The New Arabia Felix
Document Type
Book Chapter
Source of Publication
Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Abstract
The World Health Organization (2010) describes mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’ (p. 1). In spite of this positive definition, most ‘mental health’ research to date has focused on the exploration of what we variously describe as mental illnesses, psychological complaints, or psychiatric disorders. In exploring psychological well-being across the Arabian Gulf States, we are forced — at present — to take a similarly negative and rather narrow view, where psychological well-being is essentially synonymous with the absence of psychological disorder. Regional explorations of more positive psychological concepts, such as savouring and flourishing, are at present in their infancy. However, what we do have are more than three decades’ worth of regional research, exploring a variety of psychological problems across all six Arabian Gulf States.
DOI Link
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan UK
Last Page
28
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Justin, "The New Arabia Felix" (2013). All Works. 3527.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/3527
Indexed in Scopus
no
Open Access
no