No electricity lead to stress in Kyrgyz community

It has been several days since rotating blackouts began in Kyrgyzstan, but it was enough to cause citizens a major stress. And this kind of situation with electricity shortage promises to last minimum till April 2009, specialists say. In order to find out ordinary people's opinions on these blackouts, the news agency "24.kg" interviewed Valentina Ivanova, a candidate of psychological science, psychology department associate professor of Russian Slavic University.

Valentina Petrovna, being a specialist in "human souls", can you describe psychological condition of our citizens dealing with blackouts?

First, I want to answer from ordinary person's perspective: it is tough to deal with it. For example, milk truck just arrived to our yard. I wanted to buy it, but then with no electricity my refrigerator is off and elevators don't work either. And I'm not that young to go through 150 steps down and back. These obstacles might turn into inner and outer conflicts. For example I can't finish typing my lecture notes on the computer. And now I feel guilty that yesterday evening I went to sleep when I could work. This is an inner conflict. But tomorrow when I will be asked for my lecture notes and I won't have them, this might turn in the real conflict. There are a lot of these kinds of examples that are affected on everybody, beginning from little children finishing with elderly ones.

There are some mothers who already are worried about their children in schools. If their children don’t have time to do their homework, they will get in trouble in school and home. It will influence students' behavior and character, especially little ones. Lies are inevitable in this situation.

Now I want to give comments from a psychologist's view. Response behavior on the problem depends on psycho type of each person, because different people act differently dealing with one problem. If the person is an optimist he accepts it as a "life-zebra" principle: there is no light now, there will be a little bit later. For the pessimist it turns in a tragedy. Constant inner pressure builds up and needs its way out. In the result a person gets a neurosis which needs a long term treatment.

A modern person so got used to goods of civilization, that their absence influences his inner and outer condition. All this leads to the tension in the community, which might turn in public protests. And opposition can use this fact as a tool. Our government promised us so many times that they will solve electricity problem. But what we have again is blackouts and electricity cost rise-up. Society is loosing trust to government and in the result looks for a scapegoat.

What the government should do in this situation?

The government should compensate negative facts with several measures, for example explanatory talks or a helpline, where psychologists could talk to citizens and listen to their everyday problems.

What is our situation with psychologists?

Unfortunately, we don't have enough experienced psychologists. We have psychotherapists, but they examine a person on its normality. But psychologists help people solve their problems in means of a conversation. Besides, we extremely lack state psychological offices, where citizens could get a professional help. We have only Psychological Health Center of Kyrgyz State Medical Academy with one psychologist and one psychiatrist.

According to Maslow pyramid, where different human needs are classified, a human being needs to progress gradually for full development. Fist step has physiological needs like food, water and air. The second-human being needs a security, which spreads out on interrelated things like shelter, insurance, employment, education and etc. That is why because of these blackouts people feel themselves insecure.

Saying it from psychological point of view, most of the people stop developing, being stuck on the last step. And only those individuals with strong will are able to reach highest step of self-perfection and self-actualization. For example, Shostakovich wrote his famous symphony in war times. Paul Gogen or Van Gouge bought canvas instead of bread in hard times of their lives. But it is not profitable even for the most democratic country to bring up these kinds of personalities, who are hard to control.

What you want to suggest to our citizens for relieving the stress because of no electricity?

I suggest more communication and discussion of current problems. Usually it does help to relief stress. For example, I just had a talk with you, and now I feel better.