Week 7: Response to "Culture and Psychology" - 10/28/2021

 I don't know exactly where to begin. I have a lot of things and ideas on my mind. How Culture and Psychology can be so related? One thing that I have learned is sometimes we can just go and be spot on our ideas. Scaffolding is a slower way to achieve the goal, but when it hit it, it hit it!

    We have talked in the last posts about different aspects of Culture and how this can be related to our experience as Teachers. But today we will talk about how our culture can affect our psyche. And I need to confess that I deeply understand what that means. You know, all people who suffer from a Mental Illness understand it. Our Culture tends to judge people suffering from a mental illness as inferior, or less intelligent. So, what do we do if a family member or ourselves suffers from any of the many Mental Illnesses? We hide. We hide deeply, to not be judged or criticized. 

    How do I deeply understand this? Because this is a thing that I hide for myself. Since my childhood, I suffer from ADHD. But at that time, I didn't know it. Was only in early adulthood that I finally was diagnosed with that Mental Illness. I can't describe the relief that was. Why I suffered to do some things, why my attention so quickly changes to another subject, that wasn't my fault that I have problems with due dates. And at the same time how was possible for me to read The Lord of the Rings in just 5 days. Appendices included. And I was able to write in runes as well. Until that point, I have heard that I was not dumb, but lazy. Because a dumb person can't learn to write in runes in just about five days. So, the reason why my tests scores at Chemistry was my fault. It was my laziness that made that. I didn't want to learn. And when for an excuse I said that wasn't my fault, was from the teacher who couldn't explain very well my father always replied: It is the student that makes the teacher. So, if I was not learning, wasn't because the teacher couldn't explain very well, but rather it was I that was not paying attention or was not participating and making questions.

    I was in my late 20's when I finally was diagnosed. I cried for hours straight. That wasn't my fault! But until that point, I have learned how to deal with it. I knew what the triggers to the lack of attention were, so I worked on that to not be judged as a lazy person anymore. I still fight until now. But I never ever told during a job interview after that that I suffered from ADHD for example. I worked with a sensitive process. One single mistake could mean a lot of money from a tax fine. How will an employee trust me enough to give the job if he/she was always afraid that my illness could harm them?

    My diagnosis was both reliefs from a pain that I didn't know that I had and a reason "to hide". So, I understand how our culture can impact our psyche.