Individual Essay: Psychology and Sociology of Mental Health

This essay provides a comparative analysis of psychology and sociology concerning mental health. The introduction defines both disciplines, highlighting their focus on individual behavior and societal relationships. The main body delves into various psychological theories like structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and Gestalt psychology, examining their relevance to mental health. It then explores sociological perspectives, including functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist theories, and how they relate to social and healthcare contexts. The essay discusses the social determinants of health, such as mental health, and the impact of social factors like competition, discrimination, and poverty on individual well-being. The conclusion summarizes the roles of psychological and sociological factors in influencing mental health, emphasizing the interplay between individual experiences and societal structures. This essay explores the multifaceted nature of mental health through both psychological and sociological lenses, emphasizing how both disciplines contribute to understanding and addressing mental health issues.

Individual Essay

Table of Content.
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Psychology is scrutiny of individuals conscious and unconscious behaviour pattern which
includes their thought process or the feeling individual posses. It is primarily the learning of
individual mind and their behaviour. It includes individuals emotive, cognition, attribute or
functioning power of the body. Through it one interprets their own and other behaviour or the
way one feel. Sociology is the science which focus towards societal relationship of the individual
which includes individuals social behaviour with others, their relationship and magnitude of
interactions performed by them when in contact in the cultural or societal unit. Social structure
primarily focus towards everyday school of thought of individual about the various cultural
practises followed including the law, gender equation or humanistic discipline approach in the
society. This essay report cater the comparability of psychology school of thought and
sociological school of thought in reference to social and health care content faced by the
individuals. One of the social determinant of the health is mental health. The report carry through
in the reference of individuals mental health regime to their behaviour and the social interaction
one follows (Tennant, 2019).
MAIN BODY
Mental health is the phase which is used to symbolise the individual emotional,
psychological or the social well-being. It is the action which affects the manner or the mode
through which one interpret, process or express their emotions or feelings they are carrying
through with. It is the phase through which one interprets their own abilities for the productivity
or strength to cope with the forthcoming stress and mode through which one posses the healthy
decision for the life (Selvaraj and Bhat, 2018).
Psychology is can be delineate further with various theories including the structuralism,
functionalism, behaviourism, psychoanalysis and gestalt psychology. Here the structuralism is
primarily the first school of thought where individual thoughts are crack-up into petite form to
interpret the thoughts. It is the mode through which the context approach is analyse in most
simplest form as it is cognitive strength of the mind. It is mode to self-interospect their own
conscious behaviours including the emotions or sensation. It only focus towards individual
internal behaviour which even cant be easily interpreted. When focusing towards the mental
health, it is used to construe overall experience posses by the individual from the birth to the
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current situation in the simplest mode by performing the introspection (Rogers and Pilgrim,
2021).
Functionalism is one of the psychology theory which focus on individual cognitive
process in more organized and accurate style as it explicate intention behind the demeanour or
conscious thought of the individual. It provides the action plan which is need to be provided to
the children when precept them the behaviour actions to be performed. Here the objective is
visualised behind actions are processed in different environmental condition. Like the
structuralism it also focus towards the conscious behaviour of the individual. Functionalism don't
focus on the societal mode as every individual objective varies from one another. Here the
individual adaption in the environment in analysed. When examining the mental power,
functionalism don't depend upon internal behaviour but output of behaviour on the society and
examine of the cultural practises they follow.
Behaviourism is the state which is influenced after the repetition of certain habits by the
individual. It is the approach which is carry through as the reflex of the reward or the punishment
one possessed while performing the activities. It is the response of the environment impulse forth
comes to the individual as a result of history one acquire. It is the result of the external factors
that are posses by the individual. It is used to examine behaviour alteration and factors which
influence it. This approach fails to interpret cause behind the alteration faced by the individual
and also don't even focus on internal factors including the genetic or inherited existence in
individual (Nefes and Romero-Reche, 2020).
Psychoanalysis is the form of study which engrossment on individual unconscious
behaviour which includes one suppressed emotions, desires or reactions. These behaviours of
individual influence the shaping of judgments or reduce self-worth in them. They are primary
inception of reflected behaviour posses by individual. Here the determinant is examined through
three aspects including the instinctive desire which symbolise as the actions which are posses
naturally, ego which is action taken by individual when exposed with others. It is the action
posses as a result of problem-solving approach by the mind. When this formulation fails down in
converts into form of the anxiety in them. Super-ego is the moral belief which is lettered to the
individual from their parents or teachers. They are the reflection of societal values that is need to
be followed by individuals in the epoch to be the perfectionist. The individual faces the mental
health issues when the individual behaviour posses through the environment is submissive on the
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their superego or natural reflection. It symbolises about the role of experience posses by the one
when learning behaviour process. To regulate the mental health of individual by psychoanalysis
their repressed emotions are stirred up. When stirred up the emotions or thought process of the
individual it helps to regulate their behaviour in the healthier form. As the memory is repressed
by them it is tough for the patient in many condition relapse it and when relapse it cause the
remark in the relationships (Morris, 2019).
Gestalt Psychology is mode which express out overall mindset or behaviour approach of
the individual which means not limited portion is examine when interpreting the nature or the
behaviour of the individual. Significantly, the aim here is towards the current experience or
troubles one is facing rather than past experience possess. During this approach, overall mind
emotion and feeling of individual percept experience. This approach when used to treat the
mental health of individual helps to accelerate their feeling of capabilities or self-worth. It helps
them to improve the cognizance of acceptance in the individuals Without having the negative
blaming for the actions performed beforehand. Here the key factors behind the cause is not
analyse as the only aim is to alter the behaviour actions of the individual. No scientific approach
is used during the analysis of patient. It influence the mental health by accelerating the positive
occurrence in them (Maser and et. al., 2019).
Theories of the sociology supply various prospectives that are utilised in the social or
cultural level. It basically said as the form to interpret global understanding. Every theory
symbolise their aspect in society and behaviour influence through it. Three theories of it are
functionalist perspective, conflict perspective and symbolic interactionist perspective.
Functionalist perspective is the form of macro-sociology which represent relation of
relationships within society by interpreting the magnitude of influence it has. When a individual
faces the mental health trouble it affects their family member and many more. The ripple effect
is seen on the significant individuals connect with the patients as there is development of stress
or uncertainty in them. Their is accelerated progression if varied emotion, fear which has the
destructive impact on the employment or safety consequence of the family. It also lead to social
isolation which influences the individual relationship with the relatives or co-workers (Hinkle,
2020).
In the conflict theory various units compete with each other with the aim to acquire the
power or the resource. Here, majorly two groups are present one which has demands for the
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resource and one who has the resource. Both the groups works interrelated the one who has the
resource makes the individual who don't has power to work for them in exchange of offering
them the money. And one who don't has need to work in vigorous form with the aim to earn the
money. This theory symbolise the inequality examined in various social groups which lead to the
mental health in them. This theory focus towards the competition in the individuals to acquire the
limited resources available. This theory explain the cause of mental illness in individual which
are discrimination, poverty or the violence face by them. Competition is part of the conflict
theory which is constant form which interacts the relationships for the demand of commodities or
money for living. These forthcoming competition faced by the individual make them feel
insecure which in individual develops low self-esteem, destruct or belief of inability to perform.
When faced the discrimination it lead to development of the stress and violence faced by them
lead to development of substance dependence. When not diagnosed it may lead to personality
disorders (Gaulejac and Laroche, 2020).
Symbolic Interactionism is also the form of the sociological theory which symbolise the
practical consideration fo the individuals. Basically means the result of frame of processing the
behaviour when interaction with others and the way others behave with them. This exposure lead
to scheming of individual behaviour towards the society. It reflects the micro-sociology faced by
individuals when interacting with the individuals. It means that one behaviour or nature is reflect
of their social interaction. This approach limits the individual thought process, they posses the
frame reflected by others. Wider aspect of the action is not evaluated. As people no that smoking
is not good for health but with the influence of others and to be characterised as cools they start
attractive towards it. This further lead to dependency and deprive individuals critical thinking
ability. These social psychology factors influence the behaviour of the individuals as individuals
feeling depend on social situation they faced. These factors helps to analyse the cause behind
people reaction and manner to interpret their thoughts (Brossard and Chandler,2022).
When contrasting or comparing both the actions it is found that both favours for the
interpretation the cause of behaviour adulteration in individuals. They both contribute towards
the mental illness but the psychology focuses towards the interpreting the individual conscious or
unconscious actions due to their own history or forthcoming adulteration. Sociology consist of
three theories which is interpreted due to family, society or cultural modes. When addressing the
psychological factors the structuralism is used yo interpret the mental illness of individual by
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breaking down the mental process into small components. Here the basic form of sensation or
thought process is used to segment the cause of illness. When analysing through the favouritism
action, it is used to interpret the mental process in the accurate manner while focusing on the
cause of consciousness (Furr, 2022).
The behaviourism of the psychology theory focus on overall life experience of the
individual which is influenced through the environmental. Psychoanalysis of psychology helps
the individual to have control on factors which influence adulterated behaviours in the
individuals. Through these approaches the awareness of the positive intellection is provided to
the individual facing the mental health problem. By Gestalt Psychology the aim is to provide
the treatment for the treatment faced by the them currently while providing them the supportive
actions. When examining the sociology factors, it focus on cultural or societal actions which lead
to the mental trouble in the individuals. It is mooted through the three theories including
functionalist perspective, conflict perspective and symbolic interactionist perspective. The
factors leading to it includes the unemployment, discrimination or poverty faced by them due to
increased demand of competitive or the comparison faced by the individuals. Other than it
factors like poor housing quality or the food insecurity lead to stress in individual as it delays the
development of cognitive or emotional action. Mental health problems are caused due to social
stress due to life expectations or due to vulnerability of stress which occur due to trim social
support as relation to discrimination (Coetzee, Potgieter and Ferreira, 2018.).
CONCLUSION
From the above essay report the role of psychology factors and sociology factors in
influencing the mental health of the individual is concluded. Psychosocial aspects covers the
individual relationships or addiction which influence the altered behaviour in them and
sociological aspect symbolise the varied large-scale component including poverty or
discrimination which deprive the confidence and lead to mental trauma. This report represent the
role of these theory in developing the behaviour or attitude of individual. When the mental health
is not strong its impact is seen in deprived productivity of individual or their learning capacity,
unwanted behaviour and might also the cause of substance abuse one phases.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Brossard, B. and Chandler, A., 2022. Introduction: Towards a Critical Renewal of the Sociology
of Mental Health. In Explaining Mental Illness (pp. 1-8). Bristol University Press.
Coetzee, M., Potgieter, I.L. and Ferreira, N. eds., 2018. Psychology of retention: Theory,
research and practice. Springer.
Furr, A., 2022. The Sociology of Mental Health and Illness. SAGE Publications.
Gaulejac, V.D. and Laroche, D., 2020. Clinical sociology and mental health. Sociedade e
Estado, 35, pp.19-38.
Hinkle, R.C., 2020. Founding Theory of American Sociology 1881–1915. Routledge.
Maser, B., Danilewitz, M., Guérin, E., Findlay, L. and Frank, E., 2019. Medical student
psychological distress and mental illness relative to the general population: a Canadian
cross-sectional survey. Academic Medicine, 94(11), pp.1781-1791.
Morris, A., 2019. Social movement theory: Lessons from the sociology of WEB Du
Bois. Mobilization: An International Quarterly, 24(2), pp.125-136.
Nefes, T.S. and Romero-Reche, A., 2020. Sociology, social theory and conspiracy theory.
In Routledge handbook of conspiracy theories (pp. 94-107). Routledge.
Rogers, A. and Pilgrim, D., 2021. A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness 6e. McGraw-Hill
Education (UK).
Selvaraj, P.R. and Bhat, C.S., 2018. Predicting the mental health of college students with
psychological capital. Journal of Mental Health, 27(3), pp.279-287.
Tennant, M., 2019. Psychology and adult learning: The role of theory in informing practice.
Routledge.
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