Hi readers,
Manu has asked "What motivates a terrorist ?" in response to one of my earlier posts. In fact most of us would be having the same thought in our minds, post the recent events in Mumbai. Why do they do this?
Recently there has been reports of youth from even the southern most state of India - Kerala, where nobody speaks Hindi, leave alone Urdu - being recruited for terrorist activities in Kashmir. Most of these were either unemployed youth desperate to get a job or people with past criminal record who came into contact with the recruiting agents. Money would be a very powerful factor to lure such people. Obviously, there is huge money involved in this business. It is not fully convincing to think that Pakistan alone is behind all this. Can the government of a poor nation like Pakistan alone fund such large scale activities? May be, Pakistan is only a transit point in the whole affair. Funding may be being done outside that country by some agency with real money power. Revealing the whole truth needs concerted efforts of all nations. Such issues are not my subject in any case.
Mental health professionals will be more interested in uncovering the factors motivating one to join the ranks of such outifts involved in inhuman activities. It is very difficult to think that a pious person -of any faith - will involve in such activities.
I am quoting from an email send to the e-group of psychiatrists by Dr Abhay Matkar practising psychiatrist at Hubli, Karnataka. He describes findings from his study by interviewing some militants captured by army from Kashmir.
Dr. Matkar writes...."I am reminded of the study which was conducted by me & few others to know the psychodynamics of militancy.I pen down a few thoughts picked during the study on over 500 militants captured by the Indian army: Economic deprivation & deep sense of hurt(alienation) was the major cause of militancy in Kashmir.Coercion was the next major cause to take up to arms.Contrary to the popular belief,religion was not the primary motivational factor for Kashmir militants. What was striking was the strong motivation to sacrifice oneself for Jihad--the holy war.The indoctrination of ethnic & religious identity,political insecurity &deep sense of personal deprivation entrapped the virgin mind into taking to the 'gun culture'.The weak ego,a low self esteem & low frustration made matters worse. Militants seen by me showed no warmth in their relationship with family members nor a keen desire to be reunited with their dear ones.Three-fourths of these are between 15 to 30 years of age;most of them school dropouts.A significant youngsters had painfully tattooed the organisation they belonged to. Militants showed no personal involvement; killing was dehumanised- the victim was faceless,unknown to him.Often the militant was ordered or nominated to carry out the killing-killing was institutionalised. Suicide for a cause was rational & was called martyrdom. A group seen by me reacted with pride when chosen for a 'mission'.Those not selected reacted with bitter & sometimes hysterical resentment.The chosen ones were given a 'dining out' by the Commander.The farewell speech super-charged them mentally. These militants could not be categorised as "fanatics" or "mad men","psychopaths" or "mentally abnormal".They are normal people with a different psycho-logic of their own. It pains to see that time has not removed the veil of cruelty.Political answers are far from soothing. A real introspection & EARLY INTERVENTION are the only way we can have a safe tomorrow. LETS RISE.Regards. Abhay Matkar Hubli"
I am posting this for wider circulation among mental health professionals, other experts, social / political leaders and the public. Comments are welcome.
Bye
Dr Harish M Tharayil
9 comments:
Dear friends,
There are well educated and well employed guys joining terrorist groups. The attackers of 9/11 were well educated mature adults. Many terrorist guys belong to good families. Hindus and Christians are joining Islamic terrorist groups. Any sane person knows that the result will be bad for a small group fighting against a well trained army. Most of these guys are not stupid enough to believe in a better life after death. Theories that tried to explain terrorism in terms of mental disorders failed. I think the problem is very complex. There may be some people who are benefiting from terror attacks and supporting these activities. The role of brain disorders should also be re evaluated. I have difficulty believing sane persons joining a terrorist group. It doesn’t require complex calculations to find that being a terrorist doesn’t provide a happier life. I think that most of the guys who die for terrorist groups are mentally disturbed. The story of promoters, supporters or leaders of these groups is different. They obviously make profits.
Thank you.
What are the psychological benefits of Hymenoplasty as it is useful for abused school children, raped singles or nuns who are facing court trials?
The rate of rape is very high in India and many school girls and rural young girls are victims of it. Will Hymenoplasty help regain confidence for these poor persons as virginity is considered an integral part of marriage in India?
Is religious celibacy a psychologically sustainable model? Is it healthy? Isn’t it equal to mass suicide and what will happen if all persons start to practice it?
There are many reports of sexual perversion from the side of clerical celibacy. In our god’s own country, the abhaya case news reports are telling stories of sexual perversion among celibates that rival porn movies.
Do you think that we need to abandon these unhealthy celibacy practices?
Comments are welcome.
Thank you.
Does greater affluence lead inexorably to greater well-being?
What is the Psychologist's definition of well-being?
Ajeesh,
I think it is best left to an individual whether he or she wants to remian celibate or have sex. Organized celibacy in the name of virtue / religion is not at all scienitific. It should not have any support. Many of the so called religious leadrers might have suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy which is said to reduce libido. The notion that Jesus Christ did not marry / have a female companion is disputed by many authorities. Im think the belief of Catholic hurch in celibacy is an aberration.
Hymenoplasty is done in most cases to help females to avoid disputes about virginity. It is at present practised in some primitive cultures which place an unduly high premium on virginity.
In the case which you have referred to, the investigators might have used this test to weaken the morale of the accused.
There is no point in doing hymenoplasty for rape victims. The trauma of being raped is more psychological than physical.
On the relationship between affluence and well being: Psychological research has established that there is not much of relationship between well being and wealth beyong a certain point. This is the point at which the basic needs - physical - food cloth, shelter - are reasonably satisfied. If you lack enough money for these, it can ruin happiness. But beyond this point, further accumulation of wealth does not lead to increased happiness or feelings of well being. The researchers have upheld the conviction that the ability to be happy is a decision or a state of mind of the person. Very often we come across people from lower and middle economic strata, who exude much more happiness than the affluent. But affluence, by itself, is not a contra indication to being happy. The key point is to have the right attitudes. Among the major religions, these views are closest to that of Buddhism.
Could you please blog on Psychology of Pain?
Discussing Psychological Approaches to Pain Management, CBT for Chronic Pain Management, Pain Measurement, Perception of Pain, Pain without actual physiological causes etc…
I am not able to contribute regularly to the blog because of other distractions. But I shall definitely write on the psychological aspects of pain. Thanks Ajeesh.
Dear Dr.Harish,
It is not urgent. Take your time.
Your efforts to promote mental health is really appreciated.
Thank you.
A commentary in nature discusses the responsible use of cognitive enhancing drugs by the healthy.
Almost all psychiatrists say that antidepressants like Zoloft or Prozac are safe and can be used for a long term without any routine medical examinations. Most of these psychiatrists do not discuss the side effects of those drugs with patients or their care takers. But they will immediately talk about the dangerous side effects of those drugs if someone (thought healthy) asks for a prescription. Risk reward ratio becomes less important if a particular drug doesn’t have any significant side effects.
It is logical to assume that antidepressants or mood enhancers also work in healthy individuals because these drugs are not similar to antibiotics or vaccines. The exact mechanism of action for many psychiatric drugs is unknown. But we know that they improve mood, cognition, quality of sleep etc… in some persons. How can we say that psychiatric drugs are not useful in healthy individuals without even knowing necessary drug mechanism?
We do not have any (built in) evolutionary advantage to cope with current realties. Our living environment is changing fast and the gap will become bigger everyday with explosive developments in technology and science. We are evolved for something else but we are faced with mounting pressures of everyday life. Almost all well paid high tech professional are required to meet absurd levels of stress. Who has the time to sleep 8 or 9 hours a day? Is it practical to have regular exercise and planned healthy eating style in this busy life?
Expecting comments from all readers.
Thank you.
The practice of celibacy is originally not Christian.
Initial Centuries of Christian History doesnt have the concept of celibacy : and the original religion or Bible never consider celibacy as a virtue.
According to Historians it is a practice Europeans later on adopted from India through Merchants and travellers...
Many useless practices of Organised religions like ...Chanting prayers with beads in the hands ,meditations for hours,dress codes ,Monastry ,celibacy etc are the influence of India on Europe.
Regarding the mind of Terrorists..
Is it so difficult to understand..?and need to analyse the psychology behind it?
Are their attitude different from the mind of an ordinary military personnel? except that the young men in the army commit suicide/homicide for the salary/ money... with Govt.patronage....and 'extremist'commit it for a 'noble cause'.!
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