HOLY DELUSION: AN APPROACH TO RELIGION AND MENTAL DISORDER

DIANA KATHERINE GONZALEZ 4309032

GERMAN PEREZ PROFESSOR

UNIDAD CENTRAL DEL VALLE UCEVA VII SEMESTER 2012

HOLY DELUSION: AN APPROACH TO RELIGION AND MENTAL DISORDER

Through ages, societies have been arisen under beliefs and myths which have given them a possible explanation of phenomena they live and therefore a sensation of hopefulness or faith. But since XIX century, several researches have pointed out religion was created by early humans for avoiding exploration of the difficult experiences of helplessness and hopelessness. Recent works associate religion with a biological function of brain and even a mind state which can affect peoples regular behaviors. One of most recognized examples of these theories are Middle East constantly religion conflicts clearly observed in September 9/11 attacks to United States by Islam fundamentalist or perhaps mass suicide called revolutionary suicide committed by 909 peoples temple members in Jonestown Guyana in 1978 where over 200 children were forced to ingest cyanide by the elite Temple members. Likewise there have been similar events along human history, under aged Freudian quotes take place religion is a mass neurosis. With regards to last mentioned it could be argued People who belong to fundamentalist religious groups tend to develop mental disorders. In this essay it will be defended the effects of religious fanatism in mental illness in terms of most known mental disorders; this will be solved with psychiatry theories from several authors from XX and XXI century. Formerly, religion and mental disorder discussion does not belong to recent studies, indeed it origins began with Sigmund Freud theories in XX century. He describes religion as a deep mental state, which have a prehistorically and social beginning, in addition, According to his book the future of an illusion Freud (1927) holds, religion as well as civilization, are both carrot and stick; they provide the individual with comfort, fulfill his wishes, but do so in order to compensate him for the sacrifices they demand from him this means religions were created by society in order to maintain laws and agreements among community members. In addition, he puts religion in an emotional dependent state and he compares the old metaphor of God as a father by saying Just as the father is a source of emotional support, so is he a source of prescription in his awe- and fear-inspiring authority. Likewise, religion and the idea of God protect and console, command and demand. It can be said, fanatic people assume religion with an unquestionable faith sometimes called illusion and this affects people`s reality and where they are more likely to develop parallel lives. Last conclusion in well supported when he says:

it would be very nice if there were a God who created the world and was A benevolent Providence, and if there were a moral order in the universe and An after-life; but it is a very striking fact that all this is exactly as we are Bound to wish it to be

With regards to Religious practices, and belief in God, those were taken by Freud as signs of obsessive neurosis, narcissistic delusion, and an infantile life outlook, and thus a dangerous threat to individual psyches and to society. They were believed to be determinative of, or indeed to reflect, An unhealthy psychological status. Yet, In opposition to Freuds assumptions empirical studies have been said The mental health influence of religious beliefs and practices particularly when imbedded within a long-standing, well-integrated faith tradition is largely a positive one (Koenig, 1998) despite this, there is not fully documented data about these studies and its necessary a real engagement to the subject.

In a second aspect, most recent researches have showed High levels of religiosity are related to mental disorders as obsessive compulsive disorder OCD, and transpersonal identity disorder TID. According to Elizabeth Cosgrove (2011) there is a characteristic psychopathology in OCD patients regarding to obsessional thoughts and/or compulsive actions. Muslims for example are required to wash five times per day before praying, they have a strict order and if mistake is made, then the whole process must be begun again. This procedure could be said to display remarkable similarity to the ritualistic compulsive acts mentioned above. In the same way, current studies from Compulsive Cognitions Working Group about OCD suggest there were a number of cognitions that could be linked to OCD including overimportance of thoughts, an inflated sense of responsibility and excessive concern regarding the importance of controlling thoughts. This assumption can be reflected in moral Christianity in the sense they believe that their own private thoughts are equivalent to physical actions. It is called moral thought-action fusion (moral TAF), and it accomplishes guilty and self-revulsion when an immoral act is made by them or others. Individuals feel therefore morally obligated to do everything in their power to act upon this conception, and defend their beliefs y using distinct methods or actions from psychological harassment and even violence acts. John Firman and Ann Gila hold these personal rectitude and ideological purity in people tend to dehumanize and even demonize those who oppose them. In other words, people who are extremely involved into strong religious beliefs tend to develop an OCD episode or at least to manifest symptoms in their life time. However, Idler (2008) considers religious traditions are relevant to health, especially in adolescence and early adulthood, is that they provide rules for living. For instance, some religions have very particular rules about diet and alcohol use, and most faiths have beliefs about maintaining the purity of the body as the vessel of the soul. In general, religious faiths discourage self-indulgent behaviors and promote moderation in all things. Nevertheless such behaviors can obey to a submission or fear attitude rather than a real conscious desire of health.

On the other hand, religious fanaticism acts are compared with Transpersonal Identity Disorder TID. Fanatics demonstrate an anxious personality akin to emphatic failure and narcissist behaviors called wounds. As has been reported by Firman & Gila (1997, 19) when the fanatical identification falters and these deep wounds thereby threaten to emerge, a powerful defensive rage may arise. Such narcissistic rage (Kohut) is the energy that leads to the dehumanization, abuse, and even destruction of other human beings however Rubin (2010) argues religion helps to people in dealing with mental illness cases, such as anxiety episodes. In fact, patients who have suffered from suicidal episodes maintain religion prevent them from committing suicide. Thus Psychiatrics use religion as a placebo; it means that the psychiatrist should have the ability to understand what is important to the patient and utilize that information to best help. Another important aspect studied by modern scientist is religiosity as a brain functioning. These investigations have reduced religion thoughts into brains left hemisphere, especially amygdala in temporal lobe. Vilayanur Ramachandran a neuroscientist from San Diego University claims patients with lobe epilepsy reported having deeply moving religious experiences. "They'd tell me they felt a presence or suddenly felt they got the meaning of the whole cosmos. Similarly Michael Persinger, a neuropsychologist at Canada's Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Proposes religion as a sensation and beyond, a mixture between human hemispheres, he mentions When the right hemisphere of the brain, the seat of emotion, is stimulated in the cerebral region presumed to control notions of self, and then the left hemisphere, the seat of language, is called upon to make sense of this nonexistent entity, the mind generates a "sensed presence." That is to say religion experiences, visions and miracles demonstrations are a mind product and a welfare state in peoples minds and it returns easily in common disorders as hallucinations including aliens, heavenly apparitions, past-life sensations, near-death , awareness of the soul as part of the set of visions people can develop.

Still, these theories do not have enough recognition from historical and social religion theorists, given that they support their bases just under biological aspects and a diminishment it is unsuitable for explaining all cultural and anthropological phenomena under takes place. As well as Max Coltheart is Professor of Psychology at Macquarie University in Australia and in a recent journal article wonders whether cognitive neuroscience has really told us anything useful about the mind so far, by saying "No amount of knowledge about the hardware of a computer will tell you anything serious about the nature of the software that the computer runs. In the same way, no facts about the activity of the brain could be used to confirm or refute some information-processing model of cognition." Coltheart (2004) In agreement with previous comments, fundamentalism religions are known for expressing prejudice, discrimination and authoritarianism (they are expected to show some

aggression), paradoxically, biggest symbols of religion like Jesus Christ or Buddha taught love, acceptance and unyielding respect for others they promoted spiritualism on behalf of religion, which reflects a highly internalized social tolerance, altruism, and main importance attributed to the value of universalism. There is a way of living religions in terms of healthy-minded soul. James (1958) holds, Healthy-minded religion is the faith of the literally healthy mind, whose psyches are implicitly hopeful, optimistic, positive, kind, and prone to happiness. To summarize, it is necessary to support, an extremely vision of religion may generate disturbances in peoples mind rather peace and quiet. This is observed specially in obsessive compulsive disorders where individuals attitude become strictly directed by religious practices. Nonetheless it is not correct associate all patients who suffer obsessive disorders are religious people, but fanatics religious people present higher levels of acquiring such. Furthermore psychoanalysis has been said the strong dependence with regard to religion conceptions was acquired by prehistorically communities and these appreciations of fear, acquiescence and punishment, remain in current generations, this can be one of the reasons why religion is still an essential aspect in society nowadays, as well as Skinner describes Religion provides specific reinforcements and punishments, thus solidifying social moral standards (Skinner, 1969). Howbeit, religion is not the only way of gaining understanding and peace among people, like so emancipation from these moral thoughts is compulsory for individuals at this time and consequently they will assume a benevolent behavior and a health perception of religion and spiritually.

Bibliography

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