ARE YOU PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY?

What does being psychologically healthy mean? Most psychologists would agree that an individual is healthy if he or she has the following characteristics:

1. A healthy person is one who can function in everyday life. They can cope with the necessary routines of life and deal with the demands placed on their time., such as getting up on time, getting dressed, and going to school or work.
2. A healthy person is one who can get along with others. He or she can function reasonably well in the real world, understand reality and can deal with it, can form relationships with others--family, friends, classmates, co-workers, and employers, and they can hold down jobs and cope with most other demands of society.
3. Healthy people are comfortable with themselves and do not intentionally cause pain to themselves or others. They feel at ease with themselves and their identity. They do not do harmful things to themselves, such as engage in accident-prone behavior or abuse of drugs.

Typically, healthy people are able to cope with disappointments and problems. They share their feelings and enthusiasms with those around them and are open to new experiences. They make friends and take a useful role in the larger worlds of family and community. By these standards, most of us--whatever our hang-ups and differences--lead fairly normal lives.

It is also important to remember that even though we are normal, we all occasionally show some signs of abnormal behavior. These occasional, temporary signs are nothing to worry about. It is normal to "act a little crazy" once in a while.

WHAT'S NORMAL? WHAT ISN'T?

Is it normal to lash out at someone else in anger?

Sometimes it is very difficult to deal with stress. Most of us are upset occasionally. We fly off the handle now and then. We all know that these responses might not be the most desirable solutions to a given situation, they are part of most normal people's reactions to stress. However, to be continually in a rage, to lie constantly, to become hostile to every person who frustrates a goal are not normal responses to stress. These are signs of psychological problems, and most people are unable to resolve these problems without professional help.

Who decides what is normal and what isn't? To say that something is "abnormal" means that it differs from the norm, or standard, in some significant way. But what determines the norm? Before, normal behavior was "what most people do." It was a definition based on numbers. The difficulty with such a definition is that people are not numbers. Today society accepts behavior that once would have been considered deviant. In short, the norm itself has been redefined to include a wider variety of personal behaviors.

At work, we are dealing with a serious case of unacceptable behaviors. How to deal with an abusive, psychologically unbalanced co-worker right now is out of the question. How can we stop an abusive man who gets the backing of a high official, who is also showing similar signs of deviant attitudes. The effects of their unpleasant behaviors are harmful and destructive. Many employees are leaving the company for good. Is leaving the company the only option?