2015/07/03 by Beverly B. Palmer
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Cultural Differences and Values #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
paper · doi:10.1080/00207411.2015.1037133
crossref issued 2015/07/03 · crossref published 2015/07/03 · crossref published-print 2015/07/03 · openalex publication_date 2015/07/03 · crossref published-online 2015/08/07 · crossref created 2015/08/07 · crossref deposited 2016/12/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
This study uses a qualitative, emic approach to assess differing concepts of mental health in Malaysia. Respondents were asked to list five characteristics of psychological well-being in the Malay language. The responses were analyzed by a self-identified religion (Islamic, Christian, Buddhist) and ethnicity (Malay, Chinese, tribal). Among all respondents, the most often noted concepts of mental health were rational thinking, interpersonal skills, controlling emotions, positive thinking, open-mindedness, and the ability to solve problems (in that order of frequency). The interpersonal skills concept was the most frequently identified by Chinese Buddhists/Christians and tribal Christians, while controlling emotions was the most frequently identified by Malay and tribal Muslims. Yet, when Malay responses were analyzed only by ethnicity, the highest frequency was interpersonal skills.