UMM Lecturers Study the Spirit Doll Phenomenon among Indonesian Artists

Author : Humas | Friday, January 07, 2022 09:29 WIB

Illustration of someone thinking about spirit doll
(Photo; Syifa)

The trend of adopting spirit dolls among Indonesian artists has become a hot topic of conversation in recent days. The spirit doll is treated like a real child by giving nice clothes and accessories. Even one celebrity has a regular schedule for bathing and drying the two-spirit dolls they adopted.

A Point of view from Psychology, The Lecturer at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Dr. Dra. Cahyaning Suryaningrum, M.Sc., said that every human being, as a social being, has particular psychological needs related to his relationship with other people. She sees that people who adopt the spirit doll may feel lonely, have no friends to talk to, or need to channel affection. However, it cannot be fulfilled because there are certain obstacles.

For example, they were not having children even though they wanted them or had difficulty establishing closeness with other people. If all these psychological needs are met, a person will not look for an inanimate object as a substitute.

"They may not be able to establish satisfying closeness with other people, have low social skills, or don't have the confidence to trust people to share their feelings. It could also be because of the desire to express love and care for others, but it is not fulfilled. These are the things that encourage some people to look for other alternatives as a substitute for friends, namely spirit dolls," said the Jakarta-born lecturer.

Naning saw that the phenomenon of adopting a spirit doll is similar to people who choose to maintain and develop attachments with pets. It's just that the selected object is different. He also saw that the adopters of spirit dolls could not be said to have mental disorders as long as their psychological functions were still running normally. Likewise, the thought process is still coherent and does not interfere with its role in living life.

The Head of the UMM Professional Psychology Masters Study Program said that it is necessary to look at many factors in diagnosing whether someone has mental problems. One of them is through abnormal symptoms. Not only how much the number of symptoms, but also look at the intensity of these symptoms.

Lecturer of Psychology University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Dr. Dra. Cahyaning Suryaningrum, M.Sc. (Photo: Syifa)

"Perhaps someone is just following along. The spirit doll trend can also fulfill psychological needs that cannot be met due to certain obstacles. It's okay to tell ghost dolls about the burdens of life now and then. But the most important thing is how to overcome these psychological barriers. So that they can channel their psychological needs in a normal way," she said.

Furthermore, Naning revealed that the negative labeling given by the community could also cause the adopters of spirit dolls to become depressed. Instead of labeling them insane, it would be wiser if the environment around them tried to understand the reasons or reasons why the person chose to adopt a spirit doll.

"If we know the root cause of someone choosing a spirit doll, then we know how to help deal with it. For example, if a person chooses a spirit doll because he feels lonely and loses trust in others, then we can help improve his social skills to make friends and closeness to others. So finding out and understanding the root cause is the most important thing." (cdr/syi/wil)

Shared: