Let us understand the dynamics of the human mind in the context of HIV/AIDS and try to develop a strategy to solve this problem. Various print and audio-visual methods are employed to convey the cause and effects of HIV/AIDS to the common man and the importance of taking precautions to avoid acquiring this syndrome. By now, even school children know what HIV is and how to prevent it, but the rapid growth in global incidence of newly acquired infection highlights the fact that awareness is not sufficient to prevent HIV. The aware individual faces various psychological barriers when s/he tries to implement the available preventive measures. Embarrassment and other intangible psychological factors inhibit an individual from going to the chemist shop to buy condoms. Billions of dollars spent in awareness generation come to naught because these psychological barriers and factors of an individual are not addressed. Similar issues that hover around the psychological realm remain when condoms are distributed freely. Making condoms easily accessible and available is not the solution to HIV/AIDS. There are no condoms that can let a HIV positive woman have a HIV negative child, or that can prevent a HIV positive partner from purposefully infecting his/her partner in order to avoid embarrassment, confrontation, and slur to character. The one question —“what if my partner is HIV positive” can be a major turbulence within an individual and affect all aspects of interaction with the partner. Similarly, an individual who is powerful in society can intentionally continue to sleep around without caring for the well being of others. The motivation to control the spread of disease has to come from within the individual, whether affected or not. Every individual knows that water is scarce and should not be wasted but will not make any effort to conserve it unless s/he realizes the importance of conservation at the deepest psychological layer. Till such time that the psychological realm of every individual is addressed at its root the individual drops will accumulate to become a Great Turbulence and negatively impact the social structure. If the turbulence is not addressed in all its layers it can cause a major turmoil in an individual’s mind. Hence, it is absolutely essential to go through the psychological interoperability layers of prevention, pre-problem addressal, problem addressal and post-problem addressal stages in order to resolve the complete spectrum of psychological issues and solve the problem.

In the case of HIV/AIDS, once the individual’s psychological inhibitions are effectively addressed, s/he will go for prevention. S/he will start avoiding unwanted contacts, will start using condoms, and may choose to lead a one-partner life. But by doing so, has the individual ensured that s/he will never acquire the syndrome? No, and hence the need to address the next layer, the Pre-Problem stage. S/he needs to ensure that his/her partner is not affected, will also adhere to the necessary precautions, and will also lead a one partner life.  Once the partners come to this understanding for a better future together, the Pre-Problem stage is successfully addressed. The partners will then get themselves checked and ensure that the Problem stage is addressed and avoided. The two individuals are now ready to address the next stage of Post Problem Addressal by taking it into the physical and social dimension.

It is possible that the psychological layer is, figuratively speaking, damaged or corrupted in some individuals. For example, if an individual is adamant on leaving the water running because s/he can afford to pay the bill, or clearing trees because it is to his/her benefit, there is nothing much anyone can do. In such a scenario, the turbulences can never be fully addressed and removed. Hence, it is not correct to ignore such individuals. Instead, it is essential that these negativities are identified and such individuals are brought into the fold of the problem and are penetrated with positivity at the psychological dimension. If each individual is not positively penetrated at the psychological dimension there is no way that the individual is going to address his or her own interoperability layers of going from prevention to post-problem addressal.