The answer to our economic woes lies with psychologists

By XN Iraki

No job is more admirable and coveted than being the President. One of the expectations of the President is to create jobs, and ensure the standards of living are raised. Yet, we rarely bother about the Presidents qualifications save his ethnic identity.

In the past 46 years we have tried experts in different areas. All have not confronted our economic problems head on, and if they have, a lot is yet to be done. Should we not try a person with a new qualification?

I choose a psychologist, someone who may understand and explain our peculiar thinking.

Three psychological issues plague our country and if resolved we could see us achieve Vision 2030 sooner than expected. One is learnt helplessness.

Economists assume that we are driven by self-interest. What of those who have learnt that they cannot do anything and someone must do it for them? What of those who have learnt it "does not matter", they fell helpless against the world, the economic system and themselves? What of those interested in nothing?

A famous experiment in psychology involves administering shocks to a dog. After several shocks the dog will learn it is helpless and will just look at you.

Economists and our policy makers have failed to focus on Kenyans (the majority) who feel that their efforts are not recognised and cannot make a difference. How can we raise their spirits, loop them into the economic system so that their contribution can be enhanced, the same way unmotivated students can be made to believe in themselves?

We can borrow from preachers who make their disciples roll on the ground after the message.

Can we have a leader who will make us so annoyed or happy with ourselves to shed off the veil of helplessness and focus more on our chosen economic interests? Who can make farmers feel so proud of themselves and double the harvest next season?

Our thinking

Who will make teachers so proud or annoyed that we shall soon spawn our Einstein’s and Henry Fords? Who can make civil servants so proud that they refuse to shake hand with anyone know to be corrupt?

Psychologists can probably do that, because our thinking is the problem. This country suffers from institutionalised pessimism, which psychologists can repackage as optimism. Is that not what they do through advertisement and branding?

Who can make us proud of our past, present and future? Who will make us feel that we matter, not only to ourselves, but to the community and universe?

Economic breakthroughs have always been accompanied by transforming the national thinking into "can do it".

This learnt helplessness is reflected in our obsession with donors, sponsors, relatives or "big people."

The second psychological issue is projection, we always have someone to blame or direct our anger and failure. We can blame anyone and anything else except ourselves. Why you were late for work. It was traffic jam? Why didn’t you perform well in KCSE, it was swine flu. Our most popular "dustbin" has always been the Government, blamed even by ministers.

Before that, it was colonialism. In the run up to the post poll chaos, it was certain communities. Wives unable to fight husbands often kick the cat.

Historically, we have always looked for someone or something to blame. The devil has been the popular victim.

Our traditional communities, had scapegoats. Nations make economic progress only after accepting their weaknesses and strengths and building on them. The countries we admire from — US to Singapore — stopped blaming others and confronted their national problems.

The recent move towards performance contracts is about individuals taking responsibility for their success or failure.

The final psychological issue, among many others, is ‘national learning.’ Who can make us learn from our past? From others? Most of the national leaders have spent time abroad studying, working or visiting.

Why it is so hard to learn from advanced economic systems or at least copy what is relevant to our context?

Only psychologists can help us understand how Japanese quickly copied the best of the West and build on their greatest strength, themselves. How comes most Japanese and Koreans never got ‘English names"?

Imitation

Psychologists can make us understand why we imitate "useless things" like accents, or peculiar behaviors like sagging trousers. We love singing western lyrics and not trying their science.

We love Eastern or Western technology but we are not interested in building our own, remember the skepticism over Nyayo car? Only a psychologist can make us understand why national learning is so hard.

They could explain why after a 100 years, science and religion co-exist with witchcraft.

A psychologist will communicate with us instead of talking us, hopefully make us understand ourselves better and transform our thinking and this economy.

Is it surprising that cutting-edge research in economics is on the edge, bordering psychology, the so-called behavioral economics? Where are the psychologists?

—The writer ([email protected]) is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, School of Business.