Critique on Humanistic Psychology
Over the last couple of weeks we have talked a lot about humanistic psychology and while I think that it has an important part in the world of psychology I found that I was not a fan of it. There were some major concepts that I did not like especially the idea that since humans are unique, anything learned about one person is irrelevant to the understanding of others.
I understand why people support this school of psychology because it protects against the process of placing people in a box. Humanistic psychology began as a protest movement against the other schools of psychology and diminishes the major contributions that people like Watson, Skinner, and Freud made to psychology. These people along with others in their school of psychological thinking made efforts to improve the human condition which is what humanistic psychology is all about.
The rejection of the other schools as well as the methods and contributions that they have made seem to me, a regression. Over the course of the semester I have seen many important experiments and research done by behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and other schools of psychology and feel that they have been helpful to treating the human condition.
Lastly, I would like to briefly talk about unconditioned positive regard. While I do not mean to take away from the contributions that Carl Rogers made on psychology, I do think that his idea of unconditioned positive regard to be a little overemphasized. I think that it is important that children and human beings especially children to be loved and treated with decency even when they mess up, but I think that it creates a feeling of false hope. I think there are times when a child does bad things because he does not know that it is bad and it is the parents’ job to step in and teach the child why it is bad. I believe that you can love and respect a child for who they are as you teach proper behaviors. I know that this is a bunch of random stuff but I really wanted to know how yall felt about humanistic psychology. Is it realistic?
Jason Herrington on Is Perception Really Reality?
1:01 am, 10.04.10
This is a great question and one that I do not have a very solid answer. I think the reason it is so hard to distinguish between the two is because everyone perceives things differently therefore effecting what people see as reality. This is beyond my understanding and really makes me wonder how skewed our reality due to our false perceptions.
Jason Herrington on Evolution v. Creation: One or the other or both?
12:54 am, 10.04.10
I also have thought about this over the years and it definitely has been a struggle. I believe that we adapt to our surroundings. I have a hard time believing that we just happened to become complex human beings and think that there is a difference between adaption and evolution. Freshman year I took a biology class where one of my professors told us that he is was not sure of evolution but he did know if God wanted the world to come into place through evolution then it could. I found this to be a very interesting opinion and while I could think about it for days I keep to one truth and that is that God is Creator and I strongly believe he made us for a purpose and to take a part in relationships based on love.
Jason Herrington on The Concept of Family During the Renaissance
1:19 pm, 09.20.10
I agree that family seemed to take the back seat during the Renaissance. It seems that during periods of enlightenment and reawakening the family is forgotten. I am not sure for the reasons but think that it is a great observation.
Jason Herrington on Descartes and a revisitation of Plato
1:16 pm, 09.20.10
I think that this was good realization and thought you had some great points. I think that it is important to remember that we need to find our own truth because many times people have it spoon fed to them. I also believe that it is important to have mentors and professors that challenge us to find truth instead of telling us what to believe.
Jason Herrington on Darko Determinism
1:12 pm, 09.20.10
I find this concept and application to Donnie Darko to be very interesting and think that you did a good job in applying the ideas of Nietzsche to something modern.
Jason Herrington on A modern translation of Epicureanism in the Church
12:40 am, 09.06.10
After reading this post I was reminded of the project I did in my high school Worldview class on the topic of Universalism. Although it was a while ago I remember that Universalists meet in a church that to the normal eye looks to be an average church of a Christian. However the Univeralist churches do not except one faith in their church in fact they embrace a multitude of religions. The Bible may be quoted but so is the Koran, as well as other “sacred books” from other religions. Christian hymns are sung but so are chants and other forms of worship taken from other religions.
While to some this may seem a way to coexist I find it to very uncomforting because it does not provide a strong foundation of core beliefs but multiple conflicting religions. It is important for me to have one way, one truth, and one light.
Jason Herrington on Philosophers and their impact on Christianity
12:29 am, 09.06.10
In the Church history class that I am taking this semester I have learned that the early church met in houses and had communion as part of their meal. They would wake up in the morning and have their worship before anyone else was awake. They bought plots of land to bury their dead, were viewed as people that took a part in incestuous relationships, (called themselves brothers and sisters) and were called cannibalistic (ate Jesus’ body and drank his blood).
While I had heard many of these things before I have read some of the earliest documents from emperors, rulers, historians, and scholars that confirm these beliefs over and over. I believe that our idea of church may contain similar practices such as these but most are very different than what was practiced in the early church. Therefore I believe that there are only a few sacraments that must be done and most of the rest made a preference.
Jason Herrington on On the Allegory of the Cave
12:17 am, 09.06.10
I think that you have brought an important matter to our attention and think that it is one that should not be taken lightly. I think that we do indeed tend to stick to our own caves and strike out to those that bring anything that is different than out own. I think that if we truly believe in something that we will educate ourselves and know enough about it to defend it against any outside threat.
I have always held firm to what I believed in while doing my best to consider the words of other people. While I find that it is sometimes hard to defend my beliefs to the arguments of others it is important that we do not create a gap so deep that we are so closed minded that no one may see truth in the things that we believe in. Thanks for the reminder.