Dealing with the bad mind problem

Jamaicans regularly accuse each other of ‘bad mind’. There are many dancehall songs that deal with the issue. What exactly is this ‘bad mind’ and what can it tell us about Jamaica?

Bad mind is really an anti-achievement orientation that Jamaicans engage in by taking action that punish or block others from achieving their goals. Therefore, it is very hard to become successful in Jamaica, and it is even harder to remain successful. You are attacked by people for no reason you can think of, other than that you had achieved or accomplished  something or are trying to achieve something. In many other countries, you are celebrated for being successful, not so in Jamaica.  Many times, you are punished based on how some people treat you.

Some reasons for ‘bad mind’ are that you might purchase a house, car, clothes, and so on.  You might find a partner or might be  involved in  a successful intimate-partner relationship, you might start a business, get a promotion on the job, or you might appear to be doing better than others financially. You might also be more socially or technically competent than others which becomes a problem for them. Some Jamaicans become angry and start to move against you because of your achievement(s), and talents and the competencies you have displayed.

Something you were born with can also trigger ‘bad mind’ such as your aesthetic physicality which is pleasing to the eyes. You may be a handsome man or a beautiful woman and this causes problems for you. Jamaica is a special case in this regard. In other countries there are benefits that accrue to people that are good looking. These people tend to get higher salaries, they are deemed to be competent, have integrity, and people tend to treat them better than others and so on.  These benefits, among others, accrue to attractive people in Jamaica but less so than in other societies because of bad mind.

The causes of bad mind

The roots of bad mind lie in the history of oppression and denial of personhood in Jamaica. Moreover, the current Jamaican institutions replicate hierarchies of discrimination that deny people personhood. This is evident in several areas. I provide a few examples here. In the case of language, people treat you with high regard if you speak to them in English rather than Jamaican patois. People assume that you are smart, decent and have integrity when you speak English. These responses deny patois speakers personhood. In relation to race and skin colour, we treat White and Brown Jamaicans in descending order of importance much better than we treat Black Jamaicans. In the case of religion Euro-centric Christianity is lorded over Afrocentric Christianity. You are deemed a better and smarter person if you attend a traditional high school compared to an upgraded high school (formerly secondary school) or attended an overseas university rather than a local university. Similarly, Jamaicans who live uptown compared to those who live down town, are deemed smarter, more hard working, decent and having integrity.

When you place these hierarchies of discrimination in the context of intense material deprivation (high rates of poverty), high rates of inequality and marginalisation that many Jamaicans face, you realise that they create conflictual social relations in the society. The problem is made worst by people with attachment disorders who did not form secure attachments with their primary care givers  as children. Therefore,  these insecure children become insecure adults. The problem is made worst if these insecure adults have inadequate prosocial values.

The consequences of bad mind

Bad mind leads to interpersonal conflicts, intimate-partner conflicts, organizational conflicts and community conflicts. These conflicts are major stressors for individuals, as well as organizations and lead to organizational inefficiency, low organizational cohesion and, hence, low productivity. Bad mind people sometimes set ablaze the business or house of the person deemed to be getting ahead in life. What is worst, some successful high achievers are killed, maimed, maligned, ridiculed, harassed, destroyed professionally or blocked from progressing further in the society. This situation is what is often referred to in Jamaica as the ‘crab in a barrel’ syndrome.

Government and civil society have to forge a public-private partnership to work towards a just, fairer and more equitable society in the long term. In such a society, citizens are generally respected, meaning they are given personhood. Families with state support should be taught proper socialization and the importance of developing healthy bonds between parents and their children.

Organizations have to develop policies to reduce bad mind because it undermines productivity and organizational cohesion and goals.  Government and civil society also have to promote achievement orientation, and engage in public education that the more successful Jamaicans we have, using merit-based achievement, the more successful we will be as a country.

 Christopher. A.D. Charles Ph.D. is a psychologist and professor at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, and asenior research fellow at the Caribbean Institute of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (CARIMENSA), UWI, Mona.

Jamaicans regularly accuse each other of ‘bad mind’. There are many dancehall songs that deal with the issue. What exactly is this ‘bad mind’ and what can it tell us about Jamaica?

Bad mind is really an anti-achievement orientation that Jamaicans engage in by taking action that punish or block others from achieving their goals. Therefore, it is very hard to become successful in Jamaica, and it is even harder to remain successful. You are attacked by people for no reason you can think of, other than that you had achieved or accomplished  something or are trying to achieve something. In many other countries, you are celebrated for being successful, not so in Jamaica.  Many times, you are punished based on how some people treat you.

Some reasons for ‘bad mind’ are that you might purchase a house, car, clothes, and so on.  You might find a partner or might be  involved in  a successful intimate-partner relationship, you might start a business, get a promotion on the job, or you might appear to be doing better than others financially. You might also be more socially or technically competent than others which becomes a problem for them. Some Jamaicans become angry and start to move against you because of your achievement(s), and talents and the competencies you have displayed.

Something you were born with can also trigger ‘bad mind’ such as your aesthetic physicality which is pleasing to the eyes. You may be a handsome man or a beautiful woman and this causes problems for you. Jamaica is a special case in this regard. In other countries there are benefits that accrue to people that are good looking. These people tend to get higher salaries, they are deemed to be competent, have integrity, and people tend to treat them better than others and so on.  These benefits, among others, accrue to attractive people in Jamaica but less so than in other societies because of bad mind.

The causes of bad mind

The roots of bad mind lie in the history of oppression and denial of personhood in Jamaica. Moreover, the current Jamaican institutions replicate hierarchies of discrimination that deny people personhood. This is evident in several areas. I provide a few examples here. In the case of language, people treat you with high regard if you speak to them in English rather than Jamaican patois. People assume that you are smart, decent and have integrity when you speak English. These responses deny patois speakers personhood. In relation to race and skin colour, we treat White and Brown Jamaicans in descending order of importance much better than we treat Black Jamaicans. In the case of religion Euro-centric Christianity is lorded over Afrocentric Christianity. You are deemed a better and smarter person if you attend a traditional high school compared to an upgraded high school (formerly secondary school) or attended an overseas university rather than a local university. Similarly, Jamaicans who live uptown compared to those who live down town, are deemed smarter, more hard working, decent and having integrity.

When you place these hierarchies of discrimination in the context of intense material deprivation (high rates of poverty), high rates of inequality and marginalisation that many Jamaicans face, you realise that they create conflictual social relations in the society. The problem is made worst by people with attachment disorders who did not form secure attachments with their primary care givers  as children. Therefore,  these insecure children become insecure adults. The problem is made worst if these insecure adults have inadequate prosocial values.

The consequences of bad mind

Bad mind leads to interpersonal conflicts, intimate-partner conflicts, organizational conflicts and community conflicts. These conflicts are major stressors for individuals, as well as organizations and lead to organizational inefficiency, low organizational cohesion and, hence, low productivity. Bad mind people sometimes set ablaze the business or house of the person deemed to be getting ahead in life. What is worst, some successful high achievers are killed, maimed, maligned, ridiculed, harassed, destroyed professionally or blocked from progressing further in the society. This situation is what is often referred to in Jamaica as the ‘crab in a barrel’ syndrome.

Government and civil society have to forge a public-private partnership to work towards a just, fairer and more equitable society in the long term. In such a society, citizens are generally respected, meaning they are given personhood. Families with state support should be taught proper socialization and the importance of developing healthy bonds between parents and their children.

Organizations have to develop policies to reduce bad mind because it undermines productivity and organizational cohesion and goals.  Government and civil society also have to promote achievement orientation, and engage in public education that the more successful Jamaicans we have, using merit-based achievement, the more successful we will be as a country.

 Christopher. A.D. Charles Ph.D. is a psychologist and professor at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, and asenior research fellow at the Caribbean Institute of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (CARIMENSA), UWI, Mona.