Reverse Psychology, Survival Of The Fittest and the Inevitability of Paying Taxes
Imperialistic Neocolonialism Repackaged
The Kenyan government, led by His excellency President Ruto, is at loggerheads with its citizens -of which I am one-as it relates to punitive taxes.
And it's been interesting to watch the sophistry-cated schizophrenic behavior exhibited by President Ruto and his ruling elite.
On the one hand economist David Ndii called them too young and too inexperienced to understand.
On the other hand, parliament majority leader Kimani Ichu'ngwa lambasted them for being too rich to understand.
Leave it to the experts, they echoed!
But yesterday there was a change of tune from the political savvy elites: from affirming them for exercising their democratic rights to promising to listen to them.
All this sophistry-cated schizophrenic behavior led Kevin Mboya to call this reverse psychology. And consequently, the youthful protestors have vowed to continue in their protestations dubbed the 7 Days of Rage.
Side Note: Seven Days of Rage is a murder mystery literary work of the imminent murder trial of Philip Markoff. Written by Paul LaRosa and Maria Cramer, the book sought to bring to light the many mysteries behind the secret life and unconscionable acts of the brilliant and well-liked Boston University medical student who came to be known as the Craigslist Killer.
Isn’t it interesting that the youthful protesters chose to co-opt a name that has enough baggage on it in the first place.
But if you thought that that was bad, then think long and hard about what authors and professors like Nancy Pearcy have said about politics:
"Politics is downstream from culture." So goes the maxim.
You may be asking yourself at this point: what does all this have to do with mental health?
The elitist rhetoric from both sides of this debate has reminded me of the psycho-labels and psychobabble that my field engages in.
Listen to Dr Ed Bulkely:
“…All around… self-help groups that meet to provide mutual support for hurting people. Many of these groups meet in churches. One common factor in their discussions is psycho-speak, a vocabulary composed by psychological experts and taught in books, magazines, radio, and television. Psycho-speak uses labels to describe every human behavior.
The labels are often presented in noun form: “an ill person,” “an adult child,” “an abused person,” “a handicapped person,” “an addict,” “an alcoholic,” “an enabler,” a “codependent,” “a kleptomaniac,” “a psychotic,” “a foodaholic,” “a schizophrenic,” “a nymphomaniac,” and an endless selection of other designations.
In common conversation, these terms are often preceded by the confession “I am. . . “ as a person accepts his assigned role in our “dysfunctional” society. The labels produce more confusion than solution.
“Untrue!” the indignant shout will come from those dedicated to psycho-speak. “Labels help us to understand ourselves, so we can manage our problems. Unless you know what the disease is, you can’t treat it.”…”1
And all this, looks very eerily similar to the rhetoric expressed by Kenyan politicians on then one hand and the youthful protestors on the other.
You may be wondering, after reading the statement above, what does science have to do with politics: especially psychological science and politics?
Let me try and connect the dots for you!
In the 1960’s-1970’s America, at the height of the sexual revolution, homosexuality was surreptitiously removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) when it was scientifically found out by Alfred Kinsey that it was politically incorrect to label homosexuality as a disorder.
Listening to the grievances of the youthful protestors and affirming them in their right to picket, demonstrate etc. doesn't prove anything. Just like listening to, labelling one a mental patient and engaging in psycho-speak doesn’t prove anything.
Sitting down and listening to these youthful protestors doesn’t prove-in the same breath- that at the end of their conversation they will have understood each other! Just as a counselor sitting down with a mental patient doesn’t prove-in the same breath- that at the end of their conversation they will have understood each other.
Listening to these youthful protestors and affirming them also doesn’t mean that they will do anything about the taxes they are heaven-bent on imposing! Just as a therapist charging you an arm and a leg doesn’t mean that he/she is competent or that your mental problem has been solved.
Why can I be confident in saying this?
Because of what Dr. James Davies says in Cracked about western psychiatric imperialism, psychiatric drugs and placebos and what the late clinical psychologist Robyn M. Dawes said in his book House of Cards:
“There is no positive evidence supporting the efficacy [effectiveness] of professional psychology…Degrees, licenses, experience, and education in the field of counseling do not make the psychologizers experts on human behavior….Successes claimed have less to do with the counselor’s psychological training, licenses, and experience than with factors in the client’s own life….Successes claimed in counseling could easily be matched by persons not receiving psychological counseling….Evaluating the efficacy [effectiveness] of psychotherapy has led us to conclude that professional psychologists are no better psychotherapists than anyone else with minimal training—sometimes those without any training at all; the professionals are merely more expensive….”2
And the greater question becomes for how long will each party continue to listen to one another before they imperialistically impose on each other their way of doing things?
And when all is said and done, is the current imperialistic, neocolonialist, secular, politico-religious and psychiatric atheism equipped to handle and help during mortal suffering?3
For an in-depth exploration of this topic check out my upcoming book The Love of Christ Jesus and Mental Health.
Why Christians Can't Trust Psychology by Dr. Ed Bulkley
Robyn Dawes. House Of Cards: Psychotherapy Built On Myth. New York: The Free Press/Macmillan, Inc., 1994, p. 58.
But even as I ask this question, I am also cognizant of the fact that that hasn’t stopped every other thing from being politicized. For good or for bad, even our churches have long been under the spell of politicians and political power. But having said that I feel and know that I am just echoing what Karen Muriuki and Tania Melnyczuk said three years ago.