Saddaf Sohail – Psychology Today: Another’s Psychology Tomorrow

Still not very much appreciated in our part of the world (Pakistan), and suffering from myriad stigmas, it’s been a while since behavioural science along with psychology has noticeably helped mankind unveil the mysteries that human behaviour and the mind hold.

Whenever I introduce myself as a behavioural scientist/consultant, 90% of the time I have to further explain what it means. It still seems like a new thought and discipline, at least for those living in our country. Meanwhile the contributions of psychologists and behavioural scientists go a long way back in history and comprise the ostensibly common-sensical notions of western psychology today, so to speak.

A British psychologist, C.S. Myers, introduced the term “shell-shock’”during World War I. This condition is now widely known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unfortunately still is not taken very seriously in our part of the world, despite a very grave need to be addressed because of poor security and safety conditions. While the world has improved itself by gaining knowledge from developments in behavioural and psychological disciplines, we are still failing to even accept it as a respected career.

Nowadays, even the smallest of issues are being resolved via understanding psychological/behavioural aspects of human nature. Psychiatry is a lot more accepted all over the world; meanwhile, according to my point of view, behavioural science and psychology follow a much safer approach as they involve less medication and the concept is to treat the cause in order to manage and improve upon the effect. It relies heavily on the shoulders of those professionally equipped to guide people through all phases of life. I hope that you see, by way of contrast with the zeitgeist of another part of the world, the importance of these disciplines, or lack thereof, in your everyday life.

Saddaf Sohail