Friday, March 21, 2008
ಸರ್ಕಾರದಿಂದ ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದ ಅವನತಿ
ಎಂ.ಎಸ್ .ತಿಮ್ಮಪ್ಪ
ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತ ಕುಲಪತಿ
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ .
ಈಗ ಕೆಲವು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣವನ್ನು ಅವನತಿಯ ಹಾದಿಯತ್ತ ಕೊಂಡೊಯ್ಯುತ್ತಿದೆ .ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣದ ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟ ಹೆಚ್ಹಿಸಲೆಂದೇ ೨೦೦೦ ದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯಗಳ ಖಾಯಿದೆ ತಂದರು .ಅದರ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯದ ಸಿಂಡಿಕೇಟ್ ಮತ್ತು ಅಕಾಡೆಮಿಕ್ ಕೌನ್ಸಿಲ್ ಗೆ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯನ್ನು ತಪ್ಪಿಸಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರವೇ "ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ತಜ್ಞ "ರನ್ನು ನಾಮ ನಿರ್ದೈಏಶಿಸಲು ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸಿತು. ಆದರೆ ೨೦೦೪-೨೦೦೫ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಧರ್ಮ ಸಿಂಗ್ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಮಂತ್ರಿ ಹಾಗು ಡಿ.ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಮಂತ್ರಿ ಆದಾಗ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ತಜ್ಞರೂ ಅಲ್ಲದ, ಆಳುವ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಪದಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸಿತು . ತೀವ್ರ ವಿರೋಧ ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಯಿತು . ಹೈಕೋರ್ಟ್ ವಿರೋಧ ಸಮ್ಮತಿಸಿತು. ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯನ್ನು ವಾಪಾಸು ಪಡೆಯುವ ಔದಾರ್ಯ ತೋರಿತು .ಆದರೆ ಮುಂದಿನ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಮಂತ್ರಿ ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ, ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಮಂತ್ರಿ
ಶಂಕರಮೂರ್ತಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠರು ಹಾಗಿರಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಪಟ್ಟಿರದವರನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿತು .
ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯಗಳ ಕುಲಾಧಿಪತಿಗಳು ,ರಾಜ್ಯದ ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲರು ,ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಅವನತಿಯ ಹಾದಿ ಹಿಡಿಯಲು ತಮ್ಮಕೊಡಿಗೆಯನ್ನೂ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ .ಹಿಂದಿನ ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲರದ ಚತುರ್ವೇದಿ ಅವರು ನಿವೃತ್ತ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಐಎ ಎಸ್ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕುಲಪತಿ ಆಯ್ಕೆಶೋಧನಾ ಸಮಿತಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿಸಿದರು .ಅಷ್ಟೆ ಅಲ್ಲ ,ಅವರನ್ನು ಸಮಿತಿಯ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ ರನ್ನಾಗಿಯೂ ಮಾಡಿದರು .ನಿವೃತ್ತ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಷಿ ಶಂಕರನರಾಯಣನ್ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಮುಕ್ತ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ಕುಲಪತಿ ಶೂಧನ ಸಮಿತಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾಗಿದ್ದರು .ಈಗಿನ ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲ ರಾಮೇಶ್ವರ ಥಾಕೂರ್ ಅವರೂ ಇದನ್ನು ಮುಂದುವರಿಸಿದರು .ಚಿರಂಜೀವಿಸಿಂಗ್ ಹಂಪಿ ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ಕುಲಪತಿ ಶೂಧನ ಸಮಿತಿ ಥೆರೆಸ ಭಟ್ತಚಾರ್ಯ ಅವರನ್ನು ಮಹಿಳಾ ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ಕುಲಪತಿ ಷೋ ಧನ ಸಮಿತಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು ಗಳನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಿದರು .ಈ ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲರು ಇನ್ನೂ ಒಂದು ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಮುಂದಿಟ್ಟರು .ಮೈಸೂರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಶೋಧನಾ ಸಮಿತಿ ಶಿಫಾರಸು ಮಾಡಿದ ಮೂರರಲ್ಲಿ ವೊಬ್ಬರನ್ನು ಆಯ್ಕೆಮಾಡುವ ಬದಲು ಮೂವರನ್ನೂ ಸಂಧರ್ಶನ ಮಾಡಿ ಮೂವರನ್ನೂ ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿದರು . ಇದೊಂದು ಎಲ್ಲೂ ಕಂಡರಿಯದ ಸಂಗತಿ .ಮೂವರನ್ನು ಶಿಪಾರಸು ಮಾಡಿದ ಶೂಧನ ಸಮಿತಿ ಸದಸ್ಯರಾದವರು ಹೆಸರಾಂತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ತಜ್ಞರು :ಡಾ .ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಕರ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ,ರಾಜೀವ ಗಾಂಧೀ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಗಳ ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯದ ನಿವೃತ್ತ ಕುಲಪತಿ ,ಇದರ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು, ಡಾ .ಗೋಒವರ್ಧನ ಮೆಹ್ತಾ ,ಭಾರತೀಯ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಹಿಂದಿನ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರು ,ಡಾ ಎ .ಎಂ .ಪತ್ಹಾನ್ ,ಕುಲಪತಿ ,ಮೌಲಾನ ಅಜ್ಯಾದ್ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಮುಕ್ತ ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಯ ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ಮತ್ತು ಡಾ .ಬಿ .ಎಸ್ .ಶರ್ಮ, ಕೋಟ ಮುಕ್ತ ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯದ ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತ ಕುಲಪತಿ .ಇವರುಗಳು ಕುಲಪತಿ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಆಯ್ದ ಮೂವರೂ ಹಿರಿಯ ಪ್ರಾದ್ಯಾಪಕರೆ : ಡಾ .ಚಂದ್ರ ಶೇಖರ್ ,ಇತಿಹಾಸ ಪ್ರಾದ್ಯಾಪಕ ,ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ , ಡಾ .ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ ರಹಮಾನ್ ,ಜೀವ ತಂತ್ರ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಪ್ರಾದ್ಯಾಪಕರು ,ಕುವೆಂಪು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ಮತ್ತು ಡಾ .ರಂಗಪ್ಪ ,ರಸಾಯನ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ ಪ್ರಾದ್ಯಾಪಕರು ,ಮೈಸೂರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ . ಖಾಯಿದೆ ಹೇಳುವ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ನ್ಯಾಯವೂ ಈ ಹೆಸರುಗಳು ಪ್ರತಿಬಿಮ್ಹಿಸುತ್ತದೆ .ಈ ಮೂವರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರಾದರೂ ವೊಬ್ಬರನ್ನು ಕುಲಾಧಿಪತಿಗಳು ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡ ಬಹುದಿತ್ತು .ಸಂಧರ್ಶಿಸಿ ,ಯಾವುದೇ ಕಾರಣ ಕೊಡದೆ ಮೂವರನ್ನೂ ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿರುವುದು ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲರ ನಿರಂಕುಶ ಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಚಲಾವಣೆ .
ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಇಂತಹ ಅತಂತ್ರ ಕ್ರಮ ಗಳಿಂದ ಹಲವಾರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತಿನ್ಗಲಾನು ಗಟ್ಟಲೆ ಖಾಯಂ ಕುಲಪತಿ ಇಲ್ಲ ದಂತಾಗಿದೆ .ಬೆನ್ಗಲೂರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ,ಬಿಜಾಪುರ ಮಹಿಳಾ ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಲಪತಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಮೂರುವರೆ ತಿಂಗಳ ಮೇಲಾಗಿತ್ತು .ಈಗ ಕಳೆದ ಐದು ತಿಂಗಳಿಂದ ಮೈಸೂರು ವಿಶ್ವ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಲಪತಿ ಇಲ್ಲ .ಕುಲಪತಿ ಸ್ಥಾನ ಖಾಲಿ ಆಗುವದು ನಾಲ್ಕು ವರ್ಷ ಮುಂಚಯೆ ತಿಳಿದಿರುತ್ತೆ .ಆದರೂ ಈ ದುರ್ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ! ಕುಲಪತಿ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ತಜ್ನರ ಸಮಿತಿ ಶಿಪಾರಸು ಮಾಡಿದವರನ್ನು ಸಂಧರ್ಶಿಸಿ ಯಾರೊಬ್ಬರನ್ನೂ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡದೆ ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸುವುದು ಎಂದೆಂದೂ ನಡೆದಿಲ್ಲ . ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದ ಸಾರ್ವ ಜನಿಕ ಆಡಳಿತ ದಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಹತೆ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಅಧಿಕಾರ ಚಲಾವಣೆ ಗೆ ಒಂದು ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಟ ನಿಧರ್ಶನ .
ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಇಂತಹ ದುರ್ನಧತೆ ಗೆ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ರಂಗ ಪ್ರತಿ ಭಟ್ಹಿಸಿ ಉನ್ನತ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಹಾನಿ ಆಗುವದನ್ನು ತಡೆಯ ಬೇಕಾಗಿದೆ . ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ರಂಗ ದಲ್ಲಿರುವವರು ಈ ಅನಿಷ್ಟ ಗಳಿಗೆ ಪಾಲು ದಾರ ರಾಗಿರುವವರನ್ನೂ ಬಯಲಿಗೆ ತರ ಬೇಕಾಗಿದೆ .
Friday, February 22, 2008
Science and Spirituality
Spirituality does not negate any accepted form of living by the society of any time. In fact it is part - indeed a greater part - and parcel of any life. Reality or anything that exist - animate or inanimate - has both spirit and matter and hence we need to study both the part to understand any reality. Mundaka Upanishad speaks of two types of education - dve vidye, para-apara-spiritual and material in consonance with two part of reality ( MU 1.1.4 ). The material consists of earth,water,fire,air,space,mind,intellect and ego,according to Bhagavadgita ( 7.4 ) that covers all the branches of knowledge in the universities of today, the Science studies Matter.The spiritual refers to the imperishable part of reality ( MU 1.1.5 ). The Science and Spirituality, each has its own distinct purpose,Science conquers death and Spirituality experiences immortality according to Isha Upanishad ( 10-11 ). It even says that if you know only science/matter - apara vidya - which is now abbreviated as avidya , you are a blinding fool - andham tamah. If you know only spirituality - para vidya - which is abbreviated as just vidya, you are a even more blinding fool ( IU 9. ). Hence, it advocates the study of both, veda ubhayam saha ( IU 11. ), the lower(material) and higher(spiritual) knowledge as some calls it. What is more,all that exist - matter and spirit, animate and inanimate - are all connected like pearls are strung on a thread, says Bhagavadgita ( 7.7 ).
The modern science,dealing with matter,has travelled enough to recognize the presence and the need of spirituality, starting from Fritz Capra ( Tao of Physics ) and Deepak Chopra ( Ageless Body Timeless Mind ) to Peter Russell (From Science to God ) and Mani Bhoumick ( Code Name God ). Sir Arthur Eddington, a great Physicist, puts it very tellingly:" Matter is mostly ghostly empty space". " To be precise " says Peter Russell " it is 99.9999999 percent empty space". Hans Peter Durr is even more blunt: "Matter is not made of matter"! Unless we understand that empty space,the home of all potentialities and possibilities, we can hardly say that we have known reality.
Spirituality can not be known by the methodology adapted to know the matter. In fact, it can not be 'known' in the sense we normally use that term,it has to be experienced only and, what is more, it involves a process of becoming what we want to 'know', Brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati, knowing Brahman/Reality is to be Brahman, says the Vedas. Those who entered spiritual domain have demonstrated with their experience of peace,harmony, joy and efficiency. Then,how do we access the spiritual domain in us, as well as, in all that exist? Historically, the access to spirituality has been the task of religion.But, today all established/institutionalised religion has developed its own vested interest and quite a lot of them do everything except kindling spirituality of people! Spirituality is too serious, urgent and need to be brought to the daily living that it can not be left in the hands of religion alone to fend it. There are various techniques of getting access to spiritual domain,especially in the Ancient Indian(Eastern )Thought such as the eight parts of Patanjali Yoga or four steps of Buddha Dhyana that need to be studied and incorporated into our educational system to make our student holistic in knowledge - akhanda jnana, and total in being.
Spirituality does not negate life. In fact it enlivens life. My own foray into spirituality as a scientist as well as practitioner, including what necessitated it, is narrated in http://groups.msn.com/www-drthimmappa-com
The modern science,dealing with matter,has travelled enough to recognize the presence and the need of spirituality, starting from Fritz Capra ( Tao of Physics ) and Deepak Chopra ( Ageless Body Timeless Mind ) to Peter Russell (From Science to God ) and Mani Bhoumick ( Code Name God ). Sir Arthur Eddington, a great Physicist, puts it very tellingly:" Matter is mostly ghostly empty space". " To be precise " says Peter Russell " it is 99.9999999 percent empty space". Hans Peter Durr is even more blunt: "Matter is not made of matter"! Unless we understand that empty space,the home of all potentialities and possibilities, we can hardly say that we have known reality.
Spirituality can not be known by the methodology adapted to know the matter. In fact, it can not be 'known' in the sense we normally use that term,it has to be experienced only and, what is more, it involves a process of becoming what we want to 'know', Brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati, knowing Brahman/Reality is to be Brahman, says the Vedas. Those who entered spiritual domain have demonstrated with their experience of peace,harmony, joy and efficiency. Then,how do we access the spiritual domain in us, as well as, in all that exist? Historically, the access to spirituality has been the task of religion.But, today all established/institutionalised religion has developed its own vested interest and quite a lot of them do everything except kindling spirituality of people! Spirituality is too serious, urgent and need to be brought to the daily living that it can not be left in the hands of religion alone to fend it. There are various techniques of getting access to spiritual domain,especially in the Ancient Indian(Eastern )Thought such as the eight parts of Patanjali Yoga or four steps of Buddha Dhyana that need to be studied and incorporated into our educational system to make our student holistic in knowledge - akhanda jnana, and total in being.
Spirituality does not negate life. In fact it enlivens life. My own foray into spirituality as a scientist as well as practitioner, including what necessitated it, is narrated in http://groups.msn.com/www-drthimmappa-com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
What Heals and Ails in Healing System !
What heals the patient: treatment,doctors,regimens or patient him/herself or all of them ?
Most commonly practiced healing system to day is of course the so called Allopathy or the Western Medicine. On the one end, there are people,like Dr.B.M.Hegde,a Fellow of the Royal Society, who say that the system is harmful and in fact, as he quotes from the report in a Medical Journal, there were lesser deaths in the Hospital when the doctors went on strike for days than when they were treating! At the other end it is said that it is the only scientific and by far the most successful system available today especially through the highly advanced surgical procedures ,and drugs, a most necessary evil!.More than 80% of Indians can not afford this medical system is a different matter! Most believe that there is hardly any better alternative to this system. The so called alternative medical system such as Ayurveda,Sidda,Unani,Yoga, Homeopathy,Acupressure and so on, are woefully short of scientific respectability as there is hardly any new research,discovery and expansion going on in those systems and they rely mostly on ancient treatises only as authority, even when some researches are undertaken, it is very poor in experimental control(no 'double blind' technique used,for instance) having essentially pre and post measures only while drawing conclusion. The counter from the Alternative Medicine Practitioner has not been very strong,it is based mostly on accusing the opponent's system rather than revealing justifications from their own system! For instance, the Alternative Practitioner argue that the Allopathic treatment is based on their experimentation with animals and thereby tend to neglect the effect of uniquely human factors in the origin,development and therapy of the disorders;the drugs they are using, though may have positive effect, it is short lived, have deleterious side effects and in the long term destroys the body reserves and capabilities.It appears to be a very valid criticism.Consciousness/awareness,one of the unique features of humans, is one of the important variable in most of the alternative medical system,especially in Yoga,you can not expect the Western model of science (such as 'double blind') to fit in here.It also appears that there is a lot of vested interest operating in the medical research and its outcome to day. I am one of those who believe that there can not be any Western or Eastern, Allopathy or Homeopathy; anything that works better must be taken from whatever the system and there should be only one System of Medical Education.
These warring Systems apart, I am often besieged by certain elements that aids the healing process common to any or all systems of medical practice and it is often most neglected by all systems.Observe the most popular doctors,in the sense that in them people have great trust and with whom patients are known to get better soon,safe and with lesser cost.I have observed some of them-all of them were called "good" doctors- and struck by some similarities in all of them which I think can be a pointer to any system of medical practice.
HOLISTIC : Body functions as a whole, disturbances in any one system,say cardiovascular system, will affect not only all other system of the body, but also get affected by all other systems of the body in origin,development and healing of disease processes.Yet, we do not recognise it often,partly because of super specialisation where specialist of one system rarely attends and monitor the other systems and partly because of our system of education itself which has been very divisive in knowledge construction. Furthermore,not only the systems within the body functions as a whole but also the body itself a part of of a total system such as family,sociocultural environment and atmosphere and all of them affect each other continuously; this is even more rarely recognised by the medical practitioners.I know one of those"good" doctor who actively probed patients to find out the background,present preoccupations, family environment and the place of living ,and his dispensation,-be it in diagnosis,understanding pathology or in planning treatment,-reflected the 'global' situation of the patient. His success in accurate diagnosis and treatment may be attributed to these skills of the doctor. I also know of a doctor,a neurophysician,who goes only by symptoms ,never asks about anything else and prescribed one drug for each of the symptoms.It was some two decades ago. The patient was a 65 year old lady,had giddiness, peripheral neuritis,lower abdominal pain,headache and ringing in the ear and mild and prolonged fever.He prescribed seven drugs and told us that each drug is for each of those symptoms and the extra is for possible complications! She developed additional problems, when doctor was contacted, he neither reduced or altered but introduced some more drugs for additional problems! We gave up,consulted one of those"good" General Practitioner,she was free from all the symptoms in just six weeks.
PATIENT CENTERED : Often, the doctors today are tools and technique centered,diagnosis centered,systems and hospital/clinic procedure centered rather than patient centered.The heavy cost of modern treatment is mostly due to these practices. The scans and imaging techniques is to sort out the problems of doctors in diagnosing the disease,it is none of the business of the patient, but the patient is made to pay for it! Many doctors hardly speak to the patient,listen to him fully and patiently,give respect and regard; within minutes they get to know the symptoms and send the patient for umpteen number of lab tests,scans and x-rays and so on even without any explanation to the patient, let alone justifying it.Doctors do that way because they want to sort out their problem first,not the patient. Patient feels lost and helpless,take negative attitude and that will definitely affect the healing process and may contribute to delay and deviation in treatment effect. It happened more than two decades ago.I had gone to drop my daughter to the school. The Head Mistress of the school invited me profusely to her chamber and started eulogies about a doctor who according to her such a nice and competent fellow that I should consult him for all the health problems of my family.I believed her,it was later I discovered that it is big network racket.I took a relation of mine,an aged lady, to that doctor for her problem of uterus collapse.The doctor spoke to us hardly for few minutes,suddenly invited me alone in front of the lady to a chamber inside and tells me that it could be a cancer and needs several investigation and that I could go and get it done in the lab which he would advice as it is most trustworthy.I said good bye to the doctor asking time to consider his advice but never returned.The patient got completely cured of the ailment in just three months by an alternative medicine practitioner! Another friend of mine,when I was studying in NIMHANS in the 1960's,had an ear infection and the doctor prescribed chloromycetin capsules.The patient told the doctor he never took capsules,it so big that he can not swallow,is it all right if he remove the cover and swallow the powder only.Doctor said "Yes Yes". My friend suffered from allergic reaction for the next six months. Doctor said that he only joked,patient should not have taken that way! Finally, one of those "good" allopathic doctor only advised him for an alternative medicine practitioner and the cure was achieved in just six weeks. For that "good" allopathic doctor patient was more important than the system or self indulgence like the other two doctors!
SELF-RELIANT PATIENT : There appears to be a sort of 'disease-doctor nexus' operating in our lives of today! We have illness, go to doctor and get treated and again we have illness,most of the time similar illness, again go and get treated by the doctor, and it goes on. Patient has become doctor dependant and he likes it,and doctors expects that kind of dependency of patients on them! Is it healing and health promoting?Doctors should aim at preventing diseases in their patients too.Moreover, a notion has been created in which we are made to feel that medical science is so advanced to day that we have an answer for almost all the disorders and even for some where we do not have an answer, we are likely to find it soon. Public simply believes that as it is convenient for them and remain as they are, for, they have nothing to worry,if illness comes, the modern doctors are there to take care of,cost notwithstanding to those many.Take my own case for instance.I am an ENT case,as they say.I had an ear discharge since childhood. My tonsils used to get infected frequently with high fever until I got it operated.I used to have frequent cold. What is more, since several decades, I used to get once every year during the months of November/December a sort of 'Flu",with cold ,high fever,body aches and pain and the condition used to last for three to four weeks with treatment, of course .This is the doctor-patient dependence I am talking about.Once, I woke up to a suggestion of my non-medical family member,took up seriously some minor life style changes and practice of exercises including deep breathing. Now, I am totally free of my annual November visitor since the last five years, and, not just that, I am free of any illness since five years too. I begin to feel for the first time some truth in what a sage has been telling for long that one need not get ill and health is our birth right.A very late realisation for me indeed that too for a person whose research specialisation is Psychophysiology and has been teaching that subject for three decades to my students and make them wonder about the wisdom of the body.The wisdom begin to dawn in myself so late around the age of 65! If only doctors has indulged in making the patient self dependant than doctor dependant we need not suffer that much.
HEALING AS SERVICE : ' Health Practice has become a money making business' many have observed.If money making is the aim, it is better they choose some other profession where they can amass wealth much at a faster rate and legally too than medical profession. Health,Education and Judiciary are the fields where corruption and moneymaking business is lethal and criminal.It is playing with the lives of the people,betraying the trust deposed on them and would leave an un-healing scar on client's lives by the malpractices of those professionals.Those who opt for these profession should dedicate themselves to the work with a spirit of service that is unselfish, bereft of greed and totally client centered.By doing so they reap rich dividend in terms of their well being and human stature. By not doing so, they would suffer untold miseries in their families,in their health and in their relationship with the society-all of course in the long run,there may be temporary,short term benefit, but by the time they realise the catch,it would have been too late: studies have shown this. I know of a Family Doctor who would never take a consultation fee from anybody and the medicine/mixtures he prepares were ridiculously cheap(Rs.two!).He would visit the family when needed at any time of the day and in his own vehicle which was in the 1950's bicycle, later on a two wheeler and finally a car! His selfless service is unparalleled and he was respected and regarded by everyone with such high esteem. He died a very peaceful death.
It is time that we inculcate the above crucial healing factors in educating practitioners of any medical system.
Most commonly practiced healing system to day is of course the so called Allopathy or the Western Medicine. On the one end, there are people,like Dr.B.M.Hegde,a Fellow of the Royal Society, who say that the system is harmful and in fact, as he quotes from the report in a Medical Journal, there were lesser deaths in the Hospital when the doctors went on strike for days than when they were treating! At the other end it is said that it is the only scientific and by far the most successful system available today especially through the highly advanced surgical procedures ,and drugs, a most necessary evil!.More than 80% of Indians can not afford this medical system is a different matter! Most believe that there is hardly any better alternative to this system. The so called alternative medical system such as Ayurveda,Sidda,Unani,Yoga, Homeopathy,Acupressure and so on, are woefully short of scientific respectability as there is hardly any new research,discovery and expansion going on in those systems and they rely mostly on ancient treatises only as authority, even when some researches are undertaken, it is very poor in experimental control(no 'double blind' technique used,for instance) having essentially pre and post measures only while drawing conclusion. The counter from the Alternative Medicine Practitioner has not been very strong,it is based mostly on accusing the opponent's system rather than revealing justifications from their own system! For instance, the Alternative Practitioner argue that the Allopathic treatment is based on their experimentation with animals and thereby tend to neglect the effect of uniquely human factors in the origin,development and therapy of the disorders;the drugs they are using, though may have positive effect, it is short lived, have deleterious side effects and in the long term destroys the body reserves and capabilities.It appears to be a very valid criticism.Consciousness/awareness,one of the unique features of humans, is one of the important variable in most of the alternative medical system,especially in Yoga,you can not expect the Western model of science (such as 'double blind') to fit in here.It also appears that there is a lot of vested interest operating in the medical research and its outcome to day. I am one of those who believe that there can not be any Western or Eastern, Allopathy or Homeopathy; anything that works better must be taken from whatever the system and there should be only one System of Medical Education.
These warring Systems apart, I am often besieged by certain elements that aids the healing process common to any or all systems of medical practice and it is often most neglected by all systems.Observe the most popular doctors,in the sense that in them people have great trust and with whom patients are known to get better soon,safe and with lesser cost.I have observed some of them-all of them were called "good" doctors- and struck by some similarities in all of them which I think can be a pointer to any system of medical practice.
HOLISTIC : Body functions as a whole, disturbances in any one system,say cardiovascular system, will affect not only all other system of the body, but also get affected by all other systems of the body in origin,development and healing of disease processes.Yet, we do not recognise it often,partly because of super specialisation where specialist of one system rarely attends and monitor the other systems and partly because of our system of education itself which has been very divisive in knowledge construction. Furthermore,not only the systems within the body functions as a whole but also the body itself a part of of a total system such as family,sociocultural environment and atmosphere and all of them affect each other continuously; this is even more rarely recognised by the medical practitioners.I know one of those"good" doctor who actively probed patients to find out the background,present preoccupations, family environment and the place of living ,and his dispensation,-be it in diagnosis,understanding pathology or in planning treatment,-reflected the 'global' situation of the patient. His success in accurate diagnosis and treatment may be attributed to these skills of the doctor. I also know of a doctor,a neurophysician,who goes only by symptoms ,never asks about anything else and prescribed one drug for each of the symptoms.It was some two decades ago. The patient was a 65 year old lady,had giddiness, peripheral neuritis,lower abdominal pain,headache and ringing in the ear and mild and prolonged fever.He prescribed seven drugs and told us that each drug is for each of those symptoms and the extra is for possible complications! She developed additional problems, when doctor was contacted, he neither reduced or altered but introduced some more drugs for additional problems! We gave up,consulted one of those"good" General Practitioner,she was free from all the symptoms in just six weeks.
PATIENT CENTERED : Often, the doctors today are tools and technique centered,diagnosis centered,systems and hospital/clinic procedure centered rather than patient centered.The heavy cost of modern treatment is mostly due to these practices. The scans and imaging techniques is to sort out the problems of doctors in diagnosing the disease,it is none of the business of the patient, but the patient is made to pay for it! Many doctors hardly speak to the patient,listen to him fully and patiently,give respect and regard; within minutes they get to know the symptoms and send the patient for umpteen number of lab tests,scans and x-rays and so on even without any explanation to the patient, let alone justifying it.Doctors do that way because they want to sort out their problem first,not the patient. Patient feels lost and helpless,take negative attitude and that will definitely affect the healing process and may contribute to delay and deviation in treatment effect. It happened more than two decades ago.I had gone to drop my daughter to the school. The Head Mistress of the school invited me profusely to her chamber and started eulogies about a doctor who according to her such a nice and competent fellow that I should consult him for all the health problems of my family.I believed her,it was later I discovered that it is big network racket.I took a relation of mine,an aged lady, to that doctor for her problem of uterus collapse.The doctor spoke to us hardly for few minutes,suddenly invited me alone in front of the lady to a chamber inside and tells me that it could be a cancer and needs several investigation and that I could go and get it done in the lab which he would advice as it is most trustworthy.I said good bye to the doctor asking time to consider his advice but never returned.The patient got completely cured of the ailment in just three months by an alternative medicine practitioner! Another friend of mine,when I was studying in NIMHANS in the 1960's,had an ear infection and the doctor prescribed chloromycetin capsules.The patient told the doctor he never took capsules,it so big that he can not swallow,is it all right if he remove the cover and swallow the powder only.Doctor said "Yes Yes". My friend suffered from allergic reaction for the next six months. Doctor said that he only joked,patient should not have taken that way! Finally, one of those "good" allopathic doctor only advised him for an alternative medicine practitioner and the cure was achieved in just six weeks. For that "good" allopathic doctor patient was more important than the system or self indulgence like the other two doctors!
SELF-RELIANT PATIENT : There appears to be a sort of 'disease-doctor nexus' operating in our lives of today! We have illness, go to doctor and get treated and again we have illness,most of the time similar illness, again go and get treated by the doctor, and it goes on. Patient has become doctor dependant and he likes it,and doctors expects that kind of dependency of patients on them! Is it healing and health promoting?Doctors should aim at preventing diseases in their patients too.Moreover, a notion has been created in which we are made to feel that medical science is so advanced to day that we have an answer for almost all the disorders and even for some where we do not have an answer, we are likely to find it soon. Public simply believes that as it is convenient for them and remain as they are, for, they have nothing to worry,if illness comes, the modern doctors are there to take care of,cost notwithstanding to those many.Take my own case for instance.I am an ENT case,as they say.I had an ear discharge since childhood. My tonsils used to get infected frequently with high fever until I got it operated.I used to have frequent cold. What is more, since several decades, I used to get once every year during the months of November/December a sort of 'Flu",with cold ,high fever,body aches and pain and the condition used to last for three to four weeks with treatment, of course .This is the doctor-patient dependence I am talking about.Once, I woke up to a suggestion of my non-medical family member,took up seriously some minor life style changes and practice of exercises including deep breathing. Now, I am totally free of my annual November visitor since the last five years, and, not just that, I am free of any illness since five years too. I begin to feel for the first time some truth in what a sage has been telling for long that one need not get ill and health is our birth right.A very late realisation for me indeed that too for a person whose research specialisation is Psychophysiology and has been teaching that subject for three decades to my students and make them wonder about the wisdom of the body.The wisdom begin to dawn in myself so late around the age of 65! If only doctors has indulged in making the patient self dependant than doctor dependant we need not suffer that much.
HEALING AS SERVICE : ' Health Practice has become a money making business' many have observed.If money making is the aim, it is better they choose some other profession where they can amass wealth much at a faster rate and legally too than medical profession. Health,Education and Judiciary are the fields where corruption and moneymaking business is lethal and criminal.It is playing with the lives of the people,betraying the trust deposed on them and would leave an un-healing scar on client's lives by the malpractices of those professionals.Those who opt for these profession should dedicate themselves to the work with a spirit of service that is unselfish, bereft of greed and totally client centered.By doing so they reap rich dividend in terms of their well being and human stature. By not doing so, they would suffer untold miseries in their families,in their health and in their relationship with the society-all of course in the long run,there may be temporary,short term benefit, but by the time they realise the catch,it would have been too late: studies have shown this. I know of a Family Doctor who would never take a consultation fee from anybody and the medicine/mixtures he prepares were ridiculously cheap(Rs.two!).He would visit the family when needed at any time of the day and in his own vehicle which was in the 1950's bicycle, later on a two wheeler and finally a car! His selfless service is unparalleled and he was respected and regarded by everyone with such high esteem. He died a very peaceful death.
It is time that we inculcate the above crucial healing factors in educating practitioners of any medical system.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Violence in Children
A Psychological Viewpoint
Two school children in Gurgoan take one of their Dad's gun and shoots a student from the same school who has been humiliating them.There is a public outcry.Violence is on the rise.Too much violence shown in the media,even glorified in films and TV which are affecting children.Media only reflects society.people at large resort to violence because it pays especially when they can get away with it thanks to their nexus with politics and law enforcing agencies.These are the substance of public furor whenever the act of violence is reported.How far are they born by facts?
There is of course a definite increase in the reported incidence of violence over the periods, yet, it is more often due to the fact that it is increasingly more noticeable now than before thanks to the closely knit world and effective media of today.The evidence on the media impact on violence is also not unequivocal or at least more complex than popularly assumed.The criminalisation of politics and the use of violence to achieve the ends is all there to see which has a strong bearing on the minds of children,leading them to indulge in violence, but who cares? Media of course can not be blamed.
Frustration-Aggression hypothesis, an outcome of one of the earliest work in Psychology of violence, states that aggression is the immediate reaction to frustration; the frustration in the gratification of needs such as hunger,sex,belongingness,love,esteem and self-expression.As the move towards the goal for the satisfaction is blocked, the immediate reaction to that barrier is 'flight' or 'fight' (escape or attack) and who takes to flight and who takes to fight is an interesting analysis by itself in the development of Personality meriting consideration separately.The outcome to these reactions will determine the further course in the development of aggressive behavior. The 'normal' person is the one who sees or made to see by people in the environment, the futility of these reaction in the long-term satisfaction of one's needs.
The psychoanalyst would say that it is the poor development of the Superego ( conscience and ego-ideals,social mores and values ) owing to inadequate and improper parenting thereby resulting in the urge for immediate gratification rather than a delayed one.This is also a deficit in the socialisation process of the child.People who are vulnerable to violence have low frustration tolerance or tolerance of uncertainty and have very little effective stress coping behavior.Violence depicted in the media may impact only such vulnerable children.
The Operant analysis of behaviour,another most influential work in Psychology,states that the consequence of behaviour shapes behaviour.When the behaviour is performed, or emitted as they say,what happens to that behaviour will determine whether it is strengthened or weakened.Consequences for our actions are always in the hands of people in the environment.When the temper tantrum thrown by the child will alone scurry the mother to turn around and feed him, throwing temper tantrum is strengthened and child will resort to it only when in need. When aggression alone fetches what one wants, one would retain aggression.
The 'Modeling Effect',an extension of Operant analysis of behaviour,demonstrates how behaviour is adopted by imitation and copying. behaviour of models/heroes in various situations in life seen in films or real life is copied by the child especially those which have yielded desired results.As the Sanskrit saying goes 'yatha raja tatha praja',as the king so the citizen.Bhagavadgita puts it even more tellingly:
Yadyadacharati shreshtaha tattadevetaro janaha / sa yatpramanam kurute lokastadanuvartate// Whatever a great man does is followed by others; whatever the standards he sets up, the world pursues it.
A society where aggression alone 'pays' immediately and handsomely and where the negative consequences of aggression is either not there or come rarely or sometimes after a long time, is no deterrent of violent behaviour.
The negative consequences for undesirable behaviour should be immediate,fairly consistent in time and should be resorted to by all concerned ( no dad-granny or law-politics difference there ).
At the same time, the desirable behaviour also needs to be reinforced immediately,consistently and by all concerned, so that options could be easily seen and adopted by the child.
Two school children in Gurgoan take one of their Dad's gun and shoots a student from the same school who has been humiliating them.There is a public outcry.Violence is on the rise.Too much violence shown in the media,even glorified in films and TV which are affecting children.Media only reflects society.people at large resort to violence because it pays especially when they can get away with it thanks to their nexus with politics and law enforcing agencies.These are the substance of public furor whenever the act of violence is reported.How far are they born by facts?
There is of course a definite increase in the reported incidence of violence over the periods, yet, it is more often due to the fact that it is increasingly more noticeable now than before thanks to the closely knit world and effective media of today.The evidence on the media impact on violence is also not unequivocal or at least more complex than popularly assumed.The criminalisation of politics and the use of violence to achieve the ends is all there to see which has a strong bearing on the minds of children,leading them to indulge in violence, but who cares? Media of course can not be blamed.
Frustration-Aggression hypothesis, an outcome of one of the earliest work in Psychology of violence, states that aggression is the immediate reaction to frustration; the frustration in the gratification of needs such as hunger,sex,belongingness,love,esteem and self-expression.As the move towards the goal for the satisfaction is blocked, the immediate reaction to that barrier is 'flight' or 'fight' (escape or attack) and who takes to flight and who takes to fight is an interesting analysis by itself in the development of Personality meriting consideration separately.The outcome to these reactions will determine the further course in the development of aggressive behavior. The 'normal' person is the one who sees or made to see by people in the environment, the futility of these reaction in the long-term satisfaction of one's needs.
The psychoanalyst would say that it is the poor development of the Superego ( conscience and ego-ideals,social mores and values ) owing to inadequate and improper parenting thereby resulting in the urge for immediate gratification rather than a delayed one.This is also a deficit in the socialisation process of the child.People who are vulnerable to violence have low frustration tolerance or tolerance of uncertainty and have very little effective stress coping behavior.Violence depicted in the media may impact only such vulnerable children.
The Operant analysis of behaviour,another most influential work in Psychology,states that the consequence of behaviour shapes behaviour.When the behaviour is performed, or emitted as they say,what happens to that behaviour will determine whether it is strengthened or weakened.Consequences for our actions are always in the hands of people in the environment.When the temper tantrum thrown by the child will alone scurry the mother to turn around and feed him, throwing temper tantrum is strengthened and child will resort to it only when in need. When aggression alone fetches what one wants, one would retain aggression.
The 'Modeling Effect',an extension of Operant analysis of behaviour,demonstrates how behaviour is adopted by imitation and copying. behaviour of models/heroes in various situations in life seen in films or real life is copied by the child especially those which have yielded desired results.As the Sanskrit saying goes 'yatha raja tatha praja',as the king so the citizen.Bhagavadgita puts it even more tellingly:
Yadyadacharati shreshtaha tattadevetaro janaha / sa yatpramanam kurute lokastadanuvartate// Whatever a great man does is followed by others; whatever the standards he sets up, the world pursues it.
A society where aggression alone 'pays' immediately and handsomely and where the negative consequences of aggression is either not there or come rarely or sometimes after a long time, is no deterrent of violent behaviour.
The negative consequences for undesirable behaviour should be immediate,fairly consistent in time and should be resorted to by all concerned ( no dad-granny or law-politics difference there ).
At the same time, the desirable behaviour also needs to be reinforced immediately,consistently and by all concerned, so that options could be easily seen and adopted by the child.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sigmund Freud on Life
A friend in the Internet, a Zoology teacher in a College,asked me recently a brief on Freud.The gist of my reply on two emails is this blog.
Stimuli,both internal and external,impinge on the organism always.Stimuli creates tension.The goal of life is to mediate among these stimuli and maintain a relatively tension free state:this is the Principle of Constancy,very similar to the concept of homeostasis.Claude Bernard,a physiologist, applied homeostasis to 'milieu interior', whereas Freud referred to the whole of the organism including psychological and social processes.Freud calls this processes of tension free state as governed by Principle of Nirvana also.
There are two major set of stimuli to which mediating and warding off tension is not that easy thanks mainly to varieties of psychosocial factors and hence they remain within the system controlling and determining behavior. They act as Basic Urges,Psychological Instincts, the driving force of behaviour. They are Life and Death Instincts ( also known as Eros and Thanatos,Libido and Destrudo,Love and Hate Instincts ).
Personality of the individuals is formed to handle the above urges during the first five years of life consisting of three main components representing the three major realm of our existence : biological reality (consisting of body needs) named as ID, the physical/environmental reality, named as EGO and the sociocultural reality, named as SUPEREGO. The urges are tossed around among these domains. Id is a Latin word meaning literally 'that'very similar to the word 'tat' in Samskrit used in Upanishads.It refers to very basic,fundamental,all powerful and embracing reality. For Freud,it represents all that one inherits,the basic instincts and urges.It resides in the deepest core of the Unconscious.It always seeks immediate gratification and is governed by pleasure (relief from tension) principle.Whereas Ego is governed by reality principle and is for delayed gratification of the urges in the sense that although it is in the service of the Id only,it needs 'objects'in the actual environment to satisfy and hence beckons the Id to wait until such a time when it is available and feasible.Ego has no moral qualms.The Superego,the moral and sociocultural representation in us reckons not just availability out there but its long term consequences and the experiences of generations of people with those objects of satisfaction. Accordingly,often,the Superego may not allow (or forbid) the Id impulses the gratification.When such forbidding (repression) becomes too much the individual may break down.The whole scenario may be presented thus :
1. Ego > Id + Superego = Normal.Healthy person as he is able to exercise control on bodily urges as well as on moral cumpulsions.In other words, Ego being the master of the situation is able to manipulate the environment to satisfy the Id without hurting the Superego. This is the art of living!
2. Superego > Id + Ego = mild mental disorders,called Neuroses as basic urges are left unsatisfied because of over imposition of mores and morals.
3. Id > Ego + Superego = severe mental disorders,called Psychosis as urges are running riot without wherewithal with no rationality (weak Ego) working towards objective satisfaction of needs.
Id's crave for immediate gratification of needs , often at any cost and without any wait make it indulge in a activity called Primary Process governed fully by Pleasure Principle wherein the need gets an momentary hallucinatory wish fulfillment by daydreaming or through creative process such as writing fiction,poetry and painting.Whereas Ego follows Realty Principle governed by Secondary Process characterised by logic,reasoning and reality testing to get the needs gratified.
The interplay of the above dynamic forces may take place at any one of the three Levels of mental state : Conscious, Pre-Conscious and Unconscious. Conscious part in any individual at any given time is very little, only a "tip of the iceberg",quite a lot of it is hidden in the Unconscious as they are forbidden impulses by Superego/Ego.The domain of Pre-Conscious also consists of forbidden things but not so strongly,they may be recollected to Conscious with little effort.The Unconscious material can never be retrieved to conscious except by a special process such as Hypnosis or Psychoanalysis involving Free Association Technique,Dream Analysis,Behavior Interpretation and Catharsis.Psychoanalytical Therapy is all about these technique and processes.
The Unconscious forces (forbidden and unfulfilled wishes) represented mostly in Id can not wait for psychoanalysis or indulge in Primary Process alone. It must find its expression somehow and find some sort of fulfillment without hurting Reality (Ego) or society (Superego).Hence the Ego often employ different degree of deviant measures such as Repression,Denial,Suppression,Reaction Formation,Projection, Displacement, Insulation and Sublimation to defend itself from the onslaught of Unconscious forces - it is called Defense Mechanisms - wherein a 'temporary,momentary,hallucinatory wish fulfillment' takes place and wards off the accumulated tension for a while. When these mechanisms also fail or these mechanisms are exclusively depended upon without taking recourse to reality testing measures the mental disturbances set in.
Lastly, the most controversial and misunderstood aspect of Freud's thought is Psychosexual Stages.For Freud, sex (he used the term 'trieb' in German) meant all those relations where any two or more human beings come in close physical contact and as such it involves parent-child relationships and friends or those involved in sexual contacts.Freud also pointed out that body has several erogenous zones other than genitals such as lips,breasts, anal regions and urinary processes all of which gives pleasure when stimulated.Hence when the child sucks breast it is "sexual"(close physical contact). Psychosexual Stages of development involve five stages : 1. Oral Stage ( 0 - 1&1/2 years of age ), Anal Stage ( 1&1/2 - 3 years ), Phallic Stage ( 3 - 5 years ), Latency Stage ( 5 - 12 years ) and the Heterosexual Stage ( 12 - 15 years ). Fixation to any one of these stages before the year 12 during development poses serious problems for personality and mental health later on. Child is the father of the adult,the first five years - formative years - determines the whole of life.For instance, fixation at the oral stage make people dependant,anal-rigid, phallic-doubting and uncertain and latency-homosexual intents.
The famous Oedipus Complex occur around the age of three in the phallic stage.Male child stimulated on the body by opposite sex including the mother gets excited "sexually" and would 'dream' sexual relations with mother. The Complex was named after a Greek tragedy Play where King marries his own mother without of course being aware of it. Similarly, in the female sexual excitement by the touch of opposite sex is known as Electra Complex. Parents should handle them delicately by neither overindulging or under indulging but through moderation wean the child away from such desires to other useful pursuits.Both over protection and under protection would contribute to fixation and hamper the child development seriously.
Freud also has definite views on God ( Moses and Monotheism ), Religion ( Totem and taboo ), art and culture ( Leonardo DaVinci / Hamlet ); for Freud, they are essentially defense mechanisms,a momentary-hallucinatory-wish fulfillment, a futile attempts to ward off tensions.
People mistake Psychology as all Freud! Psychology as a discipline in the Universities was there much earlier to Freud. In fact Psychology did not accept Freud even after fifty years of his work and practice as it had all sort of unverified and unverifiable hypotheses. It is only in the 1950's psychology begin to experiment and was able to accept only some of his theory such as Unconscious,Personality Structure ( Id, Ego, Superego ), defense Mechanisms but never, even now, the Psychosexual Stages.
Stimuli,both internal and external,impinge on the organism always.Stimuli creates tension.The goal of life is to mediate among these stimuli and maintain a relatively tension free state:this is the Principle of Constancy,very similar to the concept of homeostasis.Claude Bernard,a physiologist, applied homeostasis to 'milieu interior', whereas Freud referred to the whole of the organism including psychological and social processes.Freud calls this processes of tension free state as governed by Principle of Nirvana also.
There are two major set of stimuli to which mediating and warding off tension is not that easy thanks mainly to varieties of psychosocial factors and hence they remain within the system controlling and determining behavior. They act as Basic Urges,Psychological Instincts, the driving force of behaviour. They are Life and Death Instincts ( also known as Eros and Thanatos,Libido and Destrudo,Love and Hate Instincts ).
Personality of the individuals is formed to handle the above urges during the first five years of life consisting of three main components representing the three major realm of our existence : biological reality (consisting of body needs) named as ID, the physical/environmental reality, named as EGO and the sociocultural reality, named as SUPEREGO. The urges are tossed around among these domains. Id is a Latin word meaning literally 'that'very similar to the word 'tat' in Samskrit used in Upanishads.It refers to very basic,fundamental,all powerful and embracing reality. For Freud,it represents all that one inherits,the basic instincts and urges.It resides in the deepest core of the Unconscious.It always seeks immediate gratification and is governed by pleasure (relief from tension) principle.Whereas Ego is governed by reality principle and is for delayed gratification of the urges in the sense that although it is in the service of the Id only,it needs 'objects'in the actual environment to satisfy and hence beckons the Id to wait until such a time when it is available and feasible.Ego has no moral qualms.The Superego,the moral and sociocultural representation in us reckons not just availability out there but its long term consequences and the experiences of generations of people with those objects of satisfaction. Accordingly,often,the Superego may not allow (or forbid) the Id impulses the gratification.When such forbidding (repression) becomes too much the individual may break down.The whole scenario may be presented thus :
1. Ego > Id + Superego = Normal.Healthy person as he is able to exercise control on bodily urges as well as on moral cumpulsions.In other words, Ego being the master of the situation is able to manipulate the environment to satisfy the Id without hurting the Superego. This is the art of living!
2. Superego > Id + Ego = mild mental disorders,called Neuroses as basic urges are left unsatisfied because of over imposition of mores and morals.
3. Id > Ego + Superego = severe mental disorders,called Psychosis as urges are running riot without wherewithal with no rationality (weak Ego) working towards objective satisfaction of needs.
Id's crave for immediate gratification of needs , often at any cost and without any wait make it indulge in a activity called Primary Process governed fully by Pleasure Principle wherein the need gets an momentary hallucinatory wish fulfillment by daydreaming or through creative process such as writing fiction,poetry and painting.Whereas Ego follows Realty Principle governed by Secondary Process characterised by logic,reasoning and reality testing to get the needs gratified.
The interplay of the above dynamic forces may take place at any one of the three Levels of mental state : Conscious, Pre-Conscious and Unconscious. Conscious part in any individual at any given time is very little, only a "tip of the iceberg",quite a lot of it is hidden in the Unconscious as they are forbidden impulses by Superego/Ego.The domain of Pre-Conscious also consists of forbidden things but not so strongly,they may be recollected to Conscious with little effort.The Unconscious material can never be retrieved to conscious except by a special process such as Hypnosis or Psychoanalysis involving Free Association Technique,Dream Analysis,Behavior Interpretation and Catharsis.Psychoanalytical Therapy is all about these technique and processes.
The Unconscious forces (forbidden and unfulfilled wishes) represented mostly in Id can not wait for psychoanalysis or indulge in Primary Process alone. It must find its expression somehow and find some sort of fulfillment without hurting Reality (Ego) or society (Superego).Hence the Ego often employ different degree of deviant measures such as Repression,Denial,Suppression,Reaction Formation,Projection, Displacement, Insulation and Sublimation to defend itself from the onslaught of Unconscious forces - it is called Defense Mechanisms - wherein a 'temporary,momentary,hallucinatory wish fulfillment' takes place and wards off the accumulated tension for a while. When these mechanisms also fail or these mechanisms are exclusively depended upon without taking recourse to reality testing measures the mental disturbances set in.
Lastly, the most controversial and misunderstood aspect of Freud's thought is Psychosexual Stages.For Freud, sex (he used the term 'trieb' in German) meant all those relations where any two or more human beings come in close physical contact and as such it involves parent-child relationships and friends or those involved in sexual contacts.Freud also pointed out that body has several erogenous zones other than genitals such as lips,breasts, anal regions and urinary processes all of which gives pleasure when stimulated.Hence when the child sucks breast it is "sexual"(close physical contact). Psychosexual Stages of development involve five stages : 1. Oral Stage ( 0 - 1&1/2 years of age ), Anal Stage ( 1&1/2 - 3 years ), Phallic Stage ( 3 - 5 years ), Latency Stage ( 5 - 12 years ) and the Heterosexual Stage ( 12 - 15 years ). Fixation to any one of these stages before the year 12 during development poses serious problems for personality and mental health later on. Child is the father of the adult,the first five years - formative years - determines the whole of life.For instance, fixation at the oral stage make people dependant,anal-rigid, phallic-doubting and uncertain and latency-homosexual intents.
The famous Oedipus Complex occur around the age of three in the phallic stage.Male child stimulated on the body by opposite sex including the mother gets excited "sexually" and would 'dream' sexual relations with mother. The Complex was named after a Greek tragedy Play where King marries his own mother without of course being aware of it. Similarly, in the female sexual excitement by the touch of opposite sex is known as Electra Complex. Parents should handle them delicately by neither overindulging or under indulging but through moderation wean the child away from such desires to other useful pursuits.Both over protection and under protection would contribute to fixation and hamper the child development seriously.
Freud also has definite views on God ( Moses and Monotheism ), Religion ( Totem and taboo ), art and culture ( Leonardo DaVinci / Hamlet ); for Freud, they are essentially defense mechanisms,a momentary-hallucinatory-wish fulfillment, a futile attempts to ward off tensions.
People mistake Psychology as all Freud! Psychology as a discipline in the Universities was there much earlier to Freud. In fact Psychology did not accept Freud even after fifty years of his work and practice as it had all sort of unverified and unverifiable hypotheses. It is only in the 1950's psychology begin to experiment and was able to accept only some of his theory such as Unconscious,Personality Structure ( Id, Ego, Superego ), defense Mechanisms but never, even now, the Psychosexual Stages.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Corporeal Punishment for School Children Banned in India
Government has recently banned corporeal punishment including threats for school children as there were reports of gross abuse of students by teachers by beating and other physical threats resulting in some cases grievous injuries and even death or suicide.However many teachers are not happy with the ban as they feel that a powerful tool to discipline the pupil for his own as well as organisational and family benefits has been taken away just because of some stray cases of abuse.Debate, discussion and even protest is going on among the teachers and public.
There has been lot of research, mainly by Psychologists,on the effect of punishment including physical ones on behaviour.The effect of Punishment is found to be unpredictable and often unintended too.Use of external force to control can at best only suppress the undesirable behaviour but may not erase it.Even the suppression would be temporary as moment the external force is absent or away the negative behaviour surfaces.Continous external monitoring of behaviour without any let up is not only impracticable but also can damage the development of personality of the child.Further,the internalisation of values to guide behaviour on its own without external threat which alone is the stable and lasting solution to weed out the negative behaviour will not take place when punishment is resorted to control child's actions.Cognitive restructuring will not take place when values are not internalised,and hence,child belief in his action is unaltered however objectionable it may be for the world around him.
There are in fact many alternate ways of handling problematic behavior in the child than punishment.Giving reasons and explaining the need for eliminating undesirable and taking up desirable behaviour is not often not done by parents or teachers."I know everything,look at my age and experience, you just do what I tell you,it is for your good only,you will not understand these right now" is the song of many elders with the child.Letting child know the reason behind prescription and exploring with the child the pros and con's outcomes, of different actions on oneself, on the people around as well as on going about realising one's aspirations will go a long way in internalising values that nurtures life and also in cognitive restructuring in the child.It does require little patience and time with the child but it is a small price to pay for a lasting beneficial effect on the development of child's personality. It also enhances child's feeling of autonomy and self governance.Opening the channels of communication by teachers among the child's "significant others"such as parents,heads of institutions and other teachers including even child's friends whenever problem behaviour occurs so that the real meaning of each others behaviour and intentions get explored and clarified is yet another approach one can employ.
Entering into a behavioral contract with the child that "if you do this(e.g.homework)now, you can do that(e.g.play)later"is yet another way of handling child's behaviour.Child,then, gets a feeling that people are not against him and he will get what he wants,generally, if he does what is required from him by the elders.
Punishment may have some value after all but it is a delicate mechanism to be handled with utmost care.Punishment for the undesirable behaviour should always go hand in hand with fully encouraging the good behaviour.There are some elders who always make it a point to punish negative behaviour in the child which in itself is not bad ,but when the child does some positive actions(- no one is totally bad or totally good, both would be there in all in varying degrees-)they keep quiet thinking that praising him would go to his head and be spoiled.In such a situation the child will only know what is 'bad', but not what is good expected of him. Mere punishment for bad behaviour and ignoring the good that he does would create hardened negativism in the child.There are other elders who always pat and praise when the child does something good,which is fine , but when the child does bad they keep quite let the child feel hurt and their love /popularity with the child would diminish.This too is equally damaging as the child would not know what to give up.When praise for the good and punishment for the bad is practiced simultaneously the child will not feel that he is lost and think that people are against him when punished as he is also taken sky high when good is done by him.Child finds that he need not throw tantrums or indulge in aggressive or negligent behaviour as he would be getting 'what he wants'by being in the prescribed behaviour
There is an urgent need,therfore,to train teachers in behavioral management of child in the classroom as well as in the school on the one hand and counselling the parents of the problem children in handling the child at home and society on the other, for the good of all.
There has been lot of research, mainly by Psychologists,on the effect of punishment including physical ones on behaviour.The effect of Punishment is found to be unpredictable and often unintended too.Use of external force to control can at best only suppress the undesirable behaviour but may not erase it.Even the suppression would be temporary as moment the external force is absent or away the negative behaviour surfaces.Continous external monitoring of behaviour without any let up is not only impracticable but also can damage the development of personality of the child.Further,the internalisation of values to guide behaviour on its own without external threat which alone is the stable and lasting solution to weed out the negative behaviour will not take place when punishment is resorted to control child's actions.Cognitive restructuring will not take place when values are not internalised,and hence,child belief in his action is unaltered however objectionable it may be for the world around him.
There are in fact many alternate ways of handling problematic behavior in the child than punishment.Giving reasons and explaining the need for eliminating undesirable and taking up desirable behaviour is not often not done by parents or teachers."I know everything,look at my age and experience, you just do what I tell you,it is for your good only,you will not understand these right now" is the song of many elders with the child.Letting child know the reason behind prescription and exploring with the child the pros and con's outcomes, of different actions on oneself, on the people around as well as on going about realising one's aspirations will go a long way in internalising values that nurtures life and also in cognitive restructuring in the child.It does require little patience and time with the child but it is a small price to pay for a lasting beneficial effect on the development of child's personality. It also enhances child's feeling of autonomy and self governance.Opening the channels of communication by teachers among the child's "significant others"such as parents,heads of institutions and other teachers including even child's friends whenever problem behaviour occurs so that the real meaning of each others behaviour and intentions get explored and clarified is yet another approach one can employ.
Entering into a behavioral contract with the child that "if you do this(e.g.homework)now, you can do that(e.g.play)later"is yet another way of handling child's behaviour.Child,then, gets a feeling that people are not against him and he will get what he wants,generally, if he does what is required from him by the elders.
Punishment may have some value after all but it is a delicate mechanism to be handled with utmost care.Punishment for the undesirable behaviour should always go hand in hand with fully encouraging the good behaviour.There are some elders who always make it a point to punish negative behaviour in the child which in itself is not bad ,but when the child does some positive actions(- no one is totally bad or totally good, both would be there in all in varying degrees-)they keep quiet thinking that praising him would go to his head and be spoiled.In such a situation the child will only know what is 'bad', but not what is good expected of him. Mere punishment for bad behaviour and ignoring the good that he does would create hardened negativism in the child.There are other elders who always pat and praise when the child does something good,which is fine , but when the child does bad they keep quite let the child feel hurt and their love /popularity with the child would diminish.This too is equally damaging as the child would not know what to give up.When praise for the good and punishment for the bad is practiced simultaneously the child will not feel that he is lost and think that people are against him when punished as he is also taken sky high when good is done by him.Child finds that he need not throw tantrums or indulge in aggressive or negligent behaviour as he would be getting 'what he wants'by being in the prescribed behaviour
There is an urgent need,therfore,to train teachers in behavioral management of child in the classroom as well as in the school on the one hand and counselling the parents of the problem children in handling the child at home and society on the other, for the good of all.
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