YLVIA Pankhurst, the woman suffragist, fought her cause on the streets of London where she met people from all walks of life. It is said that she once bent down to console a small boy who was sobbing as though his heart would break. As she patted him on the head she advised, "There, there, little boy. Don't cry. Tell your trouble to God. She will help you."This illustration of the impact of a social value on thought seems appropriate at this time when current orientations toward mental health and positive mental health seem much akin to value orientations in guiding-and blinding-thought and action.Man, perhaps more than any other creature, is a valuing animal. A subtle network of values, chiefly acquired in infancy, guide both the direction and mode of his thought and action, and give meaning and significance to his efforts. The intensity with which these values are held may at once impart fervor to his strivings and blind him to other possible, even more fruitful alternatives. Unless shaken up by some unusual situation or value conflict, he may be unaware of their guiding-and restrictinginfluence.Individuals also assume new values while going through the orientation, training, and initiation experiences which gain membership in professional or action groups. Psychologists who have ventured into new areas of research and action may find themselves holding value orientations quite different from those held by their colleagues who have remained in academic pursuits or who have moved into other professional fields. One might reasonably hypothesize that once such professional value orientations have become interiorized, they guide thoughts and orient perceptions in much the same way as do the value orientations we hold toward life, time, space, and natural forces of the universe.May I suggest that those of us who have moved 1 1 would like to express my appreciation to members of the APA Committee on Mental Health Research and Programs for the stimulus they have provided in helping me to develop this paper.