Can raising a child JW contribute to later psychiatric disorders?

by journey-on 62 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  journey-on

  I read about the high incidents of mental illness and psychiatric disorders among Jehovah's Witnesses and it

  started me thinking about why this is and how so. Then I made this list and realized how much a child's psyche

  can be permanently affected by this religious cult:

  When I was growing up (JW), I was taught... and totally believed... that:

  • We alone knew the Truth and were God's chosen religion (prejudice; bigotry; delusions of grandeur; and megalomania)
  • Worldly people were all evil including our school mates (mistrust; delusional and paranoid; decreased social interaction--introversion)
  • God was constantly watching and could read every thought you had (more paranoia and unrealistic fears; delusions of control)
  • I would not get old (false hope)
  • My parents would not get old and die (delusional and fantastical)
  • The men that ran the Watchtower Society were being directed by Jehovah's Spirit (dependent personality)
  • Anything said against Jehovah's Witnesses was instigated by Satan (persecution complex and chronic and pervasive mistrust)
  • The World was focused on destroying us...Jehovah's Witnesses (more persecution complex and paranoia)
  • If I didn't behave just right, I would be destroyed at Armageddon (delusion of reference)
  • If I missed a meeting, Armageddon might come and I would be killed (fear, anxiety, negative reinforcement)
  • If I didn't put my minimum of 10 hrs. per month in field service, I was spiritually weak and not worthy. (low self-esteem; feelings of worthlessness)
  • College wasn't necessary. As a matter of fact, it was practically forbidden. (unfulfilled potential)
  • Worldly friends were bad associations and had to be limited. (mistrust)
  • Women were to be in subjection to their husbands at all times (dependent personality disorder; learned helplessness)
  • My parents were not supposed to spare the rod and spoil the child. Hard and consistent spankings were godly. I was 16 when I got my last spanking! (coercive power)
  • Desiring things of the world like Christmas presents or Easter Egg Hunts was wicked and Jehovah knew if you were thinking they looked like fun. (denial; guilt)
  • Jehovah's Witnesses were the most honest and loving people on earth. They alone were trustworthy. You could not trust worldly people. (fundamental attribution error; mistrust; fear)

  I'm sure there are more examples. No wonder so many JWs and ex-JWs suffer from depression and other mental and personality disorders!
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  Abandoned

  Wow, that's a powerful list. It's hard to believe it's legal.
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  flipper

  JOURNEY ON- Very good thread ! My wife and I discussed it after reading the points you make here and do really agree with your take . One thing I might mention however is how much it affects a child in later life might also involve how fanatical the parents were in pushing this crud into the children's brain though. Even though my parents have been in it for years , they were loving, kind, not overbearing , or fanatical in overdoing the teachings of the witnesses while putting them in my brother and two sisters and me. As is evidenced by my parents accepting my fading status as an inactive witness for the last 4 years.
  
  I think my case is the minority though. Sometimes , parents can have chemical imbalances or anger management issues, or are abusive to children which affect a environment a child is raised in - and the children might be messed up even if they were brought up without the witness teachings and mentality. But, I agree the witness mind set does nothing to make them more accepting of others or see the world in a reality type of way. It does hurt definitely in those areas. But the point I'm making is it is a combination of factors that can make a child go ape-$hit later in life, also heredity and if they were brought up in an abusive environment as well, witnesses or non-witnesses . The witnesses policy on child abuse does a lot of damage to a child's psyche as well in not feeling protected by the elders or the parents inside the congregations , and I know of many children who got messed up because of these policies. Sad
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  journey-on

  And when this stuff is pounded into you day after day, week after week, at home, at the meetings, at conventions and assemblies,

  in the literature, in your social circles (JW only, of course) constantly being subjected to this way of thinking and looking at the world, my god, no wonder, the emotional and psychiatric

  problems are so pervasive !! A child has no recourse or ability to remove him/herself from such indoctrination. Sometimes, I wish I could just pick up that little girl that was me and hold

  her tightly to my breast, stroke her blonde curls, and tell her not to be so afraid and feel so guilty!
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  dinah

  Journey, I feel you sister.

  The thing is our parents had no idea what they were doing to our little minds. They were duped just like we are/were and thought they were doing the right thing.

  Oh God, I wanna visit Brooklyn and get those old geezers to HAVE TO LISTEN to me.

  The questions I have about me relate to my childhood. What kind of person would I have been had my mind not been stunted? I know basically I'm smart, have a good sense of humor, have compassion for people. What would be different? I'm thinking I wouldn't be afraid of my own shadow, have so many phobias, and my self-esteem would probably be much higher.

  But I'll never know. I feel so robbed.
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  journey-on

  Oh God, I wanna visit Brooklyn and get those old geezers to HAVE TO LISTEN to me.

  I know what you mean, Dinah.

  At some point, you just WANT and NEED to talk to someone about it all. But, in this organization, that's the last thing

  you're allowed to do. You have to hold in your doubts, your fears, your guilt, your anguish. Even the need to bare your

  soul is suspect of being apostate and you risk reprimand for it. As a child, you have no one and no where to turn for

  comfort and relief, so you suck it up and in, and continue till you either realize that "resistance is futile....you WILL be assimilated";

  or, you rebel.
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  jwfacts

  That is a good list of damaging beliefs.

  http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/mentalissues.htm has information about why courts sometimes rule in favour of the non-JW, out of fear that the child will be psychologically affected by a JW upbrining. The main concerns are the conditional love given by parents, and the prevention of building up a social network.

  http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/mindcontrol.htm has additional info on what happens to children that leave. http://neirr.org/psychissues/Children_Raised_In_Cults.htm lists the negative affect to children leaving a cult. In summary are the following points.

  1. Identity Issues. The child's identity is "imposed" by the group resulting in being developmentally delayed emotionally. Young adults who leave destructive groups frequently attempt to regain their childhood.
  2. Ethical Issues. There was no real opportunity to determine a personal belief system so often the person has no moral compass or internal boundaries. Typically, the ethical framework was built on a religious worldview that has been abandoned. Thus, the person often gets involved in circumstances not healthy for them.
  3. Social Identity/Isolation Issues. It is often very difficult to identify with peers and to trust which can result in loneliness and isolation.
  4. Emotional/ Psychological Issues. The person frequently feels intense guilt and fear. The group has told them that to leave is to invite God's wrath and that the world is a scary place. T intense anger at the group for "ruining" their life and family, or they may be angry at God for "allowing" this to happen to them.
  5. Social /Cultural Issues. Destructive groups create their own culture ( practices, rituals, music, dietary "laws", ways of worship, etc.) and worldview.
  6. Education Issues. Education is usually woefully deficient. (To be fair, Witness children receive a good base education but are advised against free thinking and advanced education)
  7. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Issues.
  
  In some instances it will be impossible to have a relationship with any family member still in the group. The child/young person needs to be very realistic at this point. This may be because he/she does not want to have any relationship, or because the group will not allow it.

  Yeakly tested personality changes and found that "the observed changes in psychological type scores were not random since there was a clear convergence in a single type"(p.35). Yeakley concludes that it is dangerous to attempt to force a change in psychological types.
  "They are producing conformity in psychological type. That is unnatural, unhealthy, and dangerous. But the Boston Church of Christ is not trying to produce changes in psychological type scores. They have no interest in psychological type theory. What they want is for their members to grow spiritually, to become more like Jesus Christ, and to be more evangelistic. They want to help their members overcome temptation and abstain from various sins. The way they go about doing this, however, is producing an unintended byproduct that is not healthy. They are changing personalities by making their members over after the group norm. That extreme must be avoided."(p.47)
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  Gringa

  Humiliation - having to wear clothes that were out of style and not being allowed to participate in nearly every school activity

  Fear of death - you touch on this - but, my story - raised in the 1975 bundoggel - I had evil thoughts, being a horny teenager and KNEW I was going to die in 1975 for those bad lusty thoughts so I decided at 16 - in 1973 tha tI would just do ahead and have fun since I was gonna die any way - I made a decision to let Jehovah take me in 1975 - to this day I have no fear of death.

  LOL - I think I am fairly normal -

  But, perhaps a I am I the last to know!!!! -
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  Must obey!

  Man where do you start with this subject...

  Most certainly yes. They are indoctrinated with an unhealthy, warped view of 'worldly' kids from a bad age and are taught to avoid worldlies rather than interact normally with them, hence many JW's end up with introverted, smug, avoidant personalities...I've seen many.

  I think it is potentially damaging for JW kids to have to decline birthdays, xmas, easter, bumping into school friends in the door to door work (used to be my worst nightmare), etc. This makes the other kids view them as weird and so the avoidant tendencies are reciprocated and reinforced and the JW child shrinks even more into introversion and avoidant tendencies. Their self-esteem is harmed.
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  dinah

  I used to sit and rock myself with my amrs wrapped around me. My mom thought it was cute, but I've seen alot of psych patients do that in the movies.

  Do you ever get past the anger stage? I think I'm past it, then it comes roaring back. I honestly feel like they killed me.