Explorations In Leadership
natalia.na
NathanRowley.pptx
Gandhi’s Influence on Modern Psychology and the Conception of Mental Health
Nathan Rowley
ITGS 400
Retrieved from: https://www.sakshi.com/sites/default/files/styles/rich_cards/public/article_images/2020/10/2/mk%20gandhi.jpg?itok=BS_4B6gI
Background
Mental health difficulties are currently a significant issue for a large portion of the American people (Mental, 2019). There are a multitude of methods at play in the modern treatment of mental health, and the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi are surprisingly applicable to some of the mental health issues faced by people in the modern day(Kool, 2013).
Two of his major ideas, Satyagraha, and the Nature Cure, have had a significant impact on the way mental health is understood, and they have also influenced ideas about resolving mental health issues (Mahajan, 2021).
Rationale
In the United States, the rate of mental illness and poor mental health has grown significantly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, understanding the nature of mental health, including its relationship with physical health, and finding ways to help people deal with their mental issues has become much more important.
Retrieved from: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/
Thesis Statement
Gandhi’s ideology has had a significant impact on the view in psychology of the relationship between physical and mental health and he also influenced the ways in which psychology approaches internal conflict resolution for the purpose of improving mental health.
Aim
This review of the literature is intended to illustrate the nature of Gandhi’s contributions to modern psychology, as well as the way his ideology can be applied to understanding and improving mental health in the United States.
Main Points
This topic will be explored by reviewing literature in three major areas; mental health in the United States today, Gandhi’s Satyagraha ideology, and Gandhi’s Nature Cure.
Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
Prevalence of Mental Illness in the United States
The prevalence of mental illness is greater than ever before. The percentage of adults in the U.S. with any mental illness (AMI) is at 20.6% and the rate of serious mental illness (SMI) is at 5.2% (Mental, 2019).
Most adults with SMI (65.5%) receive regular treatment, but only 44.8% of adults with AMI received regular treatment in the same period (Mental, 2019).
Mental illness in adolescents has also increased recent years(Cuellar, 2015). Behavioral disorders have increased while depression has stayed roughly the same (Cuellar, 2015)
Depression is still a pressing issue for many young people, with 13% being diagnosed with a depressive disorder at some point between ages 12-17 (Cuellar, 2015).
Impact of Untreated Mental Disorders
Mental health disorders of all kinds, if left untreated, can have wide-reaching impacts on social capabilities, economic stability, and professional obligations for both the unwell individual and their family (Shah & Beinecke, 2009).
Poor mental health is also associated with an increased risk for illness and for physical injury (Shah & Beinecke, 2009).
A Popular Treatment Method: CBT
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a commonly used mental health treatment method that can be beneficial in treating a variety of disorders (What, 2017).
CBT involves, among other things, the examination of one’s own unhealthy thoughts and behaviors for the purpose of altering them to improve mental well-being (What, 2017).
Although guided by a therapist, CBT relies on the personal ability to critically examine one’s distorted thoughts and reassess them in a rationale and positive way (What, 2017).
Gandhi’s Satyagraha
Satyagraha was an ideology and method of active and non-violent resistance developed by Gandhi; he also applied it to conflict resolution (Alter, 1996).
The main purpose of Satyagraha is to force your adversary to critically examine their misguided beliefs and resolve them internally, which hopefully will cause them to cooperate with your goals (Kool, 2013)
Some of the methods involved in Satyagraha are always adhere to nonviolence, do not react in anger to the opponent, do not insult the opponent, and nonviolently defend the opponent if others try to attack them (Nimbalkar, 2013)
Satyagraha and Modern Psychology
Gandhi was a proponent of the critical self-examination of our own thoughts for the purpose of self-improvement (Mahajan & Mahajan, 2021).
Satyagraha applied this idea to other individuals for the purpose of inducing non-violent conflict resolution, but the underlying ideas can be applied to internal conflict resolution as well (Alter, 1996).
This method of induced and critical self-examination, followed by internal reassessment, that was popularized by Gandhi forms the bedrock for one of the most well-used mental health treatment methods in modern psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy (Mahajan & Mahajan, 2021).
Gandhi’s Nature Cure
Gandhi was a firm believer in the two-way relationship between mental and physical health (Mahajan & Mahajan, 2021).
He also stressed the impact of spirituality, the community, and family on an individual’s mental and physical well-being (Satyalakshmi, 2019).
Gandhi referred to the nature cure as a means for “changing for the better one’s outlook on life itself” (Satyalakshmi, 2019).
Nature Cure and Modern Psychology
Gandhi’s nature cure ideology is reflected in modern psychology through the focus on holistic methods and holistic theory in mental health treatment (Kool, 2013).
Holistic mental health treatment targets social, physical, spiritual, emotional and mental needs in order to address mental illness (Kotwani et. al., 2021).
Gandhi’s nature cure is also reflected in cognitive behavioral therapy, as he believed that attending to the entirety of one’s needs would allow one to reassess themselves and have an enlightened and improved perspective on life(Satyalakshmi, 2019).
Retrieved from: https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-8369fe822fdd720f447b09d4fdcfde2d
Conclusion
Gandhi’s Satyagraha and Nature cure have played a predominant role in shaping prominent modern mental health treatment methods.
These core Gandhian ideas have also influenced the way in which modern psychology views the relationship between mental health and other aspects of life.
Applying Gandhi’s ideology to treatment methods besides CBT could be beneficial as mental health treatment expands throughout the world.
Going forward, the integration of various doctrines and ideologies into western mental health treatment will be crucial for maintaining a wide spectrum of mental health treatment methods that are suitable for all the types of people that experience mental health difficulties.
Retrieved from: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2011/03/27/books/review/Ward-3B/Ward-3B-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
References
Alter, J. (1996). Gandhi’s body, Gandhi’s truth: Nonviolence and the biomoral imperative of public health. The Journal of Asian Studies, 55(2), 301-322. doi:10.2307/2943361
Cuellar, A. (2015). Preventing and treating child mental health problems. The Future of Children, 25(1), 111-134. Retrieved April 25, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43267765
Kool V. K. (2013). Applications of Gandhian concepts in psychology and allied disciplines. Indian journal of psychiatry, 55(Suppl 2), S235–S238. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.105541
Kotwani, P., Patwardhan, V., Patel, G., Williams, C.-L., & Modi, E. (2021). A holistic care approach to combat the COVID-19 disease. Journal of Family Medicine & Primary Care, 10(2), 844–849. 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1549_20
Mahajan, S., & Mahajan, S. (2021). Gandhian thought and mental health -- A critique. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 63(1), 88–90. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_23_20
References cont.
Mental Illness. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental- illness.shtml
Nimbalkar, N. (2013). An Approach to peace: Gandhi on conflict resolution through Satyagraha. Journal of Natal & Zulu History, 31(2), 130–138. doi:10.1080/02590123.2013.11964199
Satyalakshmi, K. (2019). Mahatma Gandhi and nature cure. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 149, 69–71. doi:10.4103/0971-5916.251660
Shah, A., & Beinecke, R. (2009). Global mental health needs, services, barriers, and challenges. International Journal of Mental Health, 38(1), 14-29. doi:10.2753/IMH0020-7411380102
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? (2017, July). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ptsd- guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
