The suicide of a 42-year-old man, following a social media controversy, highlights a painful truth that mental-health professionals have long warned about: online exposure and public judgement can have severe psychological consequences. A short video recorded in a public setting and later shared on social media triggered intense online attention, speculation, and moral commentary. What…
The unrest that followed Lionel Messi’s brief appearance at the Bengal stadium cannot be explained as either pure mismanagement or uncontrollable crowd behaviour. Psychologically, it emerged from intense emotional investment colliding with poor expectation management, with responsibility shared equally between organisers and sections of the crowd. For many Indian fans, Messi is far more than…
A young college student from Kochi loved posting pictures online, enjoying the appreciation that followed every posting. But slowly, posting became a silent hunt for recognition. One evening, after uploading a picture and watching others get more likes, self-doubt crept in. The post was deleted, not because it wasn’t good, but rather because it wasn’t…
While Kerala’s performance in education, healthcare, and social indices is sound, domestic violence remains a burning and increasing issue in the state. According to Mathrubhumi, Mithra 181 women’s helpline received 10,898 calls on domestic abuse during the year 2021, almost two times more than in 2019. In Ernakulam, The Hindu reported that Snehitha gender help…
Migration has been an integral part of Kerala’s culture for a long time, but for young people today, the motives extend far beyond economic security. For many, migration is an escape to freedom, enjoyment, and self-expression. Freedom from parental control, seeking independence, and being exposed to the vibrant Instagram tales of friends elsewhere tend to…
Festivities of Onam in college campuses within Kerala tend to be characterized by intense excitement, creativeness, and cultural pride, but alongside the festive cheer, there is also a recurring pattern of violence and risk-taking behaviour among students. Psychologically, the actions are traced to a combination of developmental, societal, and cultural reasons. College-going students are an…
IPSOS, one of the largest research companies in the world, has conducted a ‘trustworthiness-index study’ globally in the last five consecutive years from 2018 to 2023. Each year they interviewed around twenty thousand adults from around 30 different countries, including India. Presenting 18 various professions they asked the participants to express their perception of trust…
A healthy self-esteem among students had become a focal point of education policy by the 1980s in the United States and obligatory by the 1990s. They used methods suggested by popular psychology, such as games involving a group of students and teachers talking about how much they like themselves, and a similar ‘self-esteem programme’. It…
There are various theories which explains the etiology of child sexual abusive behaviour of a perpetrator. Among them ‘attachment theories’ and ‘developmental theories’ find the dysfunctional parenting and childhood traumas as the root of such abusive behaviours. Attachment theories find an interrelation between attachment defects and child sexual abuse behaviour behaviour. Attachment styles in adulthood…
Insights from the therapeutic practises for child sexual abuse offenders explain the correlation between sexual offenders’ self-esteem and their sexual violence towards children. Earlier the treatment for sex offenders addressed the sexual deviance directly, focusing on the behavioural interventions and cognitive interventions. Later more comprehensive treatment programmes were developed to include interventions that targeted self-esteem…