One of the major lessons of life is that life is
a challenge. The consequence of being born into this life inevitably challenges
our emotional, physical and intellectual resources to adapt to this ecosystem,
make the best use of the resources and opportunities around us, fulfil
responsibilities and achieve personal fulfilment. This is a brutal reality that
no one can escape from because anywhere you go; life comes calling to make her
legitimate demands. Certain factors in the experience are totally beyond our
control; where we are born, the family and of course our biological endowments
which serve as the basic substrates for all of our experiences.
Psychologists believe that our
minds come into this experience as empty slates waiting for inscriptions which
may have background modulations by our inherited traits but invariably do not
determine the final outcome.
Africans have profound socialization
programs before the colonial masters came and I strongly feel that one of the
challenges of our nation is that we have an identity crisis emanating from
multiple discordant voices of socialization. There is a need to contextually
harmonize these multiple schemes on the basis of our practical experiences
without loss of identity at a personal and national level. Traditions, taboos
and myths are collections of best practices adopted by some folks in the
context of peculiar experiences. Education as a tool of development is designed
to enhance our capabilities of handling the challenges of life in the direction
of wholesome resolution. Evidence from the quality of life studies actually
illustrates that human beings differ in how much positive value they garner
from life in the context of their experiences. Actually, it is not material
wealth that confers good quality of life although a basic minimum of economic
means is inevitable for a good life; our adaptive psychological mechanisms are
strong predictive factors.
Unfortunately, our modern
socialization strategies and educational curricula are not particularly
directed towards a deliberate development of these psychological mechanisms
that are crucial for our blossoming in this beautiful but challenging
environment. Erik Erickson summarized these challenges in his 'Theory of
Life Cycle' where he viewed life as a series of successive stages each one
marked with the peculiar achievement of a social task in the direction of wholesome
resolution or otherwise. Between the ages of 20 and 40; he postulated that any
human being is expected to achieve intimacy which encompasses a choice of
stimulating career and a mutually beneficial relationship with the opposite
sex. Failure to achieve this may lead to feelings of isolation capable of
affecting other stages ahead. This model can explain the midlife crisis and
could also elucidate the principles of successful ageing.
The legendary author and organizational behaviour expert; Stephen
R Covey espoused that human beings are higher animals because they have a mind.
This mind confers the ability to choose our response irrespective of the
external challenges in the physical environment. Some evolution theorists claim
that Africa is lagging behind in development because of her amenable physical
environment since the Europeans had to develop their coping mechanisms to
master a more hostile physical environment which has resulted in their
continuous developmental outcomes. The challenges in the environment
serve as the stimulating factor for developing coping psychological mechanisms
that are crucial for a fulfilled life. According to Covey, the psychological
resources of imagination, conscience, willpower and self-awareness are never
utilized when challenges are rationalized.
There are coping and defensive
psychological mechanisms. The coping ones are consciously developed while the
defensive ones are unconscious. It is amazing how these mechanisms ultimately
determine the outcomes in the life of folks irrespective of great education.
Training and skill development can earn a position but development of adaptive
coping mechanisms guarantees your tenure. Good attitudes are natural
products of well-developed coping mechanism which invariably determines success
in all of our relationships whether in marriage, workplace or in the community.
Attitudes are different from personality traits; the latter cannot be changed
but attitudes are subject to modification throughout life. Majority of our
marital problems are traceable to bad attitudes in a spouse who has refused to
modify them in the guise that they are unchangeable personality traits.
Parenting styles that are indulgent of bad attitudes encourage
maladaptive coping mechanisms that may lead to mental health problems.
Coping mechanisms are maladaptive when folks use drugs, alcohol or
religion to escape confronting a problem. Problem-solving skills, realistic
evaluation of issues and development of interventional ideas are products of adaptive
coping mechanisms.
The African culture with myriads of myths and superstitions may
explain our denial of reality and consequent failure at development. The
religious systems take advantage of the Africans’ obsession with the
supernatural as a strategy of escaping reality with the attendant mediocre
quality of life and rising incidence of mental illness.
Dr Adeoye Oyewole
adeoyewole2000@yahoo.com
+234 803 490 5808 (WhatsApp Only)
Comments
Post a Comment