Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  Belgium confirms case of new,  heavily mutated  Covid variant Dow Drops 900 Points…   The photographer captures the face of fear on the CNBC website Friday (26 Nov 2021). The loss of value in savings and investments is more powerful than an equal value of an increase. People fear losses of all kinds. The trigger of fear is the new virus variant, which can trigger fear of death and severe illness—especially for those who have lost a loved one or struggled through a hospitalization or even a tough bout at home. Fear is a powerful motivator to take action—self-defense—hide, avoid threats, seek safety. Action in financial markets isn’t really about the value of a company or business but about human nature and that powerful emotion of fear, which drives action. Fear also motivates people to avoid vaccines. Of course fear is not the only reason people have avoided the vaccines—skepticism and distrust are other reasons. Seeking safety is a good thing wh...

A conspiracy theory claims Bill Gates plans to insert microchips into a Covid-19 vaccine, which would facilitate tracking people. The chip insertion is false and malicious gossip; however, Christians are passing the ominous story around. Why do they do this? That’s what I want to consider. Normally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to such a story, but it caught my attention because I am writing about Pentecostal-Charismatic Christians and psychotherapy. And I remembered joking about how nice it would be to insert a memory card into my brain to help my memory. That quip didn’t go over well with some Christians. Chips and Route 666 For those who are not familiar with Pentecostal theologies, they include versions of eschatology (teachings about end times) that refer to humans identified by a mark of a beast, which is listed as 666 in the book of Revelation. Contemporary fundamentalist writers (not just Pentecostals) look at technological advances like RFID chips and othe...

During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the number of dead people lead news stories. And many people require scarce ventilators to fight for their lives. Scary stuff! Sensible people are afraid.  Sensible people embrace fear as a powerful motivator to take evidence-based pathways to health and safety. Possible Downsides:  When People do not Embrace Fear People who do not embrace fear can get sick and die or kill their family and friends if they ignore sound advice. Ignoring fear can be deadly. The dead testify to the reality of the fear.  Fear is a sign of mental wellness  as long as the fear is real and leads to positive action. The damaging side of fear can happen if we dwell on the fear after taking appropriate action. Filling our minds with misery and death can be discouraging or even depressing leaving us with low energy and distress. Fear is an emotional reaction to a real or perceived threat, but anxiety is an emotional reaction exp...

Pope Francis prayed for God’s protection:  “We seek refuge under your protection O Holy Mother of God.” ( Vatican News , 2020, March 26). Southern Baptist pastor, Tony Perkins, encouraged people to pray for the protection of our families ( Perkins, 2020, March 12 ). Amid crisis, whether coronavirus, a natural disaster, a terrorist attack or another calamity, we must not allow the mockery of the anti-faith crowd to drown out our prayers for the hurting, for the protection of our families, our communities, and our country. Let the mockers mock, but let the people pray to the great Physician first and then get to work helping the sick. Around the world, religious people pray to God or gods for divine protection from evil. In western cultures, Catholics, Protestants, and adherents of other branches of Christianity pray for God’s protection from the Coronavirus in 2020. As Christians get sick and die by the thousands, do such prayers for protection engender false ...