---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is culturally constructed, but not…"
description: "\"It is culturally constructed, but not unnecessary. A crisis is a period in a person's life that lasts at least a year during which there is an unusual ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg"
---

#  It is culturally constructed, but not unnecessary. A…

![“It is culturally constructed, but not unnecessary. A crisis is a period in a person's life that lasts at least a year during which there is an unusual level of emotional instability, negativity, and crucially, major changes. This is important because right now, when you diagnose mental health…” quote by Oliver Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg)

> “It is culturally constructed, but not unnecessary. A crisis is a period in a person's life that lasts at least a year during which there is an unusual level of emotional instability, negativity, and crucially, major changes. This is important because right now, when you diagnose mental health problems, where you are in life doesn't really come into it. Psychologists are saying that it should.”

[Oliver Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A crisis is a prolonged period of emotional instability and major life changes, which should be considered when diagnosing mental health issues.

**In simple terms:** Crisis = long instability instability plus major changes

Key Takeaway

Diagnose with life context in mind.

Themes

mental health diagnosis life stages

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

clinical educational

When to use this quote

- clinical evaluation
- therapy planning
- policy making

Key Concepts

psychology contextual assessment stress theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does life stage affect mental health?
- Should diagnosis include contextual factors?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring life stage may misdiagnose or mistreat.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-problem/) [Health problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-problems/) [Instability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instability/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Negativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negativity/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Psychologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychologist/)

## Related quotes

> [Death is not a self-evident phenomenon. The margins between life and death are socially and culturally constructed, mobile, multiple, and open to dispute and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-m-lock/death-is-not-a-self-evident-phenomenon-the-margins-between-life-and/)

[Margaret M. Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-m-lock/)

> [The world got side-tracked from development issues during the post-9/11 crisis period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/the-world-got-side-tracked-from-development-issues-during-the-post-9/)

[Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/)

> [“The crisis is a period in which a diseased social, economic, and political body or system cannot live on as before and is obliged,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-gunder-frank/the-crisis-is-a-period-in-which-a-diseased-social-economic-and/)

[André Gunder Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-gunder-frank/)

> ["Solid wastes" are the discarded leftovers of our advanced consumer society. This growing mountain of garbage and trash represents not only an attitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/solid-wastes-are-the-discarded-leftovers-of-our-advanced-consumer/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Handguns are a public-health problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-sugarmann/handguns-are-a-public-health-problem/)

[Josh Sugarmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-sugarmann/)

> [I had patients who didn't die because they had too many pets to try to find homes for. It's why women live longer than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-siegel/i-had-patients-who-didn-t-die-because-they-had-too-many-pets-to-try/)

[Bernie Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-siegel/)

> [“The only other nutrients low or borderline low with a diet without animal products are B12, zinc, iodine, and the marine fats eicosapentaenoic acid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/the-only-other-nutrients-low-or-borderline-low-with-a-diet-without/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

> [“I believe that human beings are designed to be physically active and that not doing so creates energy imbalances within the body that ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-nina-cherie-franklin/i-believe-that-human-beings-are-designed-to-be-physically-active-and/)

Dr. Nina Cherie Franklin

> [Recognizing and preventing men's health problems is not just a man's issue. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters, men's health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/recognizing-and-preventing-men-s-health-problems-is-not-just-a-man-s/)

[Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/)

> [“The British Association of Art Therapists defines art therapy as: ...a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wikipedia/the-british-association-of-art-therapists-defines-art-therapy-as-a/)

[Wikipedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wikipedia/)

> [I continually still fight every day for my life, not only still battling mental health problems but battling multiple sclerosis, which also has depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-holliday/i-continually-still-fight-every-day-for-my-life-not-only-still/)

[Jennifer Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-holliday/)

> [I have always liked working "upstream" long before health problems hit the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/i-have-always-liked-working-upstream-long-before-health-problems-hit/)

[Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/)

> [You certainly can't prevent all mental health problems - factors like genetics and traumatic life events certainly play a role. But everyone can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-morin/you-certainly-can-t-prevent-all-mental-health-problems-factors-like/)

[Amy Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-morin/)

> [My mother suffers mental health problems and has a learning deprivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rayner/my-mother-suffers-mental-health-problems-and-has-a-learning/)

[Angela Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rayner/)

> [ With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests \[for hiring\], I worry about filtering out people with mental health… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i-worry-about-racist-outcomes/)

[Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/)

## More by Oliver Robinson

> [At any decade in your life, our results suggest that there is a 40 to 50 percent chance of having a life crisis. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/at-any-decade-in-your-life-our-results-suggest-that-there-is-a-40-to/)

[Oliver Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/)

> [Half the people said that their lives had become better after a life crisis as a result of changes they made; some said the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/half-the-people-said-that-their-lives-had-become-better-after-a-life/)

[Oliver Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/)

> [The concept of a midlife crisis is a well known one perpetuated by books and films. And recently the idea of a quarter-life crisis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/the-concept-of-a-midlife-crisis-is-a-well-known-one-perpetuated-by/)

[Oliver Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/)

> [In your 20s, crises tend to be about whether you are making the correct decisions for the rest of your life, namely in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/in-your-20s-crises-tend-to-be-about-whether-you-are-making-the/)

[Oliver Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/)

[Explore all 5 Oliver Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/)

## More Crisis quotes

> [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/)

[Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/)

Jim Wright

> [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/)

[Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/)

> [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/)

[Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/)

> [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/)

[Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/)

> [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/)

[Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/)

> [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/)

[Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/)

[Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/)

> [If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-we-europeans-are-not-in-a-state-to-be-able-to-solve-the-refugee/)

[Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/)

> [Urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity, seeing it as a crisis is wrong. And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

[Browse all 3,419 Crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is culturally constructed, but not unnecessary. A crisis is a period in a person's life that lasts at least a year during which there is an unusual level of emotional instability, negativity, and crucially, major changes. This is important because right now, when you diagnose mental health problems, where you are in life doesn't really come into it. Psychologists are saying that it should.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Oliver Robinson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unnecessary-a-crisis-is-a-period/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crisis"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unnecessary-a-crisis-is-a-period/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/oliver-robinson-62624_crisis_it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unn_1184467.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is culturally constructed, but not unnecessary. A crisis is a period in a person's life that lasts at…” — Oliver Robinson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Oliver Robinson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-robinson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is culturally constructed, but not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unnecessary-a-crisis-is-a-period/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-robinson/it-is-culturally-constructed-but-not-unnecessary-a-crisis-is-a-period/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
