Psychiatrist Dr George John
MBBS FRCPych FIMSA FLS

A “fire side chat” with retired London Psychiatrist Dr George John

What is the role of “Values” in one’s life?
While strictly keeping religious notions in the private sphere at a broader level, I believe that our sense of morality and justice will depend on the values we hold dear and the importance of ‘values’ lie in what its purpose is. In other words, the values we live by, helps to guide our attitudes, behaviour and beliefs and as such our values represent our guiding principles in all aspects of our lives, both private and public.
Values are virtues one believes in and they determine the way we live and work and our ‘values’ are the measures by which we can determine if our lives are turning out the way we had hoped. The role values play in helping us to grow and develop, reflect our sense of right and wrong – otherwise explained as, what we consider important in our own self-interest. An individual’s values become the anchor points in that person’s life.
In another sense the word ‘value’ can also indicate worth and worthiness and in that sense, I consider my life to be so precious that it is beyond value. Ideally, the values a person hold should also include her/his creativity, humility, enthusiasm and their sense of personal fulfilment. There are plenty of people, who like me also consider the proximity and association of like-minded humans who themselves may or may not hold similar values to be life enriching. Those who believe in the existence of God may consider their values to be a gift given to them.
Those who adhere to strong values in their lives seem to enjoy greater contentment compared to those who don’t have values to live by. But that is not to say that the lives who don’t hold strong ‘values’ to live by are valueless. Personally, I find that having values helps in developing confidence and improving decision-making. It also helps me to react appropriately in difficult situations, choose the right career and also to clear clutter from the mind.
In my experience what humans value most in life are, family, ability to care, to love and be loved, respect, friendship and most of all trust. And whilst humans tend to find it important to have safe interpersonal relationships, it is their personal safety that is closely linked to identity and a sense of belonging.
How do you think today’s consumer culture affect us?
Today there is a tendency to consume goods and services far beyond their basic use & value and the reasons for this contemporary notion of consumption are complex. The different styles of human consumption have been analysed as consisting of Conspicuous consumption, Symbolic consumption, Addictive and Compulsive consumptions and they fuel the engine of a consumer society.
The basic characteristic of a consumer culture is that it transforms needs into desires and utilitarian necessities into a hedonistic fetishism of commodities, leisure into conspicuous consumption that alienates social and cultural values. A consumer society thus becomes unaligned with much needed mindfulness and that in turn causes mental “suffering” through unremitting desires without awareness of what true reality is.
The inevitable consequence of voracious consumerism is the depletion of natural resources and mounting pollution. The current alarming rate of overuse of the earth’s natural resources is unsustainable particularly as the gap between the materialist and non-materialist humans narrow as a consequence. Under such conditions it becomes much worse for the materialist who is poor even as the wealthy materialist starts to be less happy and content along the life satisfaction scale. That is a lose-lose scenario.
Much of this elegantly explained in the 2004 book: “Psychology and consumer culture: The struggle for a good life in a materialistic world”, by child psychologist Allen Kanner co-edited by Tim Kasser, in which the links between consumerism, well-being, the environment and social factors are explored in detail.
Since the 1980s academic research started to create awareness that our egos propel/prompt humans to acquire new objects by acquiescing to branding by commercial companies. That led to targeted advertising that created a ‘need’ where none existed before. Today the resounding message is that one can solve all of life’s problems by purchasing the right product and that is having a profound effect on the ordinary person. Very little empirical research had been done on the factors responsible for changes in the social culture before the 1980s.
The human vulnerability on the need to identify with a peer group and the attraction to prestige brands, develop in adolescent years when peer pressure and the need to ‘fit-in’ is the greatest and teenaged girls are more at risk. When encouraged to look outside themselves (rather than within themselves) for comfort, values and direction, young people tend to fall prey to addictive behaviour and those without strong family support are particularly vulnerable and such weaknesses are often exploited as much by unscrupulous advertising as they are by people.
Identity-oriented brand advertising encourages disapproval of differences – different generation, different culture and ethnicity. As a result in today’s consumer culture, many in the unsupported young as well as older people have trouble distinguishing between what they truly like and what peer pressure and cynical advertising has told them.
This is when a good Psychiatrist/psychologist or a trained enlightened parish priest or even a socially responsible advocacy group can help.
Psychiatrists use medicines to heal sick/troubled minds. But should Psychiatrists not use more psychological therapies using words and language to help their patients?
From ancient times monks and teachers have known about the power and resonance of language in formulating mantras and healing prayers. Recent psychological research has confirmed a direct link between the use of language and health.
Like good priests, every good Psychiatrist first needs to be extraordinarily kind, empathic and encouraging before they can find success in their vocation and career. If kindness and empathy comes naturally, all the more better it will be.
Yes, medicines have been shown to have an important role and can on occasions effect a cure in certain types of mental illnesses. But there is no denying that it is the words of an inspirational doctor/Psychiatrist that gives strength to sick, dysfunctional person to start fighting from within to get better. Good doctors and Psychiatrists (and I suspect even priests) need to learn not to prejudge and also to hold their own tears, in order to start drawing smiles from the faces of the sick they serve, because the essence of all ‘doctoring’ is an art at the heart of which is the idea of sacrifice.
In health studies there is a correlation between negative language and physical and psychological ill health. Negative emotions like anger have been shown to be risk factors while positive emotions that engage and encourage, emerged as protective factors.
Various forms of talking treatments referred to as Psychotherapies, have an undeniable role in recovery from illness. And mindfulness based psychological therapies have been shown to be most effective. In that context, the words of the Buddhist Lama and meditation master, Kalu Riponche (excerpts from Dharma) seem to be particularly poignant: “Mere words, which have no ultimate reality, can determine our happiness and suffering. We create pleasure and pain through our sound and speech”. Language does indeed have the power to transform lives.
“I” is a super charged word and the words that follow “I”, such as “I have”; “I choose”; “I love”; “I can”; “I enjoy” and “I will’, which indicate a strong intent, speaks volumes. The use of language in the way we speak can also be used for manipulation and coercion. We can snare someone into agreeing by presenting our ideas in a way that we expect something in return. An example would be, after finding out that the listener isn’t busy, we say “I would like some help organising my studio, what are you doing on Saturday?” Another example would be of vagueness and ambivalence in speech. “I’ll try” can either be fair warning that you will not try or that you have the power to withhold. As a rule, the more words we use to say something, the less power those words have. The answer is to use fewer words and not ramble.
Our values, beliefs and behaviours are heavily influenced by the type of language we use. When providing counselling for those who are looking for guidance and coaching, it is worth remembering that speaking is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. I recommend use first-person speech and talk from experience, speak about the present rather than recount stories and be specific and direct so as not pollute language of counselling by talking in circles.
Why choose Psychiatry as a career?
Before going to medical school in the mid-1960s, I was attracted to matters psychological. I was raised in Madras by my aunt (her husband was a London trained Psychiatrist from the era of the Second World War) to whose care my parents in Kerala entrusted me from the age of five for better educational possibilities. My enduring interest in enquiry into the mystery of the mind stayed with me as I grew up. My London trained Psychiatrist uncle convinced me that the best place to train in Psychiatry was London and I left India almost as soon as I graduated by when I was married to Anna.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors and there is untold richness and diversity in being a Psychiatrist, who deals with a plethora of mild to severe mental illnesses including a range of neurosis, psychosis, personality and behaviour disorders. A Psychiatrist also works with medical/surgical patients who have difficulty coping with their illnesses and they also deal with relationship dysfunctions and addictive disorders to mention a few. Psychiatric diagnosis depends almost entirely on the skill of good history taking before studying the phenomenology of symptoms and as a result a Psychiatrist tends to get to know their patients quite intimately. I find there is much in common between a catholic confession and psychiatric consultations. I find Psychiatry, a rewarding career choice for me.
Do you think those who opt for priesthood need an aptitude evaluation?
Only if one is suited for a particular profession can one fully succeed in it. Aptitude measures an individual’s innate, learned, acquired and potential abilities to perform certain tasks.
Choosing the right career can be confusing to a youngster. An aptitude test helps to better understand one’s interests, strengths and weaknesses by providing clarity about the best suited skill sets. The consequences of career choices stick with us throughout our lives and make a huge impact on outlook towards life. Given the weightage attached to the decision about a career, career choices are not to be taken half-heartedly or under the influence of friends and family. In choosing a career we are not deciding our ultimate career profile that takes us through the gates of success and fame. Instead it means that a person should have the potential to grow with and into the chosen career. Every career require a particular combination of skill set that matches with the individuals potential to grow into it and an aptitude evaluation can very broadly identify what is embedded in one’s particular personality.
An aptitude evaluation is NOT an accurate prediction of one’s future in a chosen career which obviously depends on myriad different unforeseeable factors, but the ability to adapt is what will prove crucial and will make the difference between success and failure. An aptitude evaluation also measures our ability to adapt.
Priesthood has many challenges and because it exposes one to interact with other people (unless one chooses to be a trappist monk with little or no interaction with others), like many other professions like doctoring for example, it is vital that one is mindful about one’s own and other people’s safety and welfare in career choices.