Shweder (1991) points out that the field of psychology in general operates from the myth of “psychic unity,” that is, that all people are basically alike underneath, meaning in practice, that we believe that all people of the world are basically like white, educated Americans....
I have found this semester so far to be exciting and full of lots of delicious morsels to chew on. I seem to be always thinking of this, that, and the other thing from the assigned reading, and it has affected my sleep because I...
Much transpersonal research has focused on the question of whether or not there exists a “transpersonal self” outside/beyond our physical bodies. Daniels (2005) reviews various formulations as posited by Maslow, Jung, Assagioli, Grof, Aurobindo, Wilber, Washburn, Wright and Ferrar. They share assumptions that something exists...
When I began my graduate work in transpersonal psychology in 1983, Ken Wilber was the glowing sun in the center of the field. His view of the hierarchical structure of spiritual development was intoxicating and gave us something to shoot for. It had all seemed...
I really appreciated Daniels’s musings on the shadow, especially as it relates to our field. The issue of the “exotic agenda” really spoke to me, and I pondered quite a bit over his list of the mundane events of life that have most influenced him:...
Since their inceptions, both humanistic and transpersonal psychologies have stood outside the mainstream of scientific, reductionist psychology. Both disciplines have remained outsiders, even though many of the concepts, techniques, and worldviews of humanistic and transpersonal have permeated mainstream psychological thought, appearing especially in the psychotherapy...
When we talk about foreshadowing the transpersonal: William James, the Transcendentalists and Depth Psychology, it seems to be a bit of a misnomer. William James, in fact, rather than foreshadowing, created transpersonal psychology in his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience. When I read this...
This week’s emphasis on self and culture has made a clear case for the social construction of self. Daniels provides an overview of the many concepts of self/soul throughout world religions and cultures and talks about the lack of sophistication of the English language in...
I must confess to being quite blown away by Constructing the Self – the whole concept that we’ve become a people who create our sense of self through consumerism -- I can’t stop thinking about this, considering examples in the media, in my patients, and...
What we know of as Western psychology began in the late 1880s as the fledgling discipline attempted to incorporate the scientific worldview (Hartelius, date unknown). During the previous century, in what was known as the Age of Reason, people’s relationship with God had been increasingly...