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Examining belief on God through mental status and mental functioning of Recovering Addicts of Kolkata, India
Tinni Dutta | Disha Halder
- Sact I, Department of Psychology, Asutosh College, University of Calcutta
- Sact II, Department of Psychology, Bangabasi College, University of Calcutta
Correspondence*
Department of Psychology, Asutosh College, University of Calcutta
Contact No.: 9830879420
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
In the present day there is a rapid growing interest in the arena of Psycho-spirituality and Mental Health. We need to bear in mind that the spiritual is co-extensive with the religious conception. We identify what we call the spiritual life with a concern to acquire holiness and a sense of presence of God through prayer, meditation and yoga practices. Believe in God transform individual’s identity and enhance ego functioning and status of wellbeing. The cosmic image of ‘The Tree of Life may have been intended to help man in diversity, which in the life of the mind is called the discovery of meaning’. (Needleman, J,1973). Victor Frankl as quoted by Mc Clone, K (2003) stated that substance abuse might be a response to a loss of direction within the individual. Loss of freedom is perceived as the addictive substance claims possession’. Keeping these in mind the author tries to examine the relationship between the mental status and mental functioning of the addicts who have believed in God and those who don’t believe. After welcoming the clients’ mental status examination was conducted. Appearances and behaviour were noted. Some questions were asked and responses were recorded. Similarly, ego functions assessment was consisted of both observations and semi-structured interviews. Differences are found to be significant at both .05 and .01 level in case of mental status examination, in case of ego functioning it was significant only at .05 level. Results are indicative of recovering addicts who believe in God would see the colorful aspect of life than who don’t believe in God. They adopt a flexible approach for desired success in lives.
Key w ords
Psycho spirituality, Psychotherapy mental status Examination, Ego Functioning.
INTRODUCTION
In the present day there is a rapid growing interest in the arena of Psycho-spirituality and Mental Health. We need to bear in mind that the spiritual is co-extensive with the religious. We identify what we call the spiritual life with a concern to acquire holiness and a sense of presence of God through prayer, meditation and yoga practices.
The multiplicity of usages of adjective ‘spiritual’ in recent literature has referred the term ‘spiritual sustenance’ and ‘spiritual discernment’ and it was implied that some people were more spiritual than others. Concepts such as logic, spirit and self-have been tossed between philosophy and religion.
‘The philosopher of religion finds the concept of spirituality intriguing precisely because it poses a fresh the teasing relation between bios and logos, a relation which ever since Aristotle who tied them up so neatly. …human wisdom is derived from God and to that extent a channel of communication between God and man’ (Chatterjee, M, 1987).
Believe in God transform individual’s identity and enhance ego functioning and status of wellbeing. The cosmic image of ‘The Tree of Life may have been intended to help man in diversity, which in the life of the mind is called the discovery of meaning’. (Needleman, J,1973).
In this technological age addictions are growing rapidly. To avoid pain and obtain pleasure addicts crave for drugs. Drug addiction refers to a form of relapsing disorder that is chronic in which there is a compulsive drive to misuse drugs and the self-control is said to be lost during the intake (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The spirituality of addictions depicts a higher figure on whom he can trust. Thus, it is easier for those addicts to receive the treatment comfortably who believe in God. Carl Jung has stated that cravings for drugs was really a search for wholeness or union with God. Therefore, who believe in God have better mental status and ego functioning. But those who don’t believe in God or higher power are the lost souls who possess nothing, indicative of emptiness, poor mental status and ego functioning.
Victor Frankl as quoted by Mc Clone (2003) stated that substance abuse might be a response to a loss of direction within the individual. Loss of freedom is perceived as the addictive substance claims possession’.
Howard Clinebell perceived that the insecurity and the emotional malnutrition bred by an anxious, violent and competitive society has resulted in many damaged orphans of the spirit.
It is quite pronounced that addicts who have no communion with God seek more relief from addiction but paradoxically found more misery.
Keeping these in mind the author tries to examine the relationship between the mental status and mental functioning of the addicts who have believed in God and those who don’t believe.
METHODOLOGY
Objectives:
To assess the mental status of the recovering addicts who believe in God and who are atheists.
To assess the mental functioning of the recovering addicts who believe in God and who are atheists.
Hypothesis:
Ho: There are no differences in mental status of the recovering addicts who believe in God and who are atheists.
Alternative hypothesis: There are differences in mental status of the recovering addicts who believe in God and who are atheists.
Ho: There are nodifferences in mental functioning of the addicts who believe in God and who are atheists.
Alternative hypothesis: There are differences in mental functioning of the addicts who believe in God and who are atheists.
Sampling: Purposive random sampling technique was adopted. After discharge from a reputed De-addiction/ Rehabilitation Centre those who remained sober for at least six months had been taken as samples in both groups.
Exclusion Criteria
Those who are below HS level were excluded.
Inclusion Criteria
Those who are unmarried were only included. Individuals who are recovering addicts and Hindu by religion, worship God or Goddess like Shiv/ Durga/ Kali and other Hindu deities.
Size of the Sample: 30
: 15 those who believe in God and higher power.
: 15 those who are atheists.
Description of the Samples:
Multiple substance users had been taken as samples. All of them were from middle socioeconomic status. All of them were unmarried. 75% of them were graduate. All of them were from urban areas and Hindu by religion.
Tools:
Mental Status Examination:
Mental Status Examination is viewed as psychological equivalent of the physical exam through appearances, observations and responses. The purpose is to evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively a range of mental functions- orientation, appearance, thought process, thought content, memory, judgment, vocabulary, information, arithmetic and insight.
Ego Functioning Assessment:
Ego functions assessment offer a systematic basis for prediction of functioning various domains. Here five domains had been selected: - possessing good health, autonomous, competent, safe and secure.
PROCEDURE
After welcoming the clients’ mental status examination was conducted. Appearances and behavior were noted. Some questions were asked and responses were recorded. Similarly, ego functions assessment was consisted of both observations and semi-structured interviews. Scoring was done 0/1/2 -2 was given- fully satisfied, 1-satisfied and 0- unsatisfied. It was added and further calculations were done.
RESULT
TABLE 1 DATA
Believes in God - Mental Status
| Serial No. | Orientation | Appearance | Thought process | Thought Content | Memory | Judgment | Vocabulary | Information | Arithmetic | Insight | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
Don’t Believe in God - Mental Status
| Serial No. | Orientation | Appearance | Thought Process | Thought Content | Memory | Judgment | Vocabulary | Information | Arithmetic | Insight | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Mental Status | Mean Value | S.D. | t value | df | Critical Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Believes IN | 15.6 | 2.01 | 3.75 | 28 | 0.05 |
| GOD | 2.05 | ||||
| DON'T | 12.86 | 0.01 | |||
| BELIEVE IN | 2.76 | ||||
| GOD | |||||
| SIGNIFICANT AT BOTH THE LEVELS |
TABLE – 2 DATA
Mental functioning of those who believe in God
| Serial No. | Possessing good health | Autonomous | Competent | Safe | Secure | Total |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Mental functioning of those who don’t believe in God
| Serial no | Possessing good health | Autonomous | Competent | Safe | Secure | Total |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
TABLE 2A Shows the mean value, S.D. and t value of the Ego Functioning Examination of recovering Addicts who believe in God and those who don’t.
| MENTAL FUNCTIONING | MEAN VALUE | S.D. | t VALUE | DF | CRITICAL VALUES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BELIEVES IN GOD | 7.53 | 1.5 | 2.31 | 28 | 0.05 |
| 2.05 | |||||
| DON'T BELIEVE | 6.26 | 0.01 | |||
| IN GOD | 2.76 | ||||
| SIGNIFICANT AT 0.05 LEVEL | |||||
DISCUSSION
In 1980, Allen Bergin (1980a; 1980b) and Albert Ellis (1980) began a debate in the literature regarding religiousness as a factor in mental health, leading to the modern viability of spirituality and values in psychology. Bergin argued religiousness and values to be important and unavoidable factors in mental health and Ellis argued that religiousness was at the root of psychological dysfunction. Ellis since modified his stance (Nielsen, Johnson, & Ellis, 2001).
In this present study mental status examination was done under ten domains: orientation, appearance, thought process, thought content, memory, judgment, vocabulary, information, arithmetic and insight. It was done through structured and unstructured interviews and observations. The differences in mental status examination were found to be statistically significant both at .05 and .01 level between the two groups those who believe in God and those who not. Thus, null hypothesis was rejected and alternative hypothesis was retained. Individuals who are recovering addicts and don't believe in God their mental status when compared to those who has faith on God shows a significant difference in terms of orientation, appearance, thought process, thought content, memory, judgement, vocabulary, information and arithmetic. Individuals who believe on God and superior power has scored higher in terms of all domains except insight. This indicates a positive mental status for recovering addicts. Those who believe in God are focused on one thing at a time, memorize information by rote, able to judges constantly, be open to ideas and information and extend awareness to more than one perspective. But those who don’t believe in God make wrong judgments, caught up in emotions, feeling tired and couldn’t respond to questions and are anxious and confused. ‘To be harmony with the wholeness of the things is to not have anxiety over our imperfections’. (Dogen Zenji,1200-1253).
While religiousness and spirituality are commonly considered to be closely related, if not synonymous, distinctions are also made (see Zinnbauer & Pargament, 2005). Webb (2007) Proposes a model wherein the term spirituality is redefined to be more accurately employed as a single construct with three inter-related dimensions: 1) religious or ritualistic spirituality (RS), a structured connection with deity, 2) theistic spirituality (TS), a non-structured connection with deity, and 3) existential spirituality (ES), a non-theistic search for meaning and purpose. Herein, we use the term spirituality (and variants thereof) in this broadened sense and primarily in reference to RS and/or TS.
The ego is proposed as the focus of pathology in the addiction process, featuring a regression to the defenses of projection and denial. (Fine & Juni, 2001). Also, in a study conducted by Mc.Kenna & Khantzian, 2009; data are presented which indicate impairment in ego functioning and evidence of considerable psychopathology in three groups of drug-dependent individuals entering an inpatient detoxification/treatment unit.
Ego functioning was assessed through structured and unstructured interviews under five domains-possessing good health, autonomous, competent, safe and secure. The differences between two groups who believe in God and who are atheists are found to be significant only at .05 levels. Here also null hypothesis was rejected and alternative hypothesis were retained. In case of mental functioning the directions of the scores lies almost same. The recovering addicts who do have faith on God and higher power has scored more on the domains – possession of good health, autonomous, competency and safety than their counterparts. Only in terms of security both the groups share an equal score. It implied in sobriety the faith in God makes people’s life go well, see the positive things in situations and enable them to understand people’s emotional and social needs. Here ego functioning could be understood how they function at physical, social and emotional level and how they evaluate their lives as a whole. Those who believe in God treat pain and pleasure with equanimity. They enjoy good life, preferring pleasure to pain, stays with the moment and has a sense of proportion.
Recovering addicts who have gone through a tough phase acknowledges God and higher power for their recovery and recuperation. As, affixing oneself to God gives a sense of purpose or goal in life, which they would have lost otherwise. As, a result they have a pellucid thought process and enriched thought content and insight, in comparison to their counterparts. Attachment to God makes them feel they are contributing to the society and people present in their environment leading to a safe and secure mental status. The rituals accompanied with religion beliefs like yoga and meditation promotes mindfulness leading to improvement in memory, orientation, judgement and competency. Adjoining oneself to Higher power increases personal accountability, encouraging the individual's possession of good health and well-being. Religion also serves as a protector more than a source of trouble (Mishra et al., 2017)
Good effect of Psycho Spiritual Therapy is supposed to be promoted as an exemplary management in the field of drug treatment management. Drug abuse is a bio psycho-socio-spiritual disease (Hamad et al. (2016), the treatment of this disease requires the consideration on these aspects. In 1984, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included spiritual or religious elements in health. In some developed countries such as the United States, psychiatrists and therapists have had great expectations of spiritual elements or, in other words, psycho religion therapy in dealing with mental disorder problems (Ariyanto, 2006). Psycho-spiritual treatment model is an approach that encompasses the essence of religion and spirituality into psychotherapy that has been widely employed for centuries in different areas and across religions (Nazrin & Rafidah, 2017).
CONCLUSION
To conclude those recovering addicts who believe in God see the brighter and colorful side of life rather than its darker and colorless aspects. They remain confident and hopeful that something positive will emerge out of their efforts. Further they reveal a reasonable degree of patience and presence of mind in confronting the disastrous life situations. They adopt a flexible approach for obtaining desired success in their lives, as a whole making them a nice and better human being. Further studies are called for replication of present studies in various cultures.
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