El concepto de salud mental y el enfoque de las capacidades de Martha C. Nussbaum

Abstract

This presentation focuses on Martha C. Nussbaum’s approach of capacities in order to define the sense of mental health. This autor maintains that there exist ten main capacities which are necessary for a full, thriving and worthy human life (eudaimonía); the general idea of this paper is to demonstrate that these capacities also work as essential conditions for mental health. The main capacities have a universal character and a cross-cultural one, which is why, when transferred to the notion of mental health, it is implied that mental health has also a core of universal and cross-cultural meaning. This core constitutes a minimum basis of agreement among mental health experts stemming from different theoretical schools of thought. Some Nussbaum arguments are examined, which support the universal and cross-cultural character of the main capacities.