"Toxic people" By Dr. Faisal Alserhan
Psychologists and sociologists always stress that a large segment of the young generation who live in societies with economic, political, and social challenges where they see no prospect for a solution or improvement are remarkably becoming the so-called "toxic people". These challenges include prolonged economic crises such as low growth, unemployment, indebtedness, fluctuations in the standard of living, and destitution, which are undoubtedly catalysts for the undesirable change of perceptions, values, and ideas. The consequences of such challenges are reflected in a sense of social alienation, a tendency towards malice, hatred, bullying, vandalism, lethargy, desperation, and low altruism. It is worrying that these people live between us at homes and in workplaces, among other places, and they are characterized by 'personality disorder' that results in strange personality manifestations called by multiple names such as narcissistic personality, sharp personality, or paranoid personality, and according to the viewpoint of experts and researchers, they represent the most powerful tools of underdevelopment and demolition in the current social life system.
Unfortunately, toxic people possess high-level strategies and techniques, including superior capabilities in using contact and communication skills and influence to take away positive energy from others, without realizing it, providing you, in return, with negative energy that throws you into the furnace of pessimism, resentment, narrow-mindedness, and repression. Some of them hide that and look deprived of rights in order to make you sympathize with and support them, and some are characterized by the superior ability to manipulate people's feelings and nerves and direct them to change their concepts and behavior in harmony with what they do, in addition to those that belittle the status and achievements of others to undermine their morale.
To reduce the impact and influence of toxic people, we always should remain optimistic and insist on facing challenges using mental and emotional approaches that are required of all of us, because they protect psychological stability and strengthen our bonds. We also should avoid engaging in debate or enabling toxic people to provide various explanations and justifications to deprive them of opportunities to impact others with their negativity. They are better to be addressed with coldness and indifference as they appropriate deterrent tools to make them understand that what they do is just useless, uninfluential, and unavailing. Engaging with optimistic people who are happy and cheerful about life is one of the best effective ways to keep toxic people in their holes eating each other and waiting for us to love them. In this context, it is suggested that the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education, and other civil and civic institutions move quickly and seriously to launch programs, events, and activities that recognize and glorify the real achievements to generate positive energy that drives the healthy community with confident steps toward prosperity and well-being.