| Summary: | "This book is a continuation of the subject of mental hygiene to which an introductory volume, The Normal Mind, published in 1924, was devoted. The central conception of the former book was integration and the conditions favorable to its maintenance. Naturally the basic principles of the present volume are the same, the preservation and development of an integrated personality. The studies during the last seven years, however, have made possible an extended addition to the former work with a broader conception and a wider application of these principles. The purpose of the present volume, however, is not to present a complete account of personality, but to emphasize some facts important for mental health, to give examples of suggestive investigations, to show the great opportunity for valuable observation and study, and to give helpful illustrations of the fundamental conception of integration in the development of personality. The book is an attempt to present the scientific conception of the normal integrated personality, the conditions that seem favorable to its wholesome development, and also some of the conditions likely to produce personality disorders. It is positive, dynamic, constructive. It emphasizes the normal rather than the pathological, the prevention rather than the cure of mental disorder. Its hygienic dependence is on normal function, the normal expression of human impulses, coordinated purposive activity, worthwhile tasks, the acquisition of wholesome interests, right adjustment of work and rest, attention to the present situation, and habitual response of the whole personality"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
|
|---|
