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Published: Dec. 16, 2021, 4:13 a.m.

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Three weather and climate factors which are often correlated to emotional difficulties are outlined by Prof. Juni, as he elaborates the diagnostic category of Seasonal Affective Disorders. The most prominent factor relates to diminished exposure to natural light, specifically as it sometimes engenders anomalies in the circadian rhythm. The primary psychiatric fallout from disturbance in circadian rhythm is clinical depression. In the forensic literature, extreme temperatures have also been documented to reduce personal and emotional resilience \\u2013 especially under stress conditions. The latter is mostly manifest in the increase of violent crimes during hot heather in urban centers. The third determinant of weather/climate related emotional disorders is more indirect, as inclement weather decreases the amount of time that people spend outside the house \\u2013 and this could lead to feelings of isolation which can exacerbate extant emotional difficulties in individuals who need a significant level of interpersonal contact for them to function adaptively. However, R. Kivelevitz points out correctly that interpersonal isolation may also be a welcome relief for individuals who suffer from social anxiety. The Rabbi also points out that the third isolation factor was induced globally by the Covid pandemic. Dr. Juni confirms that he has noticed a rise in isolation-related psychiatric episodes among patients in the last two years.

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Prof. Juni steered the discussion to the negative associations people often have to weather extremes. Freezing cold or hot weather can be viewed rationally as threatening and even dangerous by people for practical reasons (e.g., hypothermia, heat exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration). R. Kivelevitz speculates that the significant migration of folks to areas of warm weather may relate to the [perceived psychological threat from weather extremes. Referring to his move to Israel, Juni adds that there is an additional sense of security where weather is consistent within seasons, so there are few unknowns about unexpected rain or sudden changes. 

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The dark of night often is associated with isolation and the unavailability of outside help. Juni points out that there are also irrational associations with more personalized threats which harken back to frightening associations of childhood which are symbolized by an inclement outside environment. More insidious along this vein, Juni argues that the \\u201cdead of night\\u201d often resonates with a fear which is common in primitive cultures and is ever present in early childhood. Nighttime was traditionally the time when actual danger of robbers and highwaymen loomed everywhere. But there is also a theme is of the unnatural, macabre, and unknown/unspeakable. The winter season, with its longer nights, evokes these deep-seated associations and terror, and it is not surprising, psychiatric symptoms are therefore exacerbated.

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As a counterpoint, R. Kivelevitz presents the Talmudic perspective of seeing the long nights as a gift to humanity to allow undistracted study time. Juni opines that such a stance may well be counter-phobic, evoking the danger-tinged enjoyment of a cozy fire while the \\u201cweather outside is frightful\\u201d and some may courageously proclaim, \\u201cLet is snow.\\u201d

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Prof. Juni is one of the foremost research psychologists in the world today. He has published ground-breaking original research in seventy different peer reviewed journals and is cited continuously with respect by colleagues and experts in the field who have built on his theories and observations. 

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He studied in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin under Rav Yitzchack Hutner, and in Yeshiva University as a Talmid of Rav Joseph Dov Soloveitchick. Dr. Juni is a board member of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists and has regularly presented addresses to captivated audiences. Associated with NYU since 1979, Juni has served as Director of MA and PhD programs, all the while heading teams engaged in cutting-edge research. Professor Juni's scholarship on aberrant behavior across the cultural, ethnic, and religious spectrum is founded on psychometric methodology and based on a psychodynamic psychopathology perspective. He is arguably the preeminent expert in Differential Diagnostics, with each of his myriad studies entailing parallel efforts in theory construction and empirical data collection from normative and clinical populations.

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Professor Juni created and directed the NYU Graduate Program in Tel Aviv titled Cross-Cultural Group Dynamics in Stressful Environments. Based in Yerushalayim, he collaborates with Israeli academic and mental health specialists in the study of dissonant factors and tensions in the Arab-Israeli conflict and those within the Orthodox Jewish community, while exploring personality challenges of second-generation Holocaust survivors.

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Below is a partial list of the journals to which Professor Juni has contributed over 120 article (many are available online): Journal of Forensic Psychology; Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma; International Review of Victimology; The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease; International Forum of Psychoanalysis; Journal of Personality Assessment; Journal of Abnormal Psychology; Journal of Psychoanalytic Anthropology; Psychophysiology; Psychology and Human Development; Journal of Sex Research; Journal of Psychology and Judaism; Contemporary Family Therapy; American Journal on Addictions; Journal of Criminal Psychology; Mental Health, Religion, and Culture. 

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As Rosh Beis Medrash, Rabbi Avraham Kivelevitz serves as Rav and Posek for the morning minyan at IDT. Hundreds of listeners around the globe look forward to his weekly Shiur in Tshuvos and Poskim. Rav Kivelevitz is a Maggid Shiur for Dirshu International in Talmud and Halacha as well as a Dayan with the Beth Din of America. 

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