Has anyone seen this? JW mental health

by monkeyshine 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  jwfacts

  I have an article about this at http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/mentalissues.htm

  What I felt was most relevant was Richard Singelenberg?s paper (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands) Child Custody Decisions and Jehovah?s Witness Parenthood. He is not a JW and did not seem to have any agenda. He claims that he could not find any scientific, unbiased research into the mental health of JWs.

  He quoted a very perceptive statement made in a court case. "It remains to be seen if [the mother] can give enough room to the children, so they can unfold according to their nature. The fundamental as well as the relational anchorage of the children in the group of Jehovah's Witnesses give reason for some concern, because in case they react against this belief there is a danger they end up in a social vacuum."
• 

  carla

  Have you read Dr. Bergmans (sp?) book on 'Jw's and Mental Illness'?
• 

  slimboyfat

  I have tried to post here twice and lost the lot, so this is a test.
• 

  slimboyfat

  Singelenberg is right about there being no reliable data on the incidence of mental illness among Witnesses. Jerry Bergman's book is awful: all it contains are baseless assertions and allegations masquerading as scholarship. No wonder he could not find a proper publisher. Singelenberg wrote a good review of Bergman's annotated bibliography where he noted Bergman's lack of scholarly rigour. Bergman also wrote a poor article on the same subject under the false name "Montague". What is funny is that Bergman later referenced the "Montague" article favourably without mentioning that it was his own work. Bergman's book must be among the worst ever written about the Witnesses.

  Rolf Furuli made an interesting attempt to counter such claims by producing an article to show that Witnesses suffer fewer mental health problems. Unfortunately it is in Norwegian...

  Slim
• 

  garybuss

  Hi Slim,
  
  Which version of Bergman's book did you read? I was just wondering if you would give one particular example of a baseless assertion and one example of an allegation that I could reference so I can understand what you are talking about.
  
  Thanks
  
  
• 

  slimboyfat

  For one thing Bergman repeatedly asserts, but never proves, that Jehovah's Witnesses have a "high crime rate". This assertion is simply taken for granted, as on page 227:

  This [peer rejection] is one factor which could explain why Witnesses have a high crime rate...

  A "high crime rate" compared to what? What are the precise figures? Where is he getting them? Such baseless assertions appear every other page. I just give this one example.

  Slim
• 

  garybuss

  Hi Slim,
  
  Have you personally asked Bergman to explain his claim? Or is it just your style to take cheap shots anonymously from an Internet bulletin Board?
  
  Bergman has the guts to sign his name on his work, unlike you. Where are your proofs for your claims made? You seem to me to be holding Bergman to a standard you are not meeting yourself. Why is that?
  
  
• 

  slimboyfat

  He makes claims that he provides no evidence for. I have given an example as you requested. I don't see what there is to ask.

  Responsible social scientists will acknowledge the limits of their data and stay within them. Bergman on the other hand, not content with the fact that we don't have figures on the Witness crime rate, murder rate, physical abuse and so on decides that the lack of actual evidence should be no bar to him pontificating on those subjects. No doubt Bergman has a lot of experience with Witnesses who had various difficulties, but no amount of experience entitles an academic (if he wishes his work to be accepted as such, which apparently he does) to make such sweeping generalizations without evidence.

  Singelenberg made this appropriate comment in reviewing Bergman's bibliography:

  So far, any significant association between upbringing in this religious milieu and criminal activities has not been demonstrated. The same goes for a JW lawyer who swindled his fellow believers (p. 241). These are unfortunate events, but by emphasizing these and similar isolated incidents it is unclear what information the writer wants to convey to the reader other than the negative stigmatization of a religious minority.

  It is funny that you say Bergman has the guts to sign his name to his work because, as I noted earlier, he has used a number of false names in the past - then he has reviewed his own work positively without mentioning that is was his work!

  And by the way I have not written any work on the Witnesses with academic pretensions. If I do you and Bergman are welcome to evaluate it. It is you making the cheap shots here.

  Slim
• 

  carla

  Basically all of psychology is base upon anecdotal evidence. All we have to go by whether it be the jw's or the reasons behind anorexia or any mental illness and the reasons behind it (not including phsyiological unbalances). I found his book to match much of what ex jw's from all around the world have said on this board and other boards.

  I am also in a unique position to see an adult who joined the jw's as an adult and the profound changes in his personality and mental state. I find the line jw's like to use all time 'they are all lies!!!!!' extremely immature. If they were 'all lies' then one has to wonder how this org has produced this 'kind of fruit' on such a regular basis? Is this what the org produces? Obviously so. If the so called apostates all tell lies and embellish, where do you suppose they learned that from? They have been immersed in jw land for a long time they didn't leave the org one day, become 'worldly' and begin telling tall tales.

  If all those who left are 'out to get the org', wouldn't you wonder why all these people who belonged to a certain group have such an 'axe to grind'? Why does membership and leaving such a group produce such ill will towards it? They have no legitimate claims?

  Once again the jw's can put on their hypocritical hats, how often do they love to read of wrongdoings of us 'worldly' people and they love to believe it and discuss it to no end. They believe it no matter what. How many were quick to believe the Enron whislte blowers but yet if a whislte blower comes from their own org, they are a liar and evil.
• 

  choosing life

  Why does he change the measuring stick for JWs -others are % per 1000 population. Then he just states the number of JW admissions. Makes it difficult to see correct correlation and not very scientific. Don't get me wrong, I think the high control of this authoritarian group is very damaging to one's mental health if you tend to be a critical thinker. On the other hand, if you want to be spoon fed and give over all your decisions and responsibility for the way you live your life, this may not bother or affect your mental health. Unless of coarse, somehow you are forced to think for yourself. Then critical thinking sneeks in and yes, you will have some mental anquish if you cannot get back into the protective box quickly enough.