UNAIR NEWS – Recently, the entertainment world has been shocked by the trend of adopting spirit dolls. Dolls are only inanimate objects, but some people make them like living things. They do not even hesitate to treat the spirit dolls like a baby.
Prof. Dr. Nurul Hartini, S.Psi., M.Kes., Psychologist, sees this phenomenon as something that needs attention. The lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Airlangga (FPsi UNAIR) said that this action had led to unnatural behavior.
“When someone assumes these dolls are alive and believes that they will grow up, it is beyond common sense. This behavior is an oddity in itself caused by various factors,” said Prof. Nurul.
One possible factor is following trends among celebrities. “It could be that they are just looking for a sensation to increase their popularity,” continued Prof. Nurul. Even so, everything has a limit so that it does not harm mental health.
“Because if this behavior is allowed to continue, it will have an impact on a person’s mental health condition. If the abnormality is not stopped immediately, it will risk psychopathology (instability of psychiatric functions, including senses, cognition, and emotions, ed). All risky conditions must be handled as early as possible so that it is not difficult to return to a rational and realistic condition,” explained Prof. Nurul.
Furthermore, it is true for some people, dolls can be a mental recovery strategy (stress coping, ed). “For example, when someone has lost their child, dolls can be a psychological therapy for them. Because psychologically, dolls can also be a means of refreshing the mind for individuals as long as they are not excessive and must remain under the assistance of a psychologist or psychiatrist, “said Prof. Nurul.
However, apart from these benefits, dolls are just inanimate objects. They only become tools with no special features, except only influencing the owner’s treatment.
When we treat dolls in a special way, Prof. Nurul appealed to people to find out the reason. Suppose it only leads to negative behavior that goes beyond reasonable limits. In that case, it must be stopped immediately so they will not be trapped in an unhealthy condition, both psychologically and mentally.
As people who may be close to individuals who behave outside these limits, of course, we should help them. Prof. Nurul suggested that we first ask why they act like that. “As long as the answer is still rational, yes, it is okay,” she continued.
It is different when the abnormality becomes more apparent, when they actually think the doll is alive, then we can advise that their behavior is worrying. Finally, if there is still no change, we can help direct them to a psychologist or psychiatrist.
“The key is rational, realistic, and proportional. As long as these three things are fulfilled, then we are always objective in thinking, feeling, and doing everything,” concluded the lecturer, who is also a member of the Indonesian Clinical Psychology Association.
Author: Fauzia Gadis Widyanti
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
