My Love-Hate Relationwhip with Psychology

As we left church Saturday evening, I picked up a weekly bulletin with the headline: Mental Health Awareness Month: Stopping the Stigma of Mental Health.  I thought it odd at first, until reading the article which encourages compassion and outreach to the numerous mentally ill people in our community, many of whom are served by Catholic Charities in our diocese.  This brought to mind my love-hate relationship with psychology over the years.  I never gave much thought to psychology until I studied management in grad school where there was a significant emphasis on behavioral psychology.  Modern management techniques were based then (the 1970s) largely on the studies of psychologists like Abraham Maslow and B.F. Skinner who did research on the ‘hierarchy of needs’ shared by all people, and delved into what motivates behavior.  I was impressed by my studies in this area, even to the point of subscribing to Psychology Today for several years, until it became obvious that the entire field of modern psychology had become dominated by a strong liberal bias against religion.   What I read not only infuriated me, it led me to conclude that in many instances psychological help might be inflicting more damage than it repairs. 

About the same time (1979), we moved to California and my job in health insurance caused me to interact with psych hospitals, some of whom were violating ethical norms to maximize profits, until they got caught and a bunch of executives from Charter Medical Centers went to jail.  I had become so cynical about modern psychology that I am ashamed to admit I used to say, “Anyone who sees a psychologist ought to have their head examined.”  Because of the abuses I witnessed from several psych hospitals, I began referring to mental health as a “fisco-genic” disease, meaning that if you had money or insurance, the hospitals would diagnose you as mentally ill enough for in-patient care; but when your money or insurance coverage ran out, you were suddenly ‘cured’ and released.   Unlike physical health which can be assessed objectively with lab tests and measurable results, mental illness and behavioral health is subjective, based largely on opinion and feelings reported by patients.  In other words, it is very difficult to accurately diagnose the degree of illness.  This is why insurers put time and money limitations on the amount of coverage.  This limited exposure to fraudulent claims, but sadly, it also truncated the coverage of those who were genuinely mentally ill.

As I dug into this a bit deeper, I started reading books written by Christian psychologists, notably, Fr. John Powell, M. Scott Peck, and others.  They warned against left-leaning modern psychologists who set aside the importance of religious conviction, focusing instead on bolstering individuality and personal freedom.  A handful of Christian mental health professionals cited having great success working with patients to restore their relationship with God, as a means of regaining self-esteem and mental well-being.  Sadly, this is not often the case among secular mental health professionals.  More often than not, patients are treated with medication and scant little counselling, leaving them to believe that medication alone will make them feel better, if not get to the root cause of their illness.  I understand that chemical and hormonal imbalances are in many cases causes and contributors to mental and behavioral health problems, but so are our experiences which form our deepest beliefs about the nature of existence and the meaning of our lives.  I believe everyone taking medication should also be participating in other therapies, including counselling.  This is the standard of care in most of the modern world, if not in America.

Last week I came across the review of a book entitled:  Admirable Evasions: How Psychology Undermines Morality, by Theodore Dalrymple.  The article asserts that, “It is now commonly understood that Freud’s work was completely unscientific, unmeasurable, untestable, and founded on nothing more than speculation.  The ego, the id, the Oedipus complex, have all been consigned to the intellectual trash.  Worse than Freud’s lack of scientific foundation, and much more significant, was the effect his odd and baseless theories had on our civilization.  The effect was to ‘loosen man’s sense of responsibility for his own actions, freedom from responsibility being the most highly valued freedom of all.’  Freud’s message that desire, if not fulfilled will lead to pathology, makes self-indulgence man’s highest goal.  It is a kind of treason to the self to deny oneself anything.”   Sound familiar?  I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t at the root of many of the emotional health problems plaguing our nation.

There is no question that there is a pandemic of mental and behavioral health illness in America.  Sixty million Americans (20% of the population) have a psychiatric diagnosis.  There are 1 million attempted suicides every single year, and about 40,000 of these are successful.  By far the most widely prescribed class of drugs in America is anti-depressants.  Despite our national wealth, our personal freedom, the highest standard of living in the world, and all our modern conveniences, we suffer greatly from mental and behavioral health illness. 

So here’s my arm-chair diagnosis:  We do not understand the meaning of love.  I know this is an over-simplification, but it gets to the heart of what causes so much emotional pain.  The further we distance ourselves from True Love, i.e. the Love of God, the more anxious, the more unfulfilled, and the more restless we become.  Because we are created with both body and spirit, our eternal soul pines for perfect love, and will never be fully satisfied with anything less.  When we confuse love with personal happiness, we risk settling from much less than God intends for us.  By attempting to achieve happiness through physical means alone, we are left wanting more, and seeking greater meaning.  Because “God is Love” (1 John 4:16), and “Love never ends,” (1 Cor 13:8), when we love as God loves, we enter into God’s eternal presence.   Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He said, "Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.  It is not as the world gives that I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled...” (John 14:27)

Sunday’s gospel contains the parable of the Good Shepherd who “lays down his life for his sheep.”  This willingness to sacrifice oneself for the love of others, is the key to understanding the meaning of True Love, the Love of God as expressed and revealed by Jesus.  This is the cornerstone of life.   Jesus is that cornerstone, the stone rejected by the builders, by the modern world, and by liberal psychology.  To build without a cornerstone is to risk monumental failure.  Building a life without participating in the Love of God is to risk everything, including our mental health and well-being.  Happiness is not our goal, but rather a consequence of abiding in the Love of God, by loving as He loves: selflessly.