Don recommends incorporating fundamentals of psychological virus in training curriculum
A Professor of Counselling Psychology, Department of Psychology, College of Leadership Development Studies, Covenant University owned by The Living Faith Church, in Otta Ogun State, Prof Abiodun Gesinde has recommended family counselors that will diagnose the existence of Psychological virus in families among other professional responsibilities.
The don stated this while delivering the 13th inaugural lecture of Covenant University titled “Psychological Virus Undermining Children and Adolescents’ Development: The Antiviral in Counseling Psychology held at the University chapel in Otta.
He also noted that teachers are potential abusers, hence, training curriculum should incorporate fundamentals of psychological virus.
According to him, psychological abuse is one of the forms of children and adolescents abuses considered to be a consequence of physical and sexual abuses but now understood to be a distinct form of abuse.
He said victims of psychological abuse tend to manifest a number of observable symptoms such as in babies and preschool children who are emotionally abused or neglected may be overtly affectionate towards strangers or people they haven’t known for a very long time.
Others include lack of confidence or become wary or anxious, be aggressive or nasty towards other children and animals.
“Psychological abusers employ two major tactics to exert their controlling power over their victims of abuse which are neglectful and deliberate tactics. In neglectful tactics, the abuser withholds normal human interaction while in deliberate tactics the abuser employs more aggressive forms of control “, he said.
The lecturer proposed that there are seven dimensions of emotional maltreatment that are culturally relevant to black race which are psychologically destructive, they are: Emotional Isolation, Emotional Degradation, Emotional Exploitation and Emotional Rejection.
Others are Emotional Corruption, Emotional Terrorism and Emotional Ignoring.
“Quite a number of studies have established the devastating impacts of psychological abuse on children’s diverse areas of development. These areas of human development are interrelated and in most cases do not function in isolation. The effects of psychological virus on children and adolescents undermine cognitive and mental, psychological and social development of the victims”, he said.
Parts of his recommendations in overcoming psychological virus also include mission schools should review the way they under utilise counseling services in their respective institutions with a view to maximizing its overall benefits.
“Lack of parenting skills have been identified as one of the causative factors if psychological abuse, the government and nongovernmental agencies should intensity efforts in educating the public on the dangers inherent in it”, he said.
He also recommended pre marital counseling for would-be couples which should focus on child rearing practices adding also that more researches should be conducted on the psychosocial medical effects of psychological abuse especially in Nigeria where there us paucity of empirical information.
