DR MAX PEMBERTON: Are young eco-zealots really scared about the climate- or just plain anxious?

As if we weren’t battling enough with the rising cost of living, a looming recession, skyrocketing mortgage rates and spiraling NHS waiting lists, we’ve also had Just Stop Oil protesters wreaking havoc on our roads.

A man caught in the ensuing traffic missed his father’s funeral last week; another missed the birth of his baby; someone else missed their hospital appointment for cancer treatment. A police officer nearly died in a collision on the highway, all thanks to their unfortunate antics.

Hours of stationary traffic, chaos and nuisance. . . it’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed.

I want to support their cause, but nothing can justify their actions – and believe me, I have listened carefully to the activists in the desperate hope that they will be able to convincingly explain their behavior. Instead, I noticed how bizarre they seem.

dr. Max Pemberton asks if eco-anxiety is part of a broader problem. Stock image used

It got me thinking about the psychology of what’s really going on here, because this feels like more than just civil disobedience or a protest.

When Just Stop Oil members are interviewed on TV, it’s clear that some of them are genuinely petrified about the eco-apocalypse. It’s quite disturbing to see how distressed they appear to be.

Still, they seem incapable of putting forward a reasoned argument or summarizing the issues in a way that doesn’t fall back on hysterical hyperbole. Some seem neither rational nor logical.

They often appear articulate, middle-class, presumably well-educated. So why can’t they string together a coherent sentence? For a group of people who spend so much time thinking about climate change, they seem astonishingly bad at getting the arguments across.

The more I listen to it, the more I feel that for some, this isn’t about the environment at all. Instead, I think it’s symptomatic of a broader problem.

NHS psychiatrist (pictured) says younger generation may struggle with generalized anxiety

Today, many of the younger generation seem gripped by a crippling general fear, and I believe part of this has to do with environmental issues.

This gives them a sense of security, because instead of being free-floating, vague and unspecific, their worries now have a focus, an anchor, that feels psychologically comforting. So could it be that some of the protesters aren’t concerned about the environment, but just fearful – and the environment is a convenient and fashionable focus for it?

Again, I’m not saying there isn’t a legitimate concern when it comes to the future of our planet, just that the way this concern is manifesting is so counterproductive, it has to be pathological.

This would explain why so many of the activists are unable or unwilling to offer sensible alternatives to their protests. This may also explain why some of them seem to behave hypocritically, taking multiple long-haul flights or driving a car; it really is all about their fear, not the environment.

This does not apply to all. I suspect that some have no meaning in their lives and that the environment is a convenient and appropriately vague campaign to hold on to. It gives a sense of self-righteous purpose and superiority. But if it wasn’t the environment, it would just be something else.

The movement as a whole feels more and more like a doomsday cult. The evidence is clear that arguing against such entrenched beliefs is often futile, because groups like these actually serve a psychological need, giving structure and meaning to the lives of the people who follow them.

When I look at these eco-protesters, I see the middle-class equivalent of the man standing on the corner with a sandwich sign saying “The end of the world is nigh.”

Their demands – that everyone just stop using oil (and developing and licensing fossil fuel projects) – are ridiculous and implausible.

There is no endgame here. If they really cared about the environment, they wouldn’t sit on roads or climb highway portals, they would study engineering to develop alternatives to gas-guzzling airplanes, or find better ways to harness renewable energy, or look for improved fertilizers for agriculture. .

Let’s face it, Elon Musk has done more for the environment by developing mass-produced electric cars than all these eco-fanatics combined.

And then there are the dark elements of this campaign.

As with other movements, such as those for animal rights, it has the potential to attract certain individuals who can use it as a vehicle for their psychopathic tendencies.

I strongly suspect that some campaigners, unaware of the utter misery and danger they cause, fall into this category.

The protesters may have a valid reason. Perhaps they are right in some of their claims. But their behavior suggests that their motivation is not real to change hearts and minds. It’s about serving their own psychological needs.

Demi’s vote for female friendship

After a traumatic childhood, drug abuse and three failed marriages, the actress (pictured this year) says she “cherishes” her friends and that they are “essential” to her well-being

Demi Moore has spoken out about the importance of her girlfriends now that she is in her 60s. After a traumatic childhood, drug abuse and three failed marriages, the actress says she “cherishes” her friends and that they are “essential” to her well-being. She is right. Blood may be thicker than water, but I think friends are incredibly important as we get older. While family relationships are undoubtedly valuable, I’ve noticed with many patients that it’s often friends who are there for them. Generational differences in families allow people to have different priorities and values. They may have trouble fully understanding what a family member is going through. They have a different pace of life and outlook on life. It’s only natural, but as you get older, it’s nice to feel that you have people around you who are going through the same thing and that you are not alone.

• I won’t look I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!. I am shocked that disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been given a platform to restore his image. I can’t forget his utter hypocrisy about Covid. Our lockdown chief didn’t even bother to stick to his own rules while other people were locked up in nursing homes, unable to attend funerals of loved ones and dying alone in the hospital. Even worse is the decision to take Boy George into the Celebrity jungle. In 2007, he chained a man to a wall and beat him, a crime for which he was jailed. He denied the charges and blamed it on a psychotic episode. But he did not apologize to his victim at the time. Is this someone who should be on reality TV? What message does this send to male abuse victims?

dr. Max is ‘dismayed that disgraced former health minister Matt Hancock (pictured) has been given a platform to restore his image’

Attractive students saw their grades drop during Covid because professors couldn’t see their pretty faces in online classes, a study at Lund University in Sweden found. Research also shows that beautiful people are (often incorrectly) believed to be arrogant and succeed only because of looks, not talent. This means that low self-esteem is surprisingly common in good-looking people.

DR MAX PRESCRIPTION…

QIGONG EXERCISES

In November, personal trainer and lifestyle coach Arron Collins-Thomas will go live on the Instagram account @hayoufit every day to present a free Qigong session as part of supporting Movember – the charity encouraging men to grow a mustache this month. to raise awareness of men’s health problems. Often referred to as Chinese yoga, Qigong reduces stress hormones and blood pressure, can improve immunity, relieve chronic pain from fibromyalgia and arthritis, for example, and is highly beneficial for mental health.