TürkçeWhat Modernity Brings: Secularization, Risks, Mental Health and Religion
Talip Küçükcan*
Industrialization, modernization, and urbanization resulted in a slew of radical innovations and changes in the shaping of individual and social life, as well as the series of conventional institutions and social structures. Life became easier as a result of the extensive transformations, but they also brought new and unforeseen troubles and depressions with them. The progress of education, science, and technology has broadened, enhanced, and increased the amount and quality of health, transportation, housing, security, and communication services available to humanity. All of these positive achievements have been understood and confirmed as a continuous line of progress throughout human history. Of course, the advancement of science and technology has resulted in increased production and wealth, the development of new medicine and treatment methods in medicine and health, a more successful fight against natural disasters, faster and safer travel, and more pleasant living quarters. The technologies and institutions created through a series of transformations we might call modernization were coded as continual progress, and this resulted in a post-industrial epoch in which the average human lifetime was extended.
Innovations and transformations, which have been recorded as progress and development in the history of civilization, have provided new opportunities as well as issues that humanity has not faced before. Evaluations of the achievements of industrialization, modernization, and urbanization, as well as the attendant processes, were made with great appreciation and admiration, and this acclaim is still common, despite certain objections. On the other hand, it is a tangible reality that these processes, in the long run, cut people off from traditional life, distance them from their roots, alienate them from themselves, their families, and the society in which they live, damage the social fabric, and weaken spiritual belonging and bonds such as belief and religion.
Given that civilization is founded on the investments of reason, science, technology, and invention, humanity has tended to invest heavily in these fields. Individuals, companies, and governments' appetites grew as the investments made off, i.e., as income, wealth, welfare, quality of life, education, health, and care opportunities increased. This process has produced unpredictable, unpredictable, and unexpected effects, which have been overlooked for a long time for the sake of interests. It took a long time to recognize the three primary developments that will have a negative impact on people's mental and physical health, in other words, a series of distortions and disintegration, during this process.
Modernization, Transformation in Environment and Nature Relations
The first of these changes occurred in man's interactions with nature and the environment in which he lives. The relationship between man and the environment was natural, sensitive to the environment, and protective of it during the period when humans transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies to settled life and the economy was primarily established by agricultural output and animal husbandry. Because production and product trade in the agricultural society brought about mutual solidarity and interdependence, the natural relationship developed with the environment also generated social solidarity. People's wants and possibilities were obviously limited, and their comfort was lower, but it is possible to claim that the life they lived in close proximity to nature strengthened them, and that simplicity did not pose the same threat to social, mental, and physical health as it does today. However, the industrial revolution's processes of industrialization, immigration, and urbanization, as well as the dazzling advances in science and technology that accompanied these processes, have revealed new risks that must be addressed.
Modernization ushered in a slew of inventions and changes in core institutions including politics, the economy, education, culture, and religion. People's relationships with the environment have been turned upside down by modernization; the technology it has produced has boosted comfort, but it has increasingly alienated people from natural life. The insatiable demand for consumption has produced in a slew of man-made risks, ranging from global warming to pollution, drought, extinction of some species, nuclear leaks, and explosive risks. In addition to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and landslides, humanity was left alone with the risks it created as conceptualized by Ulrich Beck (1992, 1999, 2008). With the development of scale outside borders, he claims, the risk society shaped on a national and regional level has evolved into a global risk society. The weakening and hollowing of the world of values, morality, responsibility, altruism, belief, and spirituality has resulted from people's gradual alienation from the world of values, egocentrism in individual life, and focusing on the interests of a certain class, society, and country in policymaking.
Insufficient Coping Resources
The inadequacy of resources and methods in coping with the difficulties and crises faced by individuals, organizations, communities, and society is the second development that has a detrimental impact on people's mental and physical health. Humanity has developed strategies and produced resources to deal with the effects of natural disasters, crises, diseases, wars, and migrations based on centuries of experience and scientific discoveries. He learnt to minimize the damage to his spirit and body and was able to deal with these processes, albeit relatively, with the help of structures and supports based on family, group, community, and intra-community solidarity. However, in the face of the aforementioned human-induced risks and disasters, the coping capacity and resources that humanity has considered as a shelter against natural disasters, deployed in times of crisis and tragedy, and amassed for centuries have begun to fall short. Because both crises and disasters have become more diverse, and the systems and values that used to make dealing with them simpler have begun to disintegrate. Despite the many benefits of industrialization, urbanization, and modernization, they have created a deep hole by disregarding the human world of meaning and spiritual coping resources. Because the spiritual and social veins and branches that fed man had mostly dried up, he was faced with burnout syndrome.
Effects of secularization
The secularization phenomenon, which began with the modernization process in Europe and expanded throughout the world in waves, is the third development that has a negative impact on people's mental and physical health and society. Although, as Ronald F Inglehart shows with data in his just published book "Religion's Sudden Decline: What is causing it, and What Comes Next?" numerous modernities and modernities are discussed rather than a single sort of modernity and modernity. (2020), secularization is a genuine fact that may be sensed in every country and society. The secularizing consequences of modernization can be seen most clearly in European countries. Despite the growth of new forms of religiosity in European countries where there has been a significant movement away from institutional religious organizations, all scientific research shows that religious ideas, values, institutions, and practices are no longer prominent in people's lives. These developments show that spiritual values and practices, such as religion, belief, and worship, have moved away from the daily lives of individuals and groups to a significant level, resulting in a gap. Because the positivist understanding of science excludes religion and spirituality from study and research, it is uninterested in what kind of spiritual vacuum secularization generates, what people try to fill it with, or where the tendencies and practices that replace religion and spirituality lead.
Religious belief, worship, and practices provide people with coping, endurance, and spiritual fulfillment through psychological mechanisms and resources that modern sciences, particularly positivist psychology, overlook, ignore, or even deny exist. There is no claim that religious belief and spirituality are a substitute to the methods of modern science and medicine as a source of coping and healing. Religious belief, worship, and practices, as well as socialization, cooperation, and solidarity among believers, are sources and sources of coping that are overlooked but essential in scientific studies because they are not directly relevant to modern positivist science, medicine, psychiatry, or psychology.
As previously said, secularization has largely disconnected people from spirituality and emptied their inner world. Despite all of the advancements and developments, or modernization steps, man's search for meaning continues. People who are faced with spiritual and physical obstacles, exhausted and overwhelmed, turn to techniques and methods of coping that these disciplines do not show, in addition to the help of modern medicine, psychiatry, and psychology. The growing interest in mysticism, mysticism, yoga and meditation, and related philosophical movements among people of all ages, genders, education levels, and financial levels can be understood as an attempt to bridge the gap caused by modernity and secularization.
Modern Psychology, Psychiatry and Religion
Yukarıda özetlenen üç gelişmenin sonuçları açısından bakıldığında inanç, ibadet ve duanın psikolojik sorunlara şifa bulmaya ve ruh ve beden sağlığına kavuşmaya katkılarının ne olduğu ve bu anlamda ne tür potansiyeller taşıdığı önemli bir tartışma konusu olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Modern psikiyatri ve psikolojinin bütün direnmelerine karşın son yıllarda sayıları az da olsa bu sahalarda uzmanlaşan araştırmacı, hekim ve pratisyenlerin yaptıkları araştırmalar din ve ruh sağlığı konusunu gündeme taşımış, bu konulardaki yayınlarda göreceli de olsa artış gözlenmiştir.
Din ve ruh sağlığı ilişkisini gösteren son dönemlerdeki çok sayıda araştırma ve yayına rağmen pozitivizmin derin izlerini taşıyan modern psikiyatri ve psikolojinin din, inanç, ibadet ve duanın ruh sağlığına etkilerine hala hak ettiği önemi vermediği, terapi ve tedavi yöntemlerine bu unsurları dahil etme gereği duymadığı görülmektedir. Halbuki, bugün elimizde din ve ruh sağlığı ilişkisini gösteren, dini ve manevi unsurların iyileşme ve şifa sürecine olumlu katkısından dolayı tedavi süreçlerine eklenmesi ve dahil edilmesi gerektiğine işaret eden çok sayıda bilimsel araştırma ve yayın mevcuttur.
The contribution of belief, worship, and prayer to treating psychological issues and restoring mental and physical health, and what sort of potential they have in this regard, emerge as an important topic of discussion when the results of the three developments summarized above are considered. Despite the resistance of modern psychiatry and psychology, research conducted by researchers, physicians, and practitioners who specialize in these fields has brought the issue of religion and mental health to the forefront, and there has been a relative increase in publications on these subjects, despite their small numbers.
Despite a slew of recent studies and publications demonstrating a link between religion and mental health, modern psychiatry and psychology, which have deep traces of positivism, continue to undervalue the effects of religion, belief, worship, and prayer, and do not see the need to include these elements in therapy and treatment methods. Today, however, there are numerous scientific studies and publications demonstrating the link between religion and mental health and recommending that religious and spiritual elements be added to and included in treatment processes because of their positive relationship on the healing and healing process.
Sigmund Freud's understanding of religion as an illusion and an obsession has established a dominant tradition that dismisses the opinions and attitudes of psychologists and psychiatrists, with long-lasting effects. This impact was demonstrated in research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s. According to studies made during that time existence, 57 percent to 74 percent of psychologists and 24 percent to 75 percent of psychiatrists do not believe in Allah. The majority of the participants in a study of 213 psychiatrists working in London hospitals did not have a religious affiliation, and 78 percent attended religious services less than once a month. On the other hand, it was discovered that only 19 percent of male psychiatrists believed in Allah, while 39 percent of female psychiatrists did. These figures are significantly lower than the national average. These findings suggest that the religious beliefs of mental health professionals and their patients have an impact on treatment processes; in other words, religious and spiritual factors are not taken into account. (Koenig, 2005: 27) Spirituality is, however, included in the curriculum in several psychiatry residency training programs in the United States, with the awareness that the patients' religious beliefs are significant to them and help them establish a world of meaning. In addition, in a study conducted with 237 clinical psychologists (%66), it is seen that among the psychologists who feel close to religious and spiritual values and believe in the existence of God or a holy one, the rate of those who state that their beliefs affect the content and method of the counseling services they provide corresponds to a high rate of 72%. (Koenig, 2005: 28)
The Relationship between Religion and Mental Health
As previously stated, religious belief, worship, prayer, and spirituality have an impact on mental and physical health. So, what is the nature of this effect and how strong is it? Does religion have a positive or negative impact on mental health and emotional well-being? By evaluating 850 contemporary scientific studies and publications on the subject, Koenig (2005: 45-46) was able to find answers to these concerns. Turning to God and praying after events such as crises, depressions, natural disasters, and the loss of loved ones and relatives have been observed in most studies to be common practices with relaxing effects. Religion has been demonstrated to have positive effects on diseases like diabetes, kidney transplantation, cancer, heart failure, vascular occlusion and bypass surgery, heart transplantation, and the stress produced by these in more than sixty studies. Hefti (2009) arrived to the same results as Koenig.
In almost all of these studies, religious coping was observed to be common and to have positive effects in stressful and difficult situations. In a survey of 58 breast cancer patients, 83 percent said religion helped them cope with the diagnosis, while 17 percent said it made things worse. As can be seen from this, there are people who believe that religion has primarily positive effects on mental and physical health, and that it has little negative effects on emotions. Koenig (2005) stated that religion has high positive emotional and behavioral effects such as happiness, well-being, satisfaction, hope, optimism, meaning and purpose of life, quality of life, forgiveness, appreciation, self-sacrifice, and social support, based on the findings of hundreds of studies he evaluated. However, some studies have shown that certain religious beliefs can have negative effects such as hatred, prejudice, discrimination, and violence, although to a lesser extent.
Religion, Belief and Physical Health
Religion and spirituality have been shown in studies to have positive effects not only on mental health but also on physical and mental health. Strong religious belief and active religious life have been shown to cut death rates, improve quality of life, and provide people the strength to cope with diseases (Doug & Thoresen: 2005). Scientists also claim that several studies have found that religion and spirituality are linked to a higher quality of life and longer lifespan, and that they have positive effects on the immune system, hormone activity, and heart health (Rezende-Pinto, Curcio Schumann & Moreira-Almeida: 2019).
Religion and spirituality have been shown to offer anti-disease and anti-disorder properties. Aside from the positive effects on mental and mental health, persons who regularly attend religious services and have strong communication and relationships with the social/religious environment to which they belong also have positive effects on their physical health. The positive effects of religion and spirituality are more visible when it comes to improving quality of life, sustaining a healthy life, and extending longevity. Religious life and spirituality have been shown to have positive physical effects, particularly in the diseases of blood circulation, high blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol disorders, as well as lowering the risk of inpatient treatment (Saad, Daher & Medeiros: 2019).
All of the above findings suggest that religious belief, worship, and prayer have an impact on mental health, and that psychologists and psychiatrists should incorporate religious elements into the diagnosis and treatment processes, as well as provide spiritual resources as supportive and complementary prescriptions to those seeking spiritual and physical healing. Doctors are progressively beginning to look at the concepts of prayer, spirituality, and energy, as well as treatment and healing, in this perspective (Schlitz: 2011). The term of "openness to spirituality" has been employed in the literature in recent years. This concept focuses on the advantages of psychiatrists who are concerned about the relationship between religion and mental health, and who believe that those seeking treatment should have their beliefs respected, and that the spiritual dimension in therapy and treatment processes should not be overlooked (Damiano, Peres & Sena: 2019). A patient-centered approach, which considers the patient's beliefs and spiritual orientations, respects their religious preferences, and can integrate them in treatment and therapy processes, has also been found to aid recovery and healing.
Psychotherapy Education and Spirituality
The inclusion of religion and spirituality in medicine, psychotherapy, and psychology education, which has been neglected for a long time, has come to the fore now that the effects of religion, spirituality, and mental and physical health are based on scientific evidence and found to be statistically significant. Spirituality in clinical practice has been suggested by major organizations such as the World Health Organization, the US Association of Medical Schools, and the American College of Physicians. Spirituality and health concerns are covered in most medical schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. Religion is vital in clinical practice, according to students and professors who have received this instruction.
Some research, on the other hand, suggests that mixing spirituality with health teachings or methods might have positive results (Lucchetti, Gonçalves, Ferreira, Daher, & Lucchetti: 2019). Despite the hegemonic view and method's objections and resistances, the Berlin Wall between the understanding and traditions of mental health work, diagnosis, and treatment began to fall, and a more pluralistic theoretical and practical framework that favored complementary methods was formed, according to Cohen (2004). Furthermore, it is necessary to recall a fact articulated by Pargament (2007). Patients do not leave their spiritual, religious, or spiritual sentiments behind when they enter the therapy session, and they do not present themselves to the therapist in isolation from them. To the therapy session, he brings his religious and spiritual beliefs, feelings, values, and experiences. As a result of this fact, psychiatrists should think about and include spirituality into their therapy plans.
In Western nations, the number of studies and publications on the relationship between religion and mental health is steadily rising. The effects of religion, belief, and worship on mental health have piqued the interest of psychologists and psychiatrists for a variety of reasons, including paradigm shifts in science understanding, the development of a more pluralistic and open understanding of science, the consequences of secularization, and the search for spirituality and meaning of people who are facing increasing risks. In addition, as people began to question the hegemonic diagnosis and treatment methods based on a positivist understanding of science, the need for complementary elements, methods, and resources arose, practitioners began to consider the effects of belief, worship, and prayer on mental and physical health. Psychiatry, psychology, mental health studies, diagnosis, and treatment methods have all been highly affected by the West in most Islamic nations. As a result, the major axis of the curriculum in psychiatry and psychology education has been formed with a positivist content, with religion and belief generally absent.
Islam, Psychology and Psychiatry
In the Islamic tradition and legacy, there is significant conceptual potential for the diagnosis and treatment of mental diseases, depression, and conflicts. When we look at the studies and publications on Islam, psychology, and psychiatry that were published between 2006 and 2015, we can observe that the majority of them were influenced by the Western psychology and psychiatry paradigm. The influence of the Western paradigm was observed, but the possibilities of an Islamic psychology were also pointed out, as a result of the review of the content, methods, theories, and findings of 40 years of research, reports, and publications on the same issues. In both assessments, Muslim psychologists and psychiatrists are considered as needing to make an effort to develop a perspective and strategy based on Islamic sources while avoiding becoming locked in the hegemonic Western paradigm. Keshavarzi, Khan, Ali, and Awaad (Keshavarzi, Khan, Ali, and Awaad: 2021)
There have been attempts in this context to develop social sciences with reference to Islamic sources and knowledge, in other words, with Islamic epistemology, which is referred to as "Islamization of knowledge" in general, but this endeavor has yet to disclose a distinctive model. Furthermore, some Muslim intellectuals and scientists, such as Malik Badri (1973), studied the possibilities of an Islamic psychology and attempted to build a new discourse by arguing that religious aspects should be integrated in psychology teaching and therapy. These initiatives are still going on today. For instance, Keshavarzi and Ali (2021) were motivated by the hadith "Knowledge is a Muslim's loss, he may take it wherever he finds it," which states that knowledge is universal and can be utilized regardless of where and by whom it is produced. Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy is a therapeutic application developed by Keshavarzi and Ali (2021). They attempted to develop a model of psychotherapy. This model was based on the epistemologies of experimental knowledge, revelation knowledge, and mental knowledge, with occasional contributions from Sufi literature. According to Vasegh (2009), when it comes to Muslims seeking therapy and healing, psychiatrists should be aware of their patients' beliefs; otherwise, ignorance or neglect might lead to erroneous diagnosis and treatment. Vasegh believes that modern therapy content and methods, including spirituality, should be varied.
With reference to research conducted in different Islamic countries, Koenig and Al Shohaib (2004), in their most comprehensive book on Muslims and health published to date, showed with examples that they felt the positive effects of religious belief, prayer, and worship, especially in coping with many spiritual and psychological problems that Muslims faced. These findings suggest that psychiatrists and clinical psychologists in Islamic countries with little secularization should integrate religious and spiritual components in their therapy methods.
Are religion and spirituality a source of healing?
In terms of whether spiritual values and experiences contribute to the healing of mental depressions, psychological problems, and some physical ailments, and whether spirituality may be a source of healing, the following can be said. Religion, belief, faith, prayer, worship, and spirituality, according to scientific research and experimental studies, can be a component of the solution in therapy procedures.
Religion and belief are a vital source of strength, coping, morale, and healing for people who value spirituality in the face of stress, depression, internal conflicts, diseases, natural and human disasters, and losses. According to Pargament (2007), modern psychology and psychotherapy's treatment/therapy methods and healing prescriptions are insufficient. As a result, despite the impositions of the positivist understanding of science, spirituality and psychotherapy are inextricably linked. On the other hand, as some examples in the past and present show, clandestine religious organizations, the structuring that instrumentalizes religious beliefs and their opinion leaders, and radical and extreme religious interpretations can be the source of the problem, not the solution, in terms of mental and physical health.
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*Professor, Marmara University