasis shifts to an appraisal of different patterns of adjustment. In Chapter Ten, normal adjustment patterns are studied; , in Chapter Eleven, attention is directed to adjustment by means of defense reactions; Chapter Twelve is taken up with adjustment by aggression; Chapter Thirteen studies adjustment by escape and withdrawal; and Chapter Fourteen, which concludes Part Three, is a study of adjustment by flight into illness. The study of adjustment patterns in Part Three is complemented in Part Four by the study of varieties of adjustment. Chapter Fifteen :out lines the essential features of personal and social adjustment, and Chapter Sixteen outlines and deals with academic, vocational, and marital adjust ments. The last two chapters in the text, which comprise Part Five, deal with the practical applications of knowledge and principles learned foom the study of adjustment and mental health. Chapter Seventeen is an in vestigation of the background, development, and principles of the dis cipline of mental hygiene, and Chapter Eighteen discusses the treatment of mental and personality problems and of adjustment 'proble1J}s)n general. The author has tried to write a teXt that 'is; an organic whole rather than a hodgepodge of separate chapters. ~a!;h"part of the book has an organic relation to other parts, and each ehapter is placed in such a way as to maintain contiguity as well as wholeness. The Questions and Exer cises at the end of each chapter are intended for review purposes, and also to stimulate the student to think seriously about the problem of adjust ment and to do some additiona:~ 'reading on the subject. The Selected Readings should make it ~1sier for' the student to accomplish this aim and to fill in whatever lacunae ~re left in the text itself. The Glossary at the end of the text is intended I,primarily to further the understanding of concepts used in the text and to reduce ambiguities and confusions that arise whenever person;'fai(to agree on the meaning of a term. viii Note to the Reader Something should be said about the initial decision to write a text in the area of human adjustment, where many good angels wisely fear to tread. Part of the impetus was supplied by friends and colleagues who knew of the author's intense interest in the subject and who were kind enough to express faith in his ability to write a text of this kind. But more important is the real need for a text that does not shy away from the basic issues posed by morality and religion. In the author's opinion, the psy chology of adjustment and mental health cannot be adequately developed apart from moral and religious concepts and principles; this text therefore represents in part an effort to integrate these several disciplines that bear so intimately on the lives of men. Qualifications for a task of this kind are based on the author's experience in dealing with human problems in one capacity or another for the past twenty years; on extensive experience in teaching courses in mental hygiene, adjustment, personality, and abnormal psychology in several universities; and on intimate, day-to-day experiences with his seven children, who in the course of eighteen years have pre sented many adjustment problems, excluding those, fortunately, of a more serious type. To his colleagues and students, and especially to the numerous clients of all ages who gave him the privilege of counseling them and helping them solve their problems, the author owes a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid. To the many authors and publishers who so generously allowed the use of copyrighted material the author is deeply grateful; and espe cially to the staff of his own publisher, Rinehart & Company, the author wishes to record his sincere thanks for their help and cooperation. For the generous grant of time by the President and the Committee on Research of the University of Detroit, where the author spent many fruitful and happy years, the author wishes to make special acknowledgement. With out this grant, many more months would have elapsed before the book could have been completed. For their keen analyses and many critical suggestions, the author is especially indebted to Dr. Walter L. Wilkins, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Department, St. Louis University, and Rev. Raymond A. Roesch, S.M., Chairman of the Department of Psychology, University of Dayton, both of whom read the manuscript in its entirety. Many of their suggestions are incorporated in the text, although the author assumes full responsibility for errors of omission or commission. Valuable advice and encouragement also were given by Sister Annette of the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota, and by Rev. Vincent V. Herr, S.]., Professor and Chairman of Psychology, Loyola University, Chicago, who reviewed the original prospectus for this work. The author's brother, to whom the: book is gratefully dedicated, is deserving of special commenda tion for his selfless devotion to the task of illustrating the text and for his skill and artistry in bringing to life the conc~ts and relations too often ~} _ ix Note to the Reader A explained in ambiguous and unartistic terms. word of thanks is due also to the author's secretarial assistants, Miss Joan Penachio and Miss Ann Fiorillo, for their help in typing and proofreading countless pages of manuscript. Finally, as always, the author deems it a special privilege to pay public acknowledgement to his wife, not only for the many hours of work, but especially for her patience, encouragement, and the taking on of extra tasks so that the author could devote his time to the business of writing. Whatever merit this book has is in large measure due to the interest and efforts of these devoted people. s. A. A. New York, New York March,1955 / / x

Description:
adjustment and mental health; in the absence of a discussion of the latter, ulcer, just as surely as dietary indiscretion or overeating can. Later on.
See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.