By Augustine Singh
Madurai: While using social media, people need to have multiple “safety measures” in life, stressed Conference of Catholic Psychologists of India (CCPI).
Addressing on the on-going CCPI annual gathering in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Sept 22, on the second day of the conference, Dr. Joseph Thannickal, a US-trained Psychologist, said, “Social media thrive by providing packages to consumers that would satisfy their various requirements, in terms of the need for communications among individuals and among communities.”
He was speaking on the topic “Healthy and effective use of technology: psycho-spiritual issues in pornography and social media.”
“Social media are a mixed bag. There are good and bad things about it. There are not sufficient checks to it. A consumer has to decide what to use. If you do not like, switch it off. But it is not that simple, for the small age groups, even for the adults in regards to privacy concerns,” said Thannickal, currently based in Kolkata, an Eastern India city.
He also cautioned, “Pornography can disturb a person’s or group’s spiritual routine, community life, confusion in behaviour pattern as the brain begins to compromise matters concerning morality or values and losing the sense of joy in social or community living.”
Therefore, for safety and psychological well being, “Adequate knowledge and awareness of the dos and don’ts critical from the part of teachers, parents and elders and there is the need for safety measures from the state.”
The conference’s annual meeting is addressing the role of psychology in the contemporary technological world.
A specialist in mental health, from NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Prof. Manoj Kumar Sharma dealt with ‘Technology and Behaviour addiction: Role of Psychological Assessment and Management.’
Sharma enlightened the members, “Internet, online activities through Facebook or WhatsApp and others have numerous adverse effects on physical, mental health, however proper awareness and measures in physical exercises, positive engagement and healthy lifestyle would adequately address the issues, which have otherwise terrible consequences on the users, especially the children. Thus, mental health professionals are expected to design fitting tools and learn new skills to be effective and useful.”
The members of the CCPI sat together to take a stock of the whole aspects of their involvement in society and activities, more particularly from 2007 until now, to evaluate and plan for future steps.
It was reported that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and the Church authorities in India have begun recognizing CCPI as a body of Catholic psychologists and have begun to engage them in varied fields such as seminary training of future priests and nuns, education, management or in church administration.
The meet at Pillar Institute of Lay Leadership, Animation, and Research, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is attended by 120 delegates. CCPI has more than 300 members spread all over India.
The Conference has chosen the “’Role of Psychology in the Contemporary Technological World” as the theme of their 19 annual meeting.
The CCPI began as an initiative of the Salesian Psychological Association in 2000. Since then Catholic psychologists gather every year for an annual conference, with a particular theme, in one of the Indian cities. The CCPI was officially formed in 2007.
Currently, the organization’s members include Catholic priests, brothers, sisters, and lay people.
The members are trained in psychological sciences and are committed to deepening their professional knowledge and skills. They collaborate and network in offering psychological training and services in different parts of the country. They also promote research in the field of psychology.