mark almajose of korina sanchez' rated k, a tv documentary on abs-cbn, got my take on the psychology of satanists.
in my clinical practice, all sorts of people consult me, and some of them have been self-identified satanists. i am not fazed when they tell me that they are satanists, because my professional mindset is to be non-judgmental and respectful of the religious convictions of people. and thus, i interact with them as i would with any other client. of course, whenever i meet people with "alternative lifestyles" who espouse "non-conventional belief systems," the psychologist in me becomes automatically curious on how they came to be.
so far, the satanists i have met aren't sinister-looking, and neither do they have the stereotyped diabolical laughter which satan is portrayed to have in cartoons and in the movies.
as i listened to their stories, what i find common among them is that they come from troubled families wherein they experienced some degree of emotional, physical, verbal, or sexual abuse from one or both parents. the common emotion that emanates from their stories is anger. and they seem to have a strong inclination towards defiant, impulsive, and sometimes addictive behaviors. it also seems that their choice of religion is founded on rebelliousness and angst, rather than an authentic pursuit of life-giving and life-enhancing spirituality.
like any other person, my satanist clients need to heal from their deep emotional childhood wounds, to 'rise from the ashes' so to speak, and find fresh options for living a more meaningful and joyful life.
