28 Sep Transpersonal Topics
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 in myself. We are what we buy. We look to celebrities to know who to be and so that we can buy what they buy. Cushman also writes about how psychotherapy has become complicit in this because after all, our services are something for sale in the marketplace, and we sell the fantasy of the “masterful, bounded, isolated individual.” Cushman also writes about the need to acknowledge the central role of moral discourse in psychotherapy – but I am getting ahead of myself. I was so fascinated by this book that I sat and read it cover-to-cover!
I also loved the readings in Shadow, Self, and Spirit. I really feel Daniel’s humanity in his writing, and after the prior two weeks of rational, scientific and therefore, emotion-less thought, this felt refreshing and warm. Daniels addresses the topic of evil, which is often dismissed as a Christian idea. Instead, Daniels writes this beautiful definition: “evil as underserved harm caused by human beings” causing a moral devaluation of its object. This is so telling about the stories we hear every day as psychotherapists and citizens of the world, and although I think the word “evil” is too loaded for every day usage, the concept is quite useful.
Daniels states that “we can’t expect evil to disappear by focusing on personal growth,” and this is a concept I have been pondering for years. Not sure I agree. I know that for myself, as I have worked hard on my personal and spiritual growth, I have become kinder, more loving, and less likely to treat people “evilly,” e.g. with jealousy, contempt, or dismissal. I do agree that part of personal and spiritual growth is to turn away from self-focus and care about helping others (bodhisattva), and this may or may not take the form of community activism.
Cushman, P. (1995). Constructing the self, constructing America: A cultural history of psychotherapy. Da Capo Press.
Daniels, M. (2021). Shadow, self, spirit: Essays in transpersonal psychology. Imprint Academic.
© 2022 Catherine Auman
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