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Getting to Know Antibodies, The Human Protective Factor

We are undoubtly familiar with the term antibodies. First discovered by Emil von Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato in 1890, antibodies are known as physiological protective factors that protect species (humans and animals) from attacks by viruses, bacteria, and harmful foreign objects entering the body. Antibodies are proteins derived from white blood cells (leukocytes), specifically B lymphocytes (or B cells), which are part of the physical immune system.

Brodin et al. (2015) study revealed that environmental factors, such as nutrition, exercise habits, sleep patterns, and other lifestyle choices, significantly influence human antibodies. This research was carried out on pairs of identical twins originating from the same egg. However, the twins had varying levels of immunity due to differing lifestyle habits.

If humans have a physiological immune system, what about their psychology? Do humans have a psychological immune system that functions similarly to the physiological immune system, capable of protecting them from adverse psychological effects?

Although studies on the psychological immune system are rare, some scientific literature has indicated its existence. Dr. Herman Kagan, a California clinical psychologist, introduced the Psychological Immunity System (Psy-IS) concept. According to him, this system, like the human physiological immune system, has a protective function to ensure that individuals can achieve good well-being and self-identity.

Psy-IS relies on the natural emotional aspects of the limbic system in the human brain to detect potential psychological threats, thereby triggering a primitive response: fight or flight. Just as antibodies in the human physiological immune system function to identify foreign and harmful substances entering the body, emotions in Psy-IS can detect potential psychological dangers and activate a primitive respons (fight or flight)

However, the concept of Psy-IS has been critiqued by some recent studies. Dr. Daniel Gilbert, a social psychology expert from Harvard University, points out that human cognitive limitations lead to errors in estimating future events. The argument is supported by his research findings, which show that people tend to overestimate the negative impact of an event. This can result in prolonged negative emotional residue, such as rumination. Rumination is the phenomenon of constantly thinking about adverse events, unable to escape the vortex of negative emotions. It is a common symptom experienced by people suffering from depression and trauma

The Psychological Immunity System activates primitive protective responses (fight or flight) emotionally through the limbic system of the human brain.

Furthermore, Dr. Gilbert explains that excessive negative emotions are a natural mechanism for humans to protect themselves against more severe psychological impacts. Humans tend to develop worst-case scenarios to prepare themselves for possible adverse outcomes in the future. Unfortunately, some people cannot simply recover from these hypothetical scenarios they create and instead get lost in the vortex of their own negative emotions. Healthy individuals can quickly detach from these worst-case scenarios and positively rebuild their optimism.

Although it generates both support and criticism among experts, the concept of Psy-IS at least offers the discourse that a psychological immune system exists. This immune system may develop through learning and experience rather than having purely natural characteristics. Like the physiological immune system, the psychological immune system can also develop due to environmental influences.

Since Psy-IS only describes the structure of psychological immunity from emotional and physiological elements, it cannot explain the residual effects of negative emotions. Instead of helping humans achieve good well-being, negative emotions can cause overthinking and even lead to rumination. Therefore, a more comprehensive framework is needed to understand this phenomenon.

Mindset as an Additional Element in the Psychological Immunity System

Research by Dr. Galang Lufityanto and Gian Seloni shows that unpleasant emotional experiences can persist without adequately understanding the conditions. The study, published in the Journal of International Entrepreneurship, indicates that entrepreneur subjects, even after experiencing a loss in an experimental task in a laboratory setting, continued to employ the same strategy to achieve maximum profit. This tendency for high-risk taking among the entrepreneur subjects led to significant losses by the end of the task. This phenomenon is in contrast to the non-entrepreneur subjects in the study. Due to having the right mindset, they could escape the trap of the task and accumulate profits by the end of the task.

The presence of mindset within the framework of the psychological immunity system becomes an essential element. Moreover, studies examining resilience as a mechanism to endure and bounce back from unpleasant situations often focus on cognitive areas or mindset. Alongside physiological and emotional dimensions, the mindset dimension is a balancing factor in creating a psychological immunity system. It will address researchers' concerns regarding the missing element in the concept of Psy-IS, which is mindset.

A more comprehensive framework is needed to understand the psychological immunity system. Physiology and emotions alone are not sufficient. The right mindset is required.

Spirituality: The Driving Purpose

A long journey requires sufficient supplies and strong motivation. Many things can happen, and we may stray from the path if we do not have a stronghold. The same applies to building psychological immunity. The resources we expend—energy, time, thoughts, feelings—can make us exhausted and lead us to think about stopping halfway. Our once-strong convictions may suddenly waver when we encounter many rough obstacles. It is natural at that point to start asking ourselves: why am I going through all this trouble?

A strong purpose is needed to ensure the long process does not stop halfway. We can look to Martin Luther King Jr., who had a grand vision to fight discrimination and advocate for equal rights among races in America in the 1960s. His speech titled "I Have a Dream," delivered on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., before more than 250,000 Americans, is one of the most remembered speeches in U.S. history. In a segment of his speech, King Jr. declared a phenomenal sentence that moved the hearts of everyone present and listening:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation

where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by

the content of their character."

(Martin Luther King Jr.)

Spirituality creates a strong sense of purpose to ensure individuals remain consistent in carrying out the improvement process.

Mental Antibody: The Holistic Psychological Immune System

Mental Antibody consists of elements: physiological, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual

The dimension of spirituality could be the final piece of the puzzle in the search for a psychological immunity system after scientific literature has directly or indirectly shown the existence of physiological, emotional, and cognitive (mindset) dimensions as the foundation for a new immunity system. A holistic approach that we will continually try to develop, research, study, and apply in organizational life.

We call it Mental Antibody, a holistic psychological immunity system that encompasses several dimensions: (i) physiological, (ii) emotional, (iii) cognitive, and (iv) spiritual. Just as physiological antibodies function as the body's defense against bacteria and viruses, Mental Antibody should function as an individual's defense mechanism against the negative psychological impacts of events. Whether it be work-related stress, burnout, feelings of social isolation, or anxiety resulting from massive organizational changes, these should have minimal impact if an individual possesses a strong Mental Antibody. (GL)

REFERENCES:

• Kagan, H. (2006). The Psychological Immune System: A new look at protection and survival. Author House.
• Brodin P, Jojic V, Gao T, Bhattacharya S, Angel CJ, Furman D, Shen-Orr S, Dekker CL, Swan GE, Butte AJ, Maecker HT, Davis MM. Variation in the human immune system is largely driven by non-heritable influences. Cell. 2015 Jan 15;160(1-2):37-47. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.12.020. PMID: 25594173; PMCID: PMC4302727.
• Wilson, T. D., & Gilbert, D. T. (2005). Affective forecasting: Knowing what to want. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(3), 131-134.
• Seloni, G., Kusrohmaniah, S., & Lufityanto, G. (2023). The perils of acting rashly: Risk-taking propensity impeding emotion-based learning in entrepreneurs. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 21(1), 89-110.
  
• de Klerk, J.J. (2005), Spirituality, meaning in life, and work wellness: A research agenda. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 64-68.
  

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