A Study on the Concept of Mental Health in Korea

한국인의 정신건강 개념에 관한 연구

Rapid process of industrialization and modernization in Korea has caused earning differentials between the rich and the poor, the feeling of alienation followed by excessive competitions among the members of community as well as the conflict between generations. Because of those factors, Koreans have come to undergo several mental problems such as anxiety, melancholy and suicide. However, scarce concern or effort has been given to solve those mental problems in the professional field of mental health. Social work service for mental health in Korea has been delivered on the basis of the Law of Mental Health, most of which are focused on treatment or care of mental patient himself or his family. Therefore ordinary people who have no mental disorder but have desire for mental health have no way to take service in the field of public mental health except for counselling programs given by some of the private social welfare institutions. In this context, the process of clarifying the concept of mental health is demanded before we develop the mental health program. As social welfare is the practical science that helps people seek after happiness and meaningful life, so clarifying the concept of mental health is needed not only for the field of mental health itself but also for every field of social welfare. In order to achieve this purpose, this study firstly arranged concepts of mental health in Korea using Q methodology. As the result, we found 21 dimensions including spiritual one and self-wellbeing one which newly identified in this study as well as 19 dimensions of Jahoda. We also found Koreans perceive concepts of mental health as independently as 5 types of Communalist, Rationalist, Individualist, Humanist, and Religionist. Secondly, on the basis of the result, we suggested that mental health programs in social welfare should be oriented to the positive concept of mental health. This study could furnish fundamental data that enable the concept of mental health to be spread to that of the growth for a better life not limiting on that of the prevention or the treatment of the mental disorder.

사회복지는 개인의 행복과 만족스러운 삶을 이루도록 원조하는 실천학문인 만큼 명확한 정신건강개념 규정은 정신보건 사회복지 영역 뿐 아니라 전체 사회복지실천영역에서도 포괄적으로 필요하다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 첫째, Q 방법론을 활용하여 한국인의 정신건강개념을 도출하였다. 그 결과 정신건강 개념에는 자호다(Jahoda)의 19개 영역과 본 연구에서 새롭게 나타난 '영적' 영역과 '자기 안녕감' 영역을 합하여 21개 영역이 나타났고, 각 개인들은 이 개념을 공동체주의형, 합리주의형, 개인주의형, 인본주의형, 신본주의형 등 매우 독립적인 5가지 유형으로 인식하고 있었다. 둘째, 연구결과를 통해 사회복지영역에서는 일반인을 위한 정신건강프로그램의 방향성을 적극적 정신건강 개념으로 전환되어야 함을 제시하였다. 이는 사회복지영역에서 한국인의 정신건강개념을 정신질환 예방이나 치료라는 틀 속에 묶어두지 않고 건강한 삶의 성장으로 확대하기 위한 기초 자료를 제공하고자 함이다.