Mental Health and Population Density
- 1 November 1973
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Psychology
- Vol. 85 (2) , 171-177
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1973.9915647
Abstract
A comparison of mental illness and narcotic use in rural and urban areas indicates a greater incidence in areas with high population density. A hypothesis explored is that prior experiences condition some to be sanguine and others melancholic. Whereas both are vulnerable to stress, the reactions to signals indicating punishment will vary according to the conditioned temperament. The great frequency of signals in high population density areas activates a general stress reaction. Relief can be obtained for the melancholic by withdrawal, whereas for the sanguine it is by the use of drugs.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
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- Social class and mental illness: Community study.Published by American Psychological Association (APA) ,1958
- The Physiology of Fear and AngerScientific American, 1955