A TWO-WAY TRAFFIC BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of ailment or infirmity, and mental health as a state of well-being in which the individual is aware of his or her own abilities and is able to contribute to his or her community. On the other hand, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) declares that everyone has the right to a standard of living suitable for the health and well-being of himself and of his family. Therefore, mental health is a right and is protected by law. However, violations of human rights are abundant, causing a lot of drawbacks on different walks of life. Besides, abuse in all of its forms is the backstage culprit in mental disorders and maladjustment with the society. For this reason, it should be counteracted by psychology, education and psychotherapy whose impact is magnified when protected by the power of law. These facts triggered the authors’ interest to investigate how each domain, psychology and human rights, can contribute to maintaining mental wellbeing and protecting humans from discrimination. For this aim, the authors reviewed the literature and legislations and depended on field observation and personal experience and deduced that prominent benefits can be obtained when both domains cooperate together. Practical recommendations that can lead to tremendous progress on both the short and long terms are presented

Data set 2 for the research.sav

1. Data for validating the scales (N= 608) 2. Data for the research (N = 1450).</p