Towards a public health psychology

Abstract

Purpose

This paper argues for the need for a public health psychology based on the same epidemiological principles that came from the medical work of John Snow in the Victorian era.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the work of a national advisory group set up in 2006, evidence is put forward that supports the existence of universal psychological needs underlying the human condition and human well‐being. In a country with a low rating from UNICEF for well‐being amongst its young people, the case is made for using these principles to inform health practice and policy rather than responding reactively to mental health disorders as discrete conditions.

Findings

The paper finds that effective health services and happier communities can only hope to be built by having an explicit scientific model of the human condition that includes universal psychological needs.

Originality/value

The paper argues the need for an effective public health psychology based on the universal psychological needs of the human condition.

Citation

Seager, M. (2012), "Towards a public health psychology", Journal of Public Mental Health, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 153-156. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465721211261941