The branch of psychology that concerns
itself with mental well-being deals with the study and analysis of all the
factors that are involved in determining the mental and psychological health of
an individual and how these factors can affect his personal life as well as
social conditions in general. In other words, the branch of mental well being
deals with all the various individual and social disorders and seeks to discover
and design ways and means with which these disorders and abnormal conditions
that could affect the individual’s personal and social health adversely, can
be avoided and cured.
In spite of the close
and undeniable relationship between the mind and the body whereby it becomes
almost impossible to practically distinguish between the two, the point that
needs to be kept in mind is that like all other natural phenomenon, the human
body, too, starts deteriorating over the passing of time. We can clearly see
that up to a certain age, the body is in an ascending growth trend, after which
weakness and deterioration of its cells and other organs begins to set in and
progress. On the other hand, we find that in one sense, the human mind holds a
more superior position than the body since not only does it not deteriorate or
weaken with time; but if it allowed to work according to its divinely determined
function, it infact continues to grow and flourish on its path to perfection
right up to the end of an individual’s life and even after that.
Keeping this very crucial point in
mind, we can see the importance of well being and its very wide spectrum that
encompasses the entire human society, and does not limit itself only to merely
dealing with disorders and abnormalities. Dealing with mental well-being thus
mainly involves seeking ways and means of preventing mental and psychological
disorders as well as discovering and designing systems and ways to ensure and
enhance mental and psychological peace, progress and social welfare.
Now we need to evaluate
as to whether mental well being is of vital concern or does it suffice to pay
mere lip service to the mental and psychological health of an individual and
society. Of course, we can see very clearly that paying due attention to this
very determining factor needs to be of primary importance for one and all and
should not be related to simply as a topic that the rich and famous dabble in,
as a favourite hobby.
Let us now go on to
examine this important issue objectively and discuss the role of the mother in
the mental growth and development of a child.
All of us know that an
individual is born with certain basic and fundamental needs like air, water,
food and nourishment. Moreover, every human being, especially during infancy,
has other emotional and psychological needs that are ideally satisfied by a
mother and the love, care and warmth she can provide. It has been found that
individuals in whose lives, these different physical, material, psychological
and emotional needs are well satisfied, tend to grow up into more balanced and
healthy members of a society. There is no denial that a mother plays a very
significant and fundamental role in the mental well-being of a child which is
directly related to the gestational and growth period in the individual. This
growth period involves the emotional, psychological, behavioural and training
attitudes that have been adopted by a mother as well as the love and care
provided by her. Various experiments have been performed in order to understand
and prove the importance of this growth period in determining the mental,
psychological, moral and behavioural attitudes of human beings.
In one such experiment,
two groups of children were kept under close observation. In the first group,
the children were showered with a good amount of personal love, care and
attention by the mothers and were not given much attention to. It was soon
discovered that the children from the second group showed restlessness,
obstinacy, aggressiveness and lack of appetite. Many of them also developed
digestive problems and other similar disorders. The psychologists who were
studying these cases proved that the basis cause of all the disorders and
problems in the children of the second group were mainly because of lack of
mother’s love, care and attention. This is because children and especially
newborns and infants are in great need of a mother’s warmth and tender care,
lack of which has severe short-term and long-term consequences.
It has also been
observed that when a child who has developed a certain bonding with his mother
is separated from her and is transferred to strange and unfamiliar environments,
he initially expresses his objection and discomfort by crying and exhibiting
restlessness that may last for several hours and may stretch upto eight days.
However, in connection with the initial yearning for the mother and trying to
locate her and exhibiting signs indicating the same (like spontaneously turning
the head towards any voice that sounds like mother), it has been discovered that
the child gradually starts hardening up and becomes indifferent. Such children
tend to lose trust in others and become introverted. Many of them also start
transferring great attention to their toys and other belongings, that they feel,
are more reliable, trustworthy and long lasting.
We can see thus the
very significant role that a mother plays, in the mental well being of an
individual and in shaping his entire personality. As a child grows older, he
starts learning and acquiring various traits and habits from both his parents as
well as other members of his home, school and socio-cultural environment. In
this stage, it is very important to pay attention to training the child by
providing him with all kinds of healthy and appropriate means to satisfy his
various needs. By nature a child seeks out things and situations that give him
pleasure and fun and tends to avoid the opposite. Thus, exposing him to an
environment that develops a sense of pleasure for healthy things and
displeasure for harmful and unhealthy things and situations is very important to
his growth and development. It is this stage that the meaning and importance of
“training” and “upbringing” hold weight.
Training and healthy
upbringing means developing those habits and traits in a child, that contribute
to his normal and healthy growth and well-being. Thus the health of a society is
logically, inter-linked directly with the health and well being of its most basic
unit – the family. Whereas, any disorders and dysfunction within the family,
is bound to have overall social implications.