Psychologists need to explore the reasons for the Irish obsession with property, given that a bubble seems to be happening again, a conference heard yesterday.
Counselling psychologist Paula Roseingrave said her profession seemed to be reluctant to engage with the reasons why people behave in the way they do in relation to issues surrounding the economy or property.
"We know very little about the Irish psyche in terms of research in this area," she told the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) annual conference in Kilkenny.
She presented a paper entitled Here We Go Again - Is the Irish Psyche’s Relationship to Property a Form of Madness?
She suggested the best way to understand the Irish interest in land and property is to ask the people themselves what it means to them.
Psychologists need to examine the reasons why “Irish people think the way they think” about property.
However, psychologists have found themselves reluctant to get involved in economic arguments.
“It is not a traditional part of our training, but I think it is terribly important. It is the difference between people understanding their behaviour and what is actually happening.
“People need to understand how the markets work,” she said.
She pondered the reasons why Irish people came out on the streets to protest about water charges but not the fact that another property boom seems to be materialising.
"It is difficult for psychologists to really see their place in Ireland as informing the public," she said.
“We have become a typical capitalist, neo-liberal state. To a large extent Irish people do not understand those kind of political concepts, but they are bought into it by advertising and role of the media.”
