Learning Psychohistory in the U.S.A.

Dear Editor,

Learning psychohistory under Professor David Beisel at Rockland Community College of the State University of New York was one of my greatest academic experiences because it gave me hope for a better world. When I arrived from Tokyo in 2003 as an international student to the United States, I was surprised to see flags everywhere and armed soldiers who seemed to be on every corner of New York City. This brought to mind the worries of many people in my homeland about my going abroad at this time of terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. When I actually stood on the ground of New York City, I realized

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that there was something unusual going on in this country.

Rockland County, where I went to college, was a quiet suburb, and yet I could still find people talking nervously about how terrorists could attack their little village. I was rather shocked to see the villagers being so sensitive about the war and their soldiers in Middle East. The war on terrorism felt real. I was frightened and at the same time curious about Americans’ reactions. This situation reminded me of what I have heard about the Japanese experience during World War II.

Fortunately, I was acquainted with many good Americans during my student life in Rockland County; they were always supportive and open-minded in dealing with me as an international student. Nor did I experience any discrimination or physical danger. Yet, I have also heard how the lives of other Asian students in the U.S. changed as they felt anxiety and thought themselves to be seen with suspicion after the September 11^th attacks. For example, one Asian student was misidentified as a “Muslim” and threatened by a local person.

For me, being Japanese is about being sick of hearing about World War II. Ever since my elementary school days, I have heard so many horror stories and seen gruesome pictures of atrocities by fanatical Japanese soldiers during WWII that I had been conditioned to feel sick and guilty about the behavior of my people. Therefore, I had ambivalent feelings toward Americans when I actually witnessed the aftermath of September 11^th. Americans becoming more patriotic and declaring war on terrorism did not trouble me. At the same time, I felt helpless before the irrational, chauvinistic, and violent behavior I heard about or observed. How could people so readily be reckless and thoughtless about their own and other peoples’ lives? Similarly, even though there has been considerable research on the atrocities of Japanese soldiers, it has not been offered to the general public in Japan. Mainly I was told that those Japanese soldiers were so irrationally extreme that we could never understand them.

It was in the context of 9/11 and my awareness of Japanese wartime atrocities that I took a psychohistory course at Rockland Community College. In it, Professor David Beisel analyzed human behavior and history in a way that immediately caught my attention and stimulated my intellectual and emotional curiosity. Through his psychological analysis of Hitler, Chamberlain, and other European leaders prior to World War II, Dr. Beisel argued that the underlying cause of war is the misguided search for love and other emotions. Seemingly irrational behavior became reasonable in the name of love of the country. This valuable insight helped me to understand human behavior, changing how I looked at the world. I started noticing that both Americans and terrorists had been talking a lot about families, friends, neighborhoods, and countries. I also remembered that many Japanese soldiers had died for their own families and hometowns. When I understood their motivations and emotions, I felt more connected to the humanity of these soldiers than I had before.

At the time, my understanding of the human psyche was insufficient for me to have hope in the future. After all, humans have been fighting against each other throughout history. Hope actually came from “Dr. B.’s” introduction to the study of the evolution of childrearing by Lloyd deMause. To me the idea that human civilization is improving as a consequence of better childrearing was like one precious drop of water in the desert of violent human history. This study of evolutionary progress has encouraged me to look at the world with hope. This good news is connected to worldwide human rights movements to improve the situations of children, women, workers, and humankind in general, as well as advances in physical and mental hygiene. Peace movements and the lessening of war are very positive signs.

As a result of my studies with Dr. Beisel I can say to my friends that humans are getting better, even in the face of poverty, as well as apocalyptic violence and much negativity in our world. Part of the good news is that I can play a role in improving things, by working to improve childrearing. I know no other study that offers a clearer solution to human violence than this. A friend in the same psychohistory course spoke with me about all of us playing a role improving the future in this way.

Consequently, after I graduated from Rockland Community College, I majored in psychology at CUNY Queens College for the purpose of studying mental health. Last year I earned a bachelor’s degree and I will be continuing my study in psychology in an American graduate school. My focus there and professionally, thanks to Dr. Beisel, will be improving parenting. I feel considerable gratitude to the professor of history who advocated love at this time of war. Psychohistory has given me a deep, positive understanding of other people and also of myself.

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Learning psychohistory led me to view the future more hopefully.

Sincerely yours,

Sho Araiba

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