Introduction
The mental illnesses are characterized by an impairment of thinking, feeling, or behaving, or any combination of the three. These illnesses are divided into many diagnostic categories based on a variety of factors, for example, age of onset (mental retardation), etiology (organic deterioration of the brain -- Alzheimer's Disease), particular behaviors such as sexual perversions (transsexualism), drug abuse (alcoholism), and so forth. This book is limited to a consideration of those mental illnesses that are by their nature severe and persistent in character. It is generally agreed that the term severe and persistent mental illness is to be reserved for those illnesses that are longer than one year in duration, cause significant dysfunction, and meet certain diagnostic criteria. Although many of the diagnostic categories can be very serious and debilitating, the term severe and persistent mental illness is limited to the following disorders: schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, the severe mood disorders, and the very severe personality disorders.
No person exists in isolation from the influences of the environment; few if any mental health professionals would argue with this position. In recent years, focus has been on the person as embedded in the environment. Person-environment (P-E) variables are often pointed to as causal or related factors in the development of mental health problems across the life span. The crucial questions, however, are whether and how we can draw from P-E theory to go beyond mere study to develop effective assessment and intervention strategies for adolescents and adults.
Development of Person-Environment Theory
Dawis maintains that P-E theory is a paradigm that can encompass the many differing theories and the multitude of disparate facts that have characterized counseling psychology -- and psychology -- to this point. Furthermore, he asserts that It is the paradigm that can generate the puzzle-solving activity that is the hallmark of normal science.............
