Abstract
In the previous chapter I argued that certain mental abilities are necessary for being able to reach basic vital goals. These mental abilities together (at least partly) constitute a material definition of acceptable mental health. I have, so far, said almost nothing about what relation these abilities have to each other. This chapter will be devoted to such a discussion, and I will show that some of the abilities found necessary are conceptually related, in that one might (logically) require the existence of another, and that others are empirically related.
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Stevenson 1993.
Reasoning, of course, here also is dependent upon holding other justified beliefs.
My guess is that self-esteem is achieved though receiving positive feedback from what is sometimes called “significant others”. This can be tied to concrete achievements, but does not have to be. We say, for instance, that a mother feels unconditional love for her child. This love does not necessarily require competence on the child’s behalf. Although self-confidence might also arise because of a similar kind of positive feedback, it is in general achieved through education and training. A competent chess-player, for instance, can gain self-confidence just by winning.
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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Tengland, PA. (2001). Toward a Material Theory of Acceptable Mental Health. In: Mental Health. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2237-7_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2237-7_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5895-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-2237-7
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