Minding Your Mind

 

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Mag-ajag nan ato pangisip…

In the Philippines, mental illness is becoming a common disability and at least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from mental, neurological and substance use disorder, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Dr. Cornelio Banaag Jr, president of the Philippine Mental Health Association said: Mental health-related issues affect Filipinos of all ages and backgrounds - young or old, rich or poor.

The pervasive mental illnesses experienced by many based on latest data are: anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

Most commonly reported illness is depression. Reports mentioned that this can be genetic or triggered by substance use and character traits like being envious and the development of the FOMO (Fear of missing out) ushered in by information technology. It seems that the people’s attitude is being dictated by what is “in” in the social media platforms.

The National Institutes of Health (2023) published: There is positive correlation between envy, depression, self-reported inferiority, and low self-esteem. Depressed individuals feel more envious and inferior, particularly when faced with attractive Facebook profiles (significant interaction: depression x envy). There is also a positive correlation between neuroticism, envy, and depression.

These are self-destructive illnesses. But there are also mental illnesses which can lead to social disruptive cases. These are also causes for alarm since their illnesses are inflicting pain, discomfort and abuse to others.

Narcissism, delusions of grandeur, hunger for power and recognition, psychopathy, pathological lying and others… A lot of people are sick with these and they are thinking that it is OK to hurt others because of their childhood deficits.

What this writer is advocating is self-reflection and regular visits to the inner self. Self-reflection involves being present with yourself and intentionally focusing your attention inward to examine your thoughts, feelings, actions, and motivations.

Self-reflection is important because it helps you form a self-concept and contributes toward self-development. Keeping a journal is one way of doing this. Also this allows the individual to widen the awareness to the world and others as well.

We can control our feelings, moods, thoughts and even the way we see the world and not the opposite. The world will be a little more peaceful with lesser insanity.

Pea-sized

 

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Di jaon kun abtik sanan lihero…

This might be shocking but there are observations that those who complain a lot are NOT good workers. They have ample time to look into some lapses and are not busy enough improving themselves,

Research has shown that across a wide array of psychological events, people tend to focus more on the negative as they try to make sense of the world. They tend to pay more attention to negative events than positive ones.

Complaining is good so to express the negative things you are feeling. It is also a feedback mechanism to improve system lapses and judgment. But dwelling and making a career out from it is different, Chronic complaining is unhealthy.

A chronic complainer is always focused on obstacles and barriers in any situation in life. They see every little change as a problem and complain about it. They focus on mistakes and have a negative perspective instead of focusing on the brighter side of the situation (Rogerro, 2022).

Is there a relationship between chronic complaining and efficacy at the workplace?

The chronic complainer will often attempt to engage co-workers in their negative and unproductive discussions. They view their co-workers as allies and believe they are equally passionate about the issues (Pate, 2023). This would lead to unproductive time and can allow their brains to be rewired to complaining rather than being effective workers.

Repeating a behavior like complaining makes a person’s neurons branch out, easing information flow. This makes it much easier to repeat that behavior in the future—so easy, in fact, that the individual might not even realize doing it.

Scientists like to describe this process as, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Repeated complaining rewires the brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, the person finds it is easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what is happening around them. Complaining becomes their default behavior, which changes how people perceive the individual (Bradberry, 2021)

Research from Stanford University has also found that complaining reduces the size of the hippocampus, which, is responsible for memory and problem solving. The study found that engaging in complaining or simply hearing someone complain for more than 30 minutes could physically damage the brains.

Therefore, how can complainers achieve in real life when the size of their brains is shrinking?

Foolhardy

 

 

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Hilabian da na pagsalig sa kaugalingon!

Self-confidence is the key to success, so the adage goes. But what happens when it would become too much?

In our scrutinizing eyes, we see opinions posted on social media sites intended to create “noise” even if these are ungrounded. There are those who post offensive words to become famous.

The present media landscape is increasingly saturated with the need for fame and celebrity status. We are living in a cultural moment in which ostensibly anyone can achieve sudden fame via [Tiktok and Facebook] (Greenwood, 2022).

While the allure of fame is certainly not a new phenomenon, the ubiquity and perceived accessibility of fame seems to give a false sense of self-confidence.

Then, with the number of “likes” and followers, one can then feign the feeling of being famous.

This is when the person must be careful on treading the fame ground. Mclennan (2022) wrote: Humans are all too tempted to believe their own hype or the hype created around them, and when they cannot live up to it, the mental ill health seeds that they have previously sown, sprout as poisoned ivy.

If unguarded and unprocessed by the self, the need to be famous by posting ungrounded opinions can possibly lead to a psychological case.

One of the most elaborate recent investigations of fame interest was undertaken by Maltby (2010), who found that narcissism was positively correlated with Intensity (e.g., “Very little matters to me apart from being famous”) Celebrity Lifestyle (e.g., “I want to be rich”), Drive (e.g., “I work hard every day to be famous”), and Perceived Suitability (e.g., “I’ve got what it takes to be famous”).

Narcissism was associated with increased appeal of Visibility and Status, more time spent engaged in fame fantasy, and greater perceived realism of future fame. This is from the study titled “Fame and the Social Self: The need to belong, narcissism, and relatedness predict the appeal of fame” by Greenwood, Long and Dal Cin (2013).

There are things that we need to understand like our motivations of fame and power. We also have the capacity to reroute our movements since we control our own sails. If not, we might be part of the statistical data on the verge of insanity.

Self Check

 

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Nahadlok or poloho lamang gajod?

It is understandable that we experience fear when our lives are threatened. Without fear, self-preservation won’t happen. Fear also drives the ego to protect the self.

When the earthquake happened, we were afraid of our lives, our possessions and the well-being of our loved ones. Some even experienced trauma. This had some adverse effects in the way they feel and see things.

PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by specific symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, flashbacks, nightmares, and sleep disturbances, changes in memory and concentration, and startle responses.

Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people (helpguide.org).

When work suspension was announced by the province of Surigao del Sur, there were those who felt relieved since they did not trust the structural integrity of their office buildings and the like. When some tasks were required by higher offices, there were some who expressed their dismay and hurled accusations on social media. A few even sent written complaints generated by artificial intelligence. They do not want to do minor tasks citing the executive order.

We then wonder if this is caused by trauma or simply sloth.

Procrastinators according to Scott (2022) chronically avoid difficult tasks and may deliberately look for distractions.

A researcher can filter out social media posts and will find those who are looking forward to long weekends and through focused observation, could see people flocking on fast-food chains and malls.

Self-control is the ability to regulate and alter your responses to avoid undesirable behaviors, increase desirable ones, and achieve long-term goals. Research has shown that possessing self-control can be important for health and well-being (Cherry, 2023).

Self-evaluation is also a key to unlock personality traits. Am I afraid? Or something else…

We cannot discount the fact that lots are traumatized. But we also understand that others are just making excuses.

 

Unreasonable

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Hilabian da na pagbati!

When the breakup of Kathniel became a national issue, one can ask: Are we that emotional that such things become an object of the majority’s attention? Are we allowing emotions to take over our cognitive processing?

Emotional overwhelm according to goodtherapy.org is a state of being beset by intense emotion that is difficult to manage. It can affect your ability to think and act rationally. It could also prevent you from performing daily tasks.

There were those who cried helplessly. Social media were flooded with comments, memes and other sensitive and insensitive comments. Indeed, these platforms allowed everyone to become dancers, performers, newscasters and psychologists as well.

But what happens when you allow yourself to be too emotional over things that you resonate on breakups of film stars?

Emotional investment is actively the heart ruling the head, to give balance to that statement Friedrich Nietzche said “many find their hearts when they have lost their head” (Larkin, 2015).

There are people around us who gets angry over petty things. They blurt out words while reacting to the stimulus. They cannot control their emotions since they have invested too much on them.

A highly sensitive person (HSP) is a neurodivergent individual who is thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli (Scott, 2023).

There is no official diagnosis that HSP is a mental illness. High sensitivity is a personality trait that involves increased responsiveness to both positive and negative influences.

Research shows that a lack of parental warmth growing up may cause a child to develop high sensitivity and carry this trait into adulthood. The same goes for negative early childhood experiences (Chen, Moyzis, et al, 2011).

Too much investing on emotions leads to friction. Always, these persons cause some sort of disagreement around since they base their reactions to emotions and NOT reason.

 

 

                                     

Stop Playing the Victim

 

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Kay uman ako may pirme sajop?

Playing the victim is an egocentric person’s way of twisting the truths. But despite all the efforts, others will always see their true colors. As the adage goes: We were not born yesterday!

Persons with victim mentality claim things that happen to them are the fault of someone or something other than themselves. It might be the fault of their partner, family, co-worker, friend, or "the way the world is." They frequently complain about the bad things that happen in their lives. They are reluctant to take personal responsibility, asserting that the circumstances aren’t in their control (Brennan, 2022).

Vicki Botnick, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in Tarzana, California, explains that people identify with the victim role when they “veer into the belief that everyone else caused their misery.”

These people do not take responsibility of their actions!

A lot of people will then ask: Why is it that these types do not learn from their past mistakes? Is it a personality trait or something edging towards mental illness?

One 2020 study (Gabay, Hameiri, et al.) suggests that the victim mentality may be a personality trait, dubbed the “Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood (TIV).” In this case, it spans multiple types of relationships and includes four patterns: a desire for recognition as a victim; feelings of moral superiority; limited empathy for others; and frequent rumination.

And Lebow (2022) theorized that a sense of victimhood may also be a symptom of another mental health condition, including: borderline personality disorder (BPD); major depressive disorder (MDD); and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

We often hear beauty queens advocating mental health awareness and all. Some always feel that this is all about depression. They do not realize that there are people we see around worse than being depressed.

Conflict-filled Minds

 

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Uman pirme man igkita nan kalabad?

What you feel and think, you will become. Therefore, if you are a person of bad thoughts, intentions and has a rotten set of values, expect that the universe will also give these negative things to you.

English philosopher James Allen mentioned: “As a man thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.” Stoic and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said: “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.” And author Earl Nightingale posited: “We become what we think about.”  

In Hinduism and Buddhism, karma is the sum of one’s actions in their existence’s current and past states, believed to decide their future destinies. With this, the saying was quipped: What goes around comes around.

There is this movement about emptying the mind with negative thoughts through meditation and welcoming all the positive thoughts like gratefulness and intentions of peace and well-being. The proponents believe that the deed can transcend all negative things around.

And that is the difference between peace-loving person and a “war freak”. The former transcends while the latter dwells.

When people achieve transcendence, they have gone beyond ordinary limitations. The word is often used to describe a spiritual or religious state, or a condition of moving beyond physical needs and realities.

The American Psychiatric Association (2020) reported: rumination involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences. The repetitive, negative aspect of rumination can contribute to the development of depression or anxiety and can worsen existing conditions.

Those who dwell on negative intentions and thoughts and act on them will soon get their rewards: A chaotic life they fairly deserve.

In Constant Chaos

 

Basin nakalaong na sija day hawod!

There are those who think that they are the only manipulators, deceptive and power-hungry creatures. They’re wrong. Along the way, they will encounter similar species.

First, mean people don’t envision themselves as bad. They don’t understand people who think they are mean. And yet, when they do engage with another rude person, they often feel hurt and complain.

‘Evil’ people are those who are unable to empathize with others. As a result, their own needs and desires are of paramount importance. They are selfish, self-absorbed, and narcissistic. They cannot sense other people’s emotions or suffering, can’t see the world from other people’s perspectives, and so have no sense of their rights. Other human beings are just objects to them, which is what makes their brutality and cruelty possible (Taylor, 2003).

When, they apply this to others who have similar attributes, expect a “clash”. They will then release all their powers to stay on top not realizing that on the other side, the same mentality is applied.

Along the way, animals as they are, they will then experience the “fight or flight response”. It serves many for most of that time, readying for attack and helping individuals escape when they encounter something “dangerous” (Schoen, 2014).

Therefore, during the clash, there is a fight and if threatened, the animal in them, flees. But they won’t stop there.

The preservation of the ego will then take place. One’s ego is generally always oriented toward a fundamental defense of the self. Since most of the mean people are egocentric, they will always find ways to preserve their self-image.

Machiavellianism in psychology refers to a personality trait that sees a person so focused on their own interests they will manipulate, deceive, and exploit others to achieve their goals (Jacobson, 2023).

If these persons won’t consider reflections, therapy and interventions, they will experience a vicious cycle of conflicts and chaotic encounters. In the real world, they exist. And most of the time, they are involved in unresolved conflicts and constant “clashes”.

You Are What You Repeatedly Do

 

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Ugsa baja magsiningod!

Simply said, a habit is a routine or behavior that is performed regularly, and in many cases, automatically.

Ever wonder why there are people who are fond of doing things which are considered as morally wrong, yet they still do them? It has become their habits – an automatic response to a stimulus. Paired with justifications and the ability to whitewash lies (and probably experiencing mental illness like psychopathy and narcissistic disorder), they still can sleep well at night.

In his worldwide bestseller “Atomic Habits,” James Clear posited: Once habits are established, they seem to stick around forever – especially the unwanted ones. Despite the individual’s best intentions, unhealthy habits like [accumulating money even in a corrupt manner] can feel impossible to break.

Bandyk (2016) mentioned: Most corrupt acts are not committed by those whom we would likely picture as bad people, certainly not with knowing the specific contexts and rationalization behind a corrupt act. More often than not, corruption is a tale of “protagonists of these behaviors [that] gradually slide into habits, without thinking of them as wrongdoings.”

Dan Ariely, professor of behavioral economics and psychology at Duke University, calls this the fudge factor – “an ability to rationalize some dishonesty [where] as long as we cheat just a little bit, we can still rationalize it.”

Yet ultimately, habits matter since they help you become the person you want to be. You become your habits. A person who has the habit of writing will eventually be called a writer. Therefore, a person who is not honest enough of dealing other people’s money will either be corrupt or dishonest.

There is no single way to create better habits. But the awareness of good and evil must be in the system of a person. Doing good things repeatedly will cause automatic goodness. The opposite is fearsome.

Those Who Sit (Not Just Sitting)

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Mo silbi or magpa silbi?

It has always been a debate on why there are those who run for public service when in fact their motivations are unclear. We cannot discount the fact that there are those who deserve to run… still, what drives those who cannot even make a draft of a resolution?

Butuyan (2022) mentioned that an election provides a stage that generates public attention for individuals who crave fame. Running for office feeds big egos. It also gives the same adrenaline rush associated with gambling, because getting elected into office can yield a bonanza of great wealth as viewed by those with unscrupulous intentions.

What if others are just bored? And since there is an election, what a good way to fill in the empty hours by doing something…

Public servants work for government and for citizens. They're responsible to the elected government, not a political party or themselves. They develop and deliver public programs or services and provide evidence-based policies to defend constitutional rights and improve the quality of life among the people they are serving.

Ergo, this is not some hobby to do for a person not to get bored.

The examination of political ambition emerged with the classic study by Schlesinger (1966, p. 4), who described “political ambitions” as being shaped by a person's “office goals.” This conceptualization of political ascent argues that people take actions which enable them to reach their goals of advancing in their political careers.

Sadly, Philippine political parties rarely pay attention to their platforms but are used to perpetuate their members’ personal and clan interests. They do not rigorously select qualified candidates as they revolve around political stars seen to have the best chance of electoral victory (Wong,2022).

There is a need for the ambitious to have research skills to arrive to data-driven policies. The mind-set must be changed as well for them to be more SELFLESS than SELFISH since public office is FOR the people.

The voting public cannot control the motivations of those who are running for an office. But, the people has the power to elect the ones they see as capable of serving the public. 

Real Monsters

 

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Di na maghuyat Hallowen kay mahamok na daan kahadlokan!

There is this Western tradition being embraced by Filipinos – trick or treat and horror costumes during the last day of October. Television shows also feature weird and scary stories in this time of the year.

This writer do not believe on such stuff because in reality, Halloween happens daily. Let us just open our eyes and see the horrific persons amongst us:

ASWANG. There are people around you who seeps all the goodness in you. They are going to suck all your energy since most of the time they attack on your personality and slowly kill you by spreading bad things about you.

VAMPIRES. These are the “friends and so-called significant others” who drain your emotions since they have the talent of blaming you for all the mistakes in your relationships.

KAPRE are leaders who impose their power over you. You cannot say anything since they are TOO LARGE you are always cowering down when they unleash their powers. The smoke of their tobacco can kill your spirit you oftentimes feel suffocated emotionally and physically.

SIGBIN. You cannot see them. They are so good when you are with them but behind your back, they are draining your integrity. Their power lies on their tongues. They are so good in creating stories that will diminish all the good things you have done.

MANANANGGAL. These are impartial people. Sometimes, they are politicians who tell you how they care about the greater good. But these words are just fronts. They are leaving a lot of things behind for their own consumption.

WHITE LADY. The dishonest ones are those who want to whitewash their lies with beautiful words. Similar to the promises of the whitening lotions in the market claiming that you will have lighter skin after seven days, their words are simply bluff.

According to Thomas (2021) Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.

Again, there is no need to wait for that date to get scared. The costumes others are wearing are invisible. But the horrifying things are being worn in their hearts.

Adults Going Berserk

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Kun di makatunong an dagko na tawo, mga bata an madaot!

Was it Stephen King who suggested that adults must be terminated since they are the cause of troubles? This can be inferred in his novel “Children of the Corn”.

ISRAEL AND HAMAS. Social media, news sites and online newsfeeds are full of the pitiful experiences of the people who are trapped amidst bombing and air strikes. One could not help but be tearful when images of children orphaned and traumatized come to the picture. What have become of humanity?

HAMAS–the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement)—is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties.

Ideologies must be geared for the common good. When adults become obsessed with beliefs and doctrines, their empathy can oftentimes be clouded with reason and their “greater good” is something skewed.

SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN. The elections are coming. There are youngsters who are being lured by politicians to be used by them with their self-serving deeds. These puppeteers are muddling with the young ideals and later corrupt them.

Grim as it may sound, the youth leaders must now set a precedent for future leaders by taking up active roles in the community and in school before they can even file their certificates of candidacy (Tan, 2023, inq.net). Yet, there are those “trapos” (traditional politicians) who are grooming them to become their alter-egos.

EDUCATION SECTOR. What happens when teachers and educational leaders forget about their clients and focus on their selfish motives? A long-term effect will happen and nation-building will just be a dream.

Building a warm, positive and responsive relationship with young people, helps to shape the adult the children will become giving a strong foundation for the rest of their lives (Shaman, 2021).

Probably, those who manipulate the children and neglect their future were unhappy during their childhood days.

  

Incomplete

 

                                          

Umay kuyang?

What hunger are you craving right now?

The lust for money and possession. Greed can stem from emotional trauma and unmet needs. In a bid to replace the emptiness of emotional distress, a person can attempt to use objects or possessions. There are individuals who constantly crave for money even if they have enough of it.

People who have a sense of insecurity do not consider what they have enough. They always compare themselves with other people and end up feeling inadequate. They want to measure up to a certain standard and this drives an excessive desire to make money (Onojodofia, 2023).

The hunger for recognition. This is a need to be noticed or to receive attention and acknowledgement. This is observed when someone oftentimes become irrational to the point of becoming unprofessional just to be noticed.

Emotional invalidation during childhood can have detrimental effects on one’s mental health, self-perception, identity, and relationships as an adult, and is often associated with stronger feelings of anger, shame, guilt, and worthlessness (Veretis, 2022).

The sense of being RIGHT all the time. Self-righteousness is an attitude and belief of moral superiority derived from a person deeming their own beliefs, actions, or affiliations to be of greater virtue than those of the average person or others.

Self-righteous people — regardless of what they’re self-righteous about — are exhibiting a lack of serenity. It’s a lack of inner peace (Hurd, 2018).

The hunger to be in a relationship. Emotional hunger is “a feeling of a strong emotional need that is usually brought about by deprivation in childhood”.

When a person grows up without love or affection as a child that manifests itself as a strong need for emotional closeness as an adult. To get this need met, a deprived person may latch onto a romantic yet demanding relationship (Sacac, 2017).

When individuals cannot control their individual needs to the point that these have drastic effect to their ecology, and they cannot individually address their hunger, it is high time to see the doctor.

Squaring the Circle

 

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Amo baja sija? Kabootan na wayong!

Much has been said about wolves in sheep’s clothing but there are people around who really master the craft of being pretentious. These deceptive individual’s attack their prey because they simply enjoy the deed, have mental illnesses or just evil.

Deception refers to the act—big or small, cruel or kind—of encouraging people to believe information that is not true. Lying is a common form of deception—stating something known to be untrue with the intent to deceive. This according to Psychology Today.

A large body of research identifies three major reasons why people lie: to get something they want, so-called instrumental reasons; to protect or promote themselves; and to harm others. Avoiding punishment may be the main motivation for both children and adults.

But with intentional deception, it boils down to being selfish. These people do not mind the well-being of others. They only protect themselves and continue enjoying the things that they like make others irrelevant or merely pawns in their game.

The Newport Institute published: Pathological liar signs can be symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder manifests as arrogant and self-centered behavior with little regard for other people’s feelings (Robb-Dover, 2021).

By simply looking at these behaviors, we can infer that these people pose harm and muddle with the desirable actions and value-systems of the society.

If untreated and un-intervened, they might thrive and convince us that circles have sides.

When Leaders Go Astray

 

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Ginoo ko!

Inq.net reported: Cited for contempt on a motion by Sen. Risa Hontiveros were SBSI (Socorro Bayanihan Service Inc.) Jey Rence Quilario, the group’s 82-year-old vice president Mamerto Galanida, and members Janeth Ajoc and Karren Sanico. Known in the organization as “Senior Aguila,” Quilario, 22, has styled himself as a messianic “Son of God,” according to former members who testified at the hearing.

Why do people leave their stable jobs and join in cult-like groups? This question often bothers an onlooker when news similar to what is happening in Socorro, Surigao del Norte takes place.

Adrian Furnham describes in Psychology Today that humans crave clarity. Many people join cults because they believe they are offered solid, absolute answers for questions such as good versus evil, religion, the meaning of life, politics, etc.

Many cult leaders promote messages that are simple and seem to make sense, the exact opposite of what we’re often provided with in typical, everyday life.

What is a cult? It is a religious or quasi-religious group characterized by unusual or atypical beliefs, seclusion from the outside world, and an authoritarian structure.

History tells us that cults often lead to harm among its members especially if the leader has experienced a form of insanity. More than 900 people, many of them children, died in a mass murder-suicide in 1978 by drinking cyanide-laced Kool Aid at the order of cult leader Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana.

Having an increased focus on religion and the belief that one is God are symptoms of mania and hypomania in bipolar disorder. This heightened focus isn't necessarily unique to bipolar disorder, however, as it is also associated with schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and other psychotic disorders (Purse, 2021).

It is saddening that women and children are being oppressed and victimized in the recent events related to cult-like activities around these area. Indeed, there is a need to carefully look at our leaders whether they are sane or not.

Threat to Society

 

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Nagpasingod kibali pagkabuang or amo na gajod?

What is the navigational capacity of the mind to do something bad? What triggers negative values? These are some questions we often ask when we observe someone who is into something hideous and is not capable of feeling remorse.

Guilt is concerned with the negative evaluation of a specific behavior which motivates the person to engage in reparative behavior by making apologies and engaging in attempts to fix the situation. Shame, which is typically characterized by a negative evaluation of the self leads to submission and avoidance and sometimes hostility and retaliation.

But are there instances when guilt and shame are NOT PRESENT in the person?

Early conceptualizations of shame and guilt claimed that shame is a public experience (caused by the reactions of others) while guilt is a private experience (caused by internal conflict about morality) (Ausubel, 1955).

Psychopathy is one of the so-called ‘dark triad’ traits (alongside narcissism and Machiavellianism). It's characterized by superficial charm, impulsivity, extreme confidence (and low anxiety) and cold-heartedness. Those last two features in particular could no doubt contribute to a lack of shame.

The term "psychopath" is used to describe someone who is callous, unemotional, and morally depraved. It is often used in clinical and legal settings to refer to someone who often is egocentric, antisocial, lacking remorse and empathy for others.

These tendencies have been linked to early childhood experiences, including maltreatment, rejection, and lack of parental affection, however, the exact causes are not well-understood (Morin, 2022).

Is this some kind of insanity?

Psychopathy is a mental disorder according to both the Wakefield definition and American Psychiatric Association criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

Ergo, treatment is a must since these people are threats to the society.

 

Puppeteers

 

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Akoy pirme matuman!

In human relations, there are people who are dominant. They need to be followed all the time. If not, their world seems to turn upside down. They push people around and wreak havoc on their lives.

PsycCentral said that a dominant personality in a relationship may want to make decisions for you. In some cases, dominant tendencies may lead someone to engage in abusive and toxic relationship behaviors.

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle goes as far as to describe the need to be right as a form of violence. At its mildest, it is inflexibility. At its height, it manifests as dominance. The compulsion to inflict our opinions of the world on another originates in fear. Its opposites are humility and compassion (Landry, 2020).

Is there something wrong with people like these?

Extensive research suggests that externalizing disorders, mania-proneness, and narcissistic traits are related to heightened dominance motivation and behaviors. Mania and narcissistic traits also appear related to inflated self-perceptions of power.

How to have a saner mind once you have companions like these?

A person with a dominant personality feels that they know best, or needs to feel in control. If the issue isn’t really important, it may be a good idea to just let them have their way, at least on the surface.

But inside, you understand that you are not allowing them to manipulate you. You just understand their insanity.

Anosognosia

 

Nabuang na!

Those who do not acknowledge their illness is difficult to be treated. Doctors often tell their patient to ACCEPT their medical condition so to proceed to medical interventions to treat the illness. If denial continues to become present in the mind, healing will be difficult since taking prescription medicines won’t be considered by the patient.

Same with mental illness.

When someone rejects a diagnosis of mental illness, it’s tempting to say that the person is “in denial.” But someone with acute mental illness may not be thinking clearly enough to consciously choose denial. They may instead be experiencing “lack of insight” or “lack of awareness.”

The formal medical term for this medical condition is anosognosia, from the Greek meaning “to not know a disease.”

Acharya and Sanchez-Manso (2023) said that anosognosia is a neurological condition in which the patient is unaware of their neurological deficit or psychiatric condition. It is associated with mental illness, dementia, and structural brain lesion, as is seen in right hemisphere stroke patients.

When we see a sunburn on our skin, we automatically say that we had too much exposure to the sun, and try looking for a soothing lotion to ease the pain. We even promise not to over-expose next time. This is similar to the mistakes we make, we then hear feedback and correct them so not to cause more of them in the future… But, that is when the mind is healthy.

Creating personal insights is psychologically enriching. Those who aim for self-actualization advocate journaling. You create personal insights based on your experiences and proceed to make a healthier plan to improve.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org) reported: For a person with anosognosia, inaccurate insight feels as real and convincing as other people's ability to perceive themselves.

This makes it the most common reason for people to stop improving themselves. And, as it is often combined with psychosis or mania, lack of insight can cause reckless or undesirable behavior.

 

Misanthropy

                                         (image: youtube.com)
Kontra tanan. Di ganahan nan tawo! Di kun sosyal.

It is sometimes difficult to understand why there are people in public service who dislike people when in fact they are paid by the government to serve the people.

Misanthropy is defined as the hate or distrust of humankind. It is a general practice, or general state of being, to dislike other people. A misanthrope is defined as a person characterized by feelings of general dislike and distrust of humankind.

There are instances when we dislike people who are not aligned with our values. But to generally dislike people for just no reason is another story.

Jessica Shorey (2022) posited that a misanthrope is someone who abhors humans, and it is in this state of mind that often causes them to socially isolate. This type does not trust people, tries to avoid social situations, and eludes meetings and crowded places.

They oftentimes do not look at people in the eyes and avoid conversations.

Is it a mental disorder?

Misanthropy is not considered a mental disorder, although it may be a trait present in people with borderline personality disorder or depression. Mistrust and fear about people makes the person stressed and anxious. It is difficult for them to make friends and stay connected to people (optimistminds,com).

But then again this can cause a lot of trouble especially if your job entails you to deal with people. How can you serve them if you turn your back to them?

In basic education, we are offering HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) where we expose the learners to basic principles of understanding people. If adults can NOT, is there a remedial class for them?

 

  

Devoid, Bare

 

                                              (image:Sara Duterte FB page)

Bare. Devoid of anything.

With the issuance of DepEd Order 21, series of 2023 which is also known as the 2023 Brigada Eskwela Implementing Rules and Guidelines, a lot reacted on Section B.2 where it states: Classroom walls shall remain bare and devoid of posters, decorations or other posted materials. Classrooms should not be used to stockpile materials and should be clear of other used items or items for disposal.

Thus, Operation Baklas became the tagline of teachers on their social media posts during the duration of the schools’ maintenance week. There were those who are happy about the introduced change and, as expected, there are those who ranted.

Aside from allowing the teachers to concentrate on teaching than be busy with updating their bulletins and unit boards, are there studies relative to this mandate?

Psychology researchers Anna V. Fisher, Karrie E. Godwin and Howard Seltman of Carnegie Mellon University looked at whether classroom displays affected children’s ability to maintain focus during instruction and to learn the lesson content. They found that children in highly decorated classrooms were more distracted, spent more time off-task and demonstrated smaller learning gains than when the decorations were removed.

Rode (2022) posits: The Journal of Experimental Child Psychology that gave a group of students two cognitive tasks to complete: one in a highly-decorated classroom and one in a bare-bones classroom. Overall, the students did better surrounded by blank walls, which flew in the face of what teachers had been told for years. The study concluded that too many visual stimulants could overload a child’s brain and get in the way of their learning.

These studies are the anchorage of the new order from the department. Yet, there are those who repel change since most of us want to stay in our comfort zones. And to protect us from being pulled out of our comfortable areas, we react since we fear that we would be rejected and we dislike doing things rather than those we are comfortable with.

But then again, education is dynamic. It is a continuum. We as educators cannot just sit and allow things to happen. We are there to cope since we vowed to educate our learners.

Also, we are happy embracing these changes since we are grateful enough to have jobs which we consider as meaningful. Without the meaning in it, we can NEVER be motivated to work since we only see the comfort side of it.

Yes, we are there to TEACH. But other professions also prepare their tools prior to their main work. Scientifically, work is defined as Force multiplied by Distance. If we do not exert effort using force with movements, then what are we being paid to do?