ABSTRACT
The signs are increasingly clear that "mental health" and its complement, "mental illness," are terms that embarrass psychologists. The various lists of criteria that have been proposed for positive mental health reshuffle overlapping conceptions of desirable functioning without attaining agreement—or giving much promise that agreement can be reached. Some give greater weight to the cognitive values of accurate perception and self-knowledge; some to moral values, to meaningful commitment, to social responsibility; some to working effectiveness; some to the blander social virtues- some to zest exuberance and creativity. The terms recur, but in different combinations and with connotations that slant in divergent directions. Knowing that he lacks a scientifically sanctioned single set of mental health criteria, the psychologist in his consulting or service or educational relationships will hesitate to prescribe the nature of the good life to others in the name of psychology.
