Psychological impact of the political economy

BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE CAUSED BY AN UNFAVOURABLE POLITICAL ECONOMY 

When I was younger, I remember reading about the 1518 dancing plague in Strasbourg, France. It was documented that they danced themselves to death due to exhaustion and many believed it to be an affliction of the soul (possession), while others speculated a mental illness caused by a fungus in their bread. However, others suggest it was a psychogenic disorder caused by extremely stressful conditions. I particularly contend with this theory as stressful conditions do have a concrete role in our behaviours, having the ability to distort it significantly. 

Following this train of thought on this story, I posit that the stressful economic condition in Kenya over the past three years has led to behavioural change of Kenyans. This change is visible in the mood Kenyan youths have adopted in their many interactions such as marriage or with the government. I would like to purely write from an observational standpoint on how this ensued. 

Firstly, it is important to establish that we are experiencing an economic decline. This study is periodized from 2015 to 2022 to establish a tangible chart depicting the decline appropriately.  

Between 2015-2019 there was a boom in the economy with poverty reducing from 36% in 2005 to 27.2% in 2019 and there was a steady economic growth rate. However, we establish a disruption in 2020 as the world closed its markets in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. I believe that this was the tipping point because the following years have seen a struggle in growth and a biased depiction of the empirical evidence. Although the World Bank claims the country only made a decline of 0.3% in its GDP, on the ground the effects were much more grievous which I think is evident to everyone who goes to their grocer or their favourite clothing store. We can tell beyond the statistics we are biting the bullet to survive. 

In 2021, the country purported to have experienced a 7.5% growth in the economy, however I believe this was a hasty generalisation. I remember my 2021 vividly, the year after the pandemic and in not one memory do I recall some sort of financial stability, personally or as a community. The aftermath of the pandemic showed a slow re-growth of industries such as the tourism sector and trade sectors which saw the restructuring and downsizing of many companies. I believe that some sectors may have possibly increased exponentially such as businesses in the transport sector seeing rise of businesses offering delivery services but this growth rate was just sweepingly applied to mean all businesses in Kenya experienced it. 

2023 was no better as the global impacts from the war on Ukraine hindered the global trade market, coupled with the increased revenue collection by the Kenya Kwanza government was the final blow to the economy. Albeit they have their reasons for increasing tax, these reasons have not convinced Kenyans to accept having the highest corporate tax in Africa with open arms.The fragile economy, rise in poverty and potential for debt default has clearly illustrated our economic decline. 

The causal link between economic hardship and our recent interactions (affected by mental distress) is supported by a study done in America in 1993. The authors contended that mental distress more often than not decreased with age as older people have greater emotional stability fortified by their experience and discipline to respond better to changing times. Although this wasn’t an absolute principle, these statistics are applicable to the Kenyan context where the demographic is majorly working age and adding onto this, a WHO Report in (2017) ranked Kenya as the fifth among African countries with elevated cases of mental distress. 

To better understand why majorly young adults are being affected, it is important to turn to the study done. The authors concluded that the young, have hope and expectations of the situation changing and desire higher incomes while the older population looks forward to escaping this capitalistic work system and to enjoy retirement. It is self evident they have different ambitions so when the status quo of the economy worsens, it is understandable that young adults will react brazenly. 

The next question to ask is how mental distress manifests itself. Mental distress as a result of extrinsic stress is best explained by the recent address of social, political and economic problems after the psychotic breakdown of the ‘Germanwings’ pilot who crashed the passenger-filled plane into the Alps. More specifically, it is characterised by depression which positively correlates with anxiety and anger affecting the psyche of an individual. 

Relating it to the context of Kenya, these mental illnesses are evident in the recent negative interactions we have in something as significant as marriage. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) states that one in every eighteen households is headed by someone divorced or separated. It would not be pointilliste to interpret the financial crisis which leads to emotional distresses like anger and anxiety causing a significant amount of divorces in recent years. These financial stressful conditions in countries like America led to tensions between couples and divorce rates like it causing one in four divorces. 

The relationship between Kenyans and the Government has not been spared either. There have been more protests forming a public outcry of the economic status of the country recently than there was during 2017 protests. We see 125 political violent events centred around the economy in a span of less than a month. There is clearly an angry tone adopted by the populous nation and an anxious undertone as to where the country heads in relation to their hope of better income and lesser financial constraints. Additionally, this behaviour change manifests by this brazen attitude where we become more reckless in our actions without much worry for each other or any consequences. This is supported by the reckless violent protests that have destroyed Government property and the violent encounters with the police who more often than not are armed.

To conclude, I am conflicted about whethon whether I should advocate for protests. Asking whether to really put my freedom of assembly to use or advocate that we just tighten our shoelaces and continue the hike to a better economy. I do not think there is a right perspective in what Kenyans should do, because we are under mental distress. We can only talk to so many therapists or religious leaders. This is the best way we know how to express our emotions. I however do not advocate for the violence that follows. Peaceful protests are what I campaign for, such as the ‘2024 Doctor’s Protest over poor pay’. However, I cannot call the recent violent protests as completely crude and enigmatic. The political economy is the strongest force, so when it shifts and becomes unfavourable it will inherently affect the psychology of the affected. 

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed within the content are solely each author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the website or its affiliates.