The foundation necessary for any civilization to exist in peace and prosperity hinges on its citizenry’s mental health and their ability to think and act rationally and ethically. Sadly, current culture is marked by irrationality, divisiveness, and a movement toward polarization and constant conflict. Reversing this destructive trend will depend on a significant change in value structure at both societal and individual levels. Fundamental to this essential change is knowledge about the nature of mental health and the skills of responsible and effective interpersonal relating.

In The Psychology of Mental Health: The Pursuit of Psychological Quality, Dr. C. Franklin Truan tackles these issues by offering pragmatic common sense substance and direction for both laymen and helping professionals. He presents the nature and development of individual mental health, with special emphasis on the critical role early childhood social environment plays in fostering healthy psychological development. Additionally, Dr. Truan presents rational principles, characteristics, and competencies necessary for the acquisition and preservation of mental health and the experience of psychological quality.

Dr. Truan explores how cultural beliefs and practices contribute to both mental health and mental illness. He exposes erroneous and harmful practices in the psychological field and calls on psychology professionals to hold themselves accountable for being mentally healthy and competent and to assume a more responsible leadership role by challenging societal beliefs and practices that contribute to mental illness.

Finally, Dr. Truan states that psychology must prioritize preventive education as a primary deterrent to the proliferation of mental illness and the only effective avenue toward the experience of psychological quality in one’s life.