When we close our eyes for a moment, images and thoughts pass through our minds like scenes from a movie, filling our minds with numerous thoughts, emotions, and images.
Attention deficit is a representative symptom of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In many Korean households of previous generations, highly energetic and active children were not a major concern; instead, they were often regarded as lively and full of vitality. It was commonly believed that their hyperactive behavior would improve as they grew older, and adults would often reassure by saying that all children were like that when they were young.
Of course, in the West, not all children with severe attention deficits were pathologized. Energetic and lively children were often distinguished from rebellious troublemakers referred to as “brats.” However, during the 20th century, there was a shift in perceiving such behavior problems, observed both at school and at home, of children who did not follow adults’ instructions and could not control their actions, as indicative of a bad personality or a naughty child, leading to the consideration of it as a disorder. Various fields of mental health and education began to observe and study such behaviors, and in the 1960s, symptoms like ADHD began to be included in diagnostic systems.
Since various forms of attention deficit behaviors, also known as externalization symptoms, are sometimes exhibited by all humans, not all cases of attention deficit are necessarily severe problems. When we close our eyes for a moment, images and thoughts pass through our minds like scenes from a movie, filling our minds with numerous thoughts, emotions, and images.
Throughout history, humans have employed religious activities such as prayer or meditation to tame this restlessness of the mind. These religious activities have been somewhat scientifically formalized and are now utilized in everyday life under the name of mindfulness. Through mindfulness, the effectiveness of emotional and behavioral stability has been demonstrated in various studies.
(To be continued in the next article)
