[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] How to break the vicious cycle of negative thinking? What are the techniques to make life easier?
A psychiatrist dealing with these issues compiled columns that explain psychology and neuroscience in an easy-to-understand way and published them as a book.
Professor Jeong Doo-young of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) is the director of the UNIST Healthcare Center and a specialist in psychiatry.
His book, which presents the difficult fields of neuroscience and psychology at a level accessible to the general public, is titled “Strong Mind, Flexible Life.” The key concept of this book is “psychological flexibility.” It emphasizes that a flexible mind is necessary to live more comfortably in a life full of uncertainty.
Professor Jeong, as the director of the Healthcare Center and a psychiatrist affiliated with the center, organized his thoughts from counseling UNIST members into writing.
These columns have also been serialized in publications such as Gyeongsang Ilbo and Mental Health Newspaper, raising awareness about the importance of mental health care. Professor Jeong aims to reach more readers by compiling these writings into a book.
People visit psychiatrists for various reasons, including anxiety, depression, lethargy, and interpersonal problems arising from career concerns and work performance.
However, the starting point of these diverse problems shares a commonality: a “lack of psychological flexibility.” Some people return with the same issues even after symptoms improve, while others live without trouble even if the events that caused their mental problems remain unresolved.
Professor Jeong explained, “Those with low psychological flexibility cannot escape the vicious cycle of negative thinking in the same situations, but those with high psychological flexibility do not get trapped by situations or problems and can find ways beneficial to themselves. Psychological flexibility is an essential mindset for ordinary beings living unpredictable lives.”
The book contains content to help people struggling with recurring psychological problems increase their psychological flexibility.
Professor Jeong advises, “Nothing in life is constant, and since it is impossible to prepare perfectly for life, practicing flexible responses at any time is the best way to live in this world.”
Currently, only Seoul National University, KAIST, and UNIST have psychiatrists permanently stationed on campus. Since joining UNIST in 2016, Professor Jeong has collaborated with clinical psychologists and counseling psychologists to establish a structure that allows more people to efficiently access counseling center services.
He is also researching the use of digital interfaces such as mobile devices, chatbots, and virtual reality to prevent psychological problems and enable early treatment.
Research is underway to digitally implement clinical experiences gained at the Healthcare Center and verify them again in the field. These activities are carried out in collaboration with professors of design, artificial intelligence, and data science at the newly established UNIST School of Information and Bio Convergence, founded in 2020.
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