NEGAHOLISM

A Typical syndrome sweeping the globe

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If the power of positive thinking can perform
miracles, the power of negative thinking can
cause disastrous results.
What is Negaholism?
Negaholism is a syndrome in which negaholic people
unconsciously limit their own innate abilities, convince
themselves that they cant have what they want, and sabotage
their wishes, desires and dreams. Negaholism manifests itself
in the lives of normal people in a daily basis. Self-imposed
limitations on happiness, joy and fulfillment contaminate the
consciousness of the majority of the population in subtle ways.
The beliefs, attitudes and perceptions that keep us restricted,
constrained and curtailed have reached epidemic proportions.
Negaholism is a condition that is sweeping the globe.
Why this syndrome is called Negaholic?
Nega = negative, holic = one who is addicted to something. A
negaholic is someone who suffers from Negaholism, is addicted
to negativity. Negare is a Latin root meaning to deny. If
negaholics are termed to be I cants and people with positive
attitude are termed to be I cans then I cants deny that I
cans are right and they refuse to accept the fact that I cans
are capable, competent, able to give you what you want, worthy,
lovable and deserving.
A negaholic is one who is victimised by inner forces that are
waging a war of self-negation with attitudes, thoughts, words
or behaviour. These forces are keeping you trapped in a private
dungeon with graffiti all over the walls that say, You cant be
it. You cant do it. You cant have it. So forget it! The I cant
self laughs and says, I told that you cant do it. You cant have
it. So forget it! The I cant self laughs and says I told you
so when you prove its prophecies right.
Negaholism is just like an
epidemic, as people with
flu negaholics are highly
contagious. Their negativity
spreads rapidly and can easily
be transmitted to others
Gummadi Ravi Kumar and Deekonda Sathish Kumar
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Origins of Addictions
Addictions by definition are self-
destructive. They erode self-esteem
and cause gradual health problems and
impairments in social, occupational,
physical, emotional or spiritual
functioning. In a sense, all addictions
are displays of negaholism. The
characteristics that underlie all addictive
behaviour are: Immediate gratification,
Simplistic thinking, Skewed perspective,
Distorted priorities, Symptoms of
withdrawal, Overwhelming attachment,
Loss of power, Binary thinking,
Progressive and consistent stages of
involvement etc.
Negaholism is just like an epidemic, as
people with flu negaholics are highly
contagious. Their negativity spreads
rapidly and can easily be transmitted
to others. Like a sick person coughing
and spreading bacteria in your
office, negaholics must be stopped.
Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical
industry has yet to develop a medication
that treats negaholism.
Everyone has negative thoughts and at
times may appear to be cynical. All will
have bad days, but a negaholic stands
out amongst everyone. They always
have something to say and it is always
pessimistic in nature. They are easy to
identify by their negative outlook on
everything and constant pessimism in
every situation. They will find faults in
everything.
The Trauma of our
Technological Times
Transportation, communication and
technology have turned the modern
world upside down. Rapid pace,
pressure and ambiguity have changed
our lives from being steady, consistent
and stationary to being fraught with
confusion, disillusionment and
disconnection. The rhythm of the future
faces rapid change, dramatic transitions
and traumatising uncertainty. We
are living in a turbulent, chaotic and
perplexing era. Never before in the
history of mankind, has there been so
many options like today with so few tools
to cope with and overcome negativity.
Stress is one of the forms of Negaholism.
What Produces Stress?
Since stress is a daily phenomenon,
some of the things that cause it are as
follow:
Confusion and anbiguitv about ro|cs.
expectations and priorities;
ho|c: confusion. conf|ict. ovcr |oad
and under load either on the job or at
home;
Ovcr g|ut and bonbardncnt of
options, from soap brands to life
partners;
hapid pacc. hcavv dcnands and thc
pressure of intense competition;
Scnsorv assau|t fron a|| ang|cs.
resulting in over-stimulation;
A|icnation rcsu|ting fron thc
breakdown of the family, the society
and the community;
Iso|ation rcsu|ting fron high nobi|itv.
transience and instability;
C|oba| financia| instabi|itv with
massive fluctuation in currencies;
1hc cvcr-prcscnt thrcat of tcrnination
from global war to epidemic
diseases which weigh heavily on our
consciousness;
Lack of tinc. |ack of dircction.
frustration and monotony;
fhvsica| pain and disabi|itv:
Lnotiona| traunas rc|ating to fani|v.
loved ones and friends;
Changcs in |ifcstv|c. ccononic status.
marital status, educational status,
career or job situation, increase or
decrease in the family unit, relocation
in home or job etc.; and,
aggagc fron growing up in a
dysfunctional home including
feeling disconnected from our real
feelings, being out of touch with
our own personal wants, fear of
making mistakes, fear of taking risks,
communication and being abandoned.
How to know if you have a
problem?
As incredible as it may seem, the
negaholic often doesnt recognise
that he or she has a problem. Some
negaholics believe that they are realists
simply stating the facts as they see
them. When others suggest that they
are negative, these negaholics may feel
sorry for that person, believing that he
or she is blind to the ills of the world or
workplace. Or they may become angry at
others inability to see things their way.
Either reaction increases the negaholics
negativity. Negaholics can be classified
as below.
Attitudinal Negaholics are successful
people who drive themselves
relentlessly. To the outsider they appear
to have it all together, but inside they
are tormented. They are the most
subtle form of negaholic because their
appearance is crisp, clean, orderly and
aesthetically pleasing. They are usually
on top of everything. The negaholics in
this group are: The Perfectionist, The
Never-Good-Enough Person and The
Slave Driver.
Behavioural Negaholics may be
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succeeding in spite of themselves, but
they are most often missing the mark.
They try so hard that you dont want
to fault them, but their self-sabotage
is written all over them. Caught in the
discrepancy between their ideas and
their actions, they are unable to break
out of the behavioural patterns even
though they seem to try. This group
consists of the procrastinator, the
pattern repeater and the never-measure-
up person. Behavioural negaholics act
out the negativity in non-supportive
ways such as too much smoking,
overeating, excessive drinking, abuse
of drugs, over-indulgence in gambling,
exercise, TV, work, relationships, sex
and religion.
Verbal Negaholics are hopeless,
helpless and unable to change. They
make negative statements about
themselves, others, situations, places
or just about anything. Incredibly, they
dont have the slightest idea that they
are being negative, they think that they
are accurately reporting the facts the
way they are. In this group are: the bear
trapper, the constant complainer, the
herald of disaster and the gloom and
doomer.
Negaholic Symptoms become
established
1hc nccd for attcntion:
1hc inabi|itv to givc or rcccivc positivc
attention;
1hc ingraincd habit of focusing on
what is wrong;
1hc opiatc pcptidcs - chcnica| rush
when being severely criticised; and,
1hc sinu|tancous fcc| bad. coup|cd
with the significant amount of
attention (feel good).
The addictive pattern takes hold and one
becomes a Negaholic!
Impact of Negahoilics in
Business
Negaholics are most dangerous in a
business environment, specifically
within an organisation. In a business
environment, negaholics are detrimental
to the success of a company and often
bring others into their gloomy world
with repetitive negativity. The biggest
risk a negaholic poses is their ability
to spread their ideas and mindset to
others and impact morale within an
organisation. A generally optimistic
person can easily be influenced when
in the presence of constant negativity.
There is nothing worse that can happen
within a team or organisation than the
spread of poor attitudes, which then
cause decreases in productivity, morale
and overall performance.
So what do we do? We all know a
negaholic or two, how do we stop
them?
Remedies for
Negaholism
The first step to overcome
Negaholism is to recognise
the problem
When Negaholism is taken care of, life
becomes turbocharged with purpose,
passion and excellence. When its not,
life can become a dreary struggle and
the spark of life goes away making our
experiences incomplete. What can we do
when we are caught in the Negaholism?
Here are some fundamentals to adhere
so that will bring the remedy a little
closer to home:
Somebody can help
Negaholics by:
Coaching and tcaching Ncgaho|ics
how to look for the positive in every
situation;
fointing out positivcs bcforc thcv find
the negatives;
Working with thcn to trv and
understand their way of thinking;
Hc|ping thcn to undcrstand thc
impact their attitude has on others;
Lvcn going to cxtrcncs and havc a
strict no negativity policy and dealing
with each incident aggressively.
The best approach is to manage the
impact and when appropriate remove
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them from situations where they pose
a serious risk to the business or the
success of others.
Negaholics have to Try
Themselves
Negaholics have to keep working,
continue to write, compose, play music,
market, sell, lead... do everything, that
can express your creative spirit. Success
will never come if you stop working.
Avoid Negaholics. You need positive
influences. Avoid negative people at
all costs. First, negativity can suppress
creativity. Second, you become who you
hang-out with. Associate with positive
people and put the negative ones on
hold.
Reach out. Surround yourself with
people you like and trust. Talk to
positive and creative types. Seek help
and guidance from others in your field or
from those in other fields. You will find
that all of us have been in the negaholism
before and there is a way out.
Read. No matter what field you are in,
reading is a stimulus that kick starts
the brain and it is interactive. Reading
makes your imagination work. It also
Gummadi Ravi Kumar, Associate Professor, Sree
Chaitanya P.G. College, Karimnagar, AP. He can
be reached at [email protected]
Deekonda Sathish Kumar, MBA Scholar-HR,
UPGC, Karimnagar, AP. He can be reached at
[email protected]
opens the receptors of your brain to
receive important messages.
Let go of expectations. Many times we
get stuck because we are holding onto
outcomes. Let them go. When you do,
you free yourself to work for positive
result and that is when you do your best
work. When you do your best work,
doors open. When doors open, success
is typically on the other side.
Every person will enter into Negaholism
from time to time. It is a natural
occurrence. But you should not worry
about it. In fact, knowing that your next
Big Idea is waiting for you, Negaholism
can empower you to get the jobs done
more effectively.
Conclusion
A certain amount of negativity is not
bad at all. Sometimes it brings to light
problems that can and should be resolved.
The truly destructive negativity is what
leads to negative change, festers and
detrimentally affects those who live and
work within the scope of the Negaholics
influence. In the workplace, chronic
negativity can spread throughout the
organisation, drain energy, waste time,
set up roadblocks to change and make
the difference between a companys
success and failure.
Negaholism is about discovering the
voices in your head, getting them under
control and either abolishing them or
using them for your advantage. The
voices tend to operate as if they had
a life of their own and often act in a
diminishing or self-sabotaging manner.
Negaholism is a theory of human
behaviour that will help you stand up for
yourself, claim your right to be a happy
person, capable of telling the truth about
what you are feeling, what you want and
to learn how you can achieve it.
There is no place for Negaholism in
business. The impact of Negaholic
attitude and actions will destroy morale
and eventually cause serious threats
that will last much longer than their
tenure at the company. Sometimes the
only teamwork in a negativity-laden
organisation is the collective we-cant.
So let us seriously join hands and try
to nullify the Negaholism which has
already become the greatest threat to
the existence of mankind itself in the
coming years monthsweeks...days
hours!
Negaholism is a theory
of human behaviour that
will help you stand up for
yourself, claim your right to
be a happy person, capable
of telling the truth about
what you are feeling, what
you want and to learn how
you can achieve it