Bradye McQueen's Archive

I think that I can relate most to Carl Rogers’ theory. It seems like it would be simply to apply it to a typical modern therapy session for someone who has emotional problems – someone like me. It is also applicable to other major disorders, but I feel that the other theorists have had more extreme theories that seem harder to reach and put into practice. His three qualities of an ideal therapeutic relationship simply create a comfortable environment for the client. This seems like something that I can actually do, something that interests me as a naturally compassionate person. It creates a different type of challenge for the therapist to aid the client in trusting them and discovering their own insecurities and flaws without any criticism or judgment. This fosters actual change of heart in the client, and breakthrough in behavior follows. Genuineness is something that is essential in all healthy relationships. Empathy is vital as well, because putting yourself in someone else’s shoes puts a whole new light on your view of their situation. Overall I agree most with Rogers’ theory over the other theorists. All have some truth to them, with things to pick and pull to use in developing my own theory.

Evolutionary psychology examines many characteristics of homosapiens, including memory, language, reproductive tendencies, etc. and seeks to identify which traits are evolved from natural selection.

I am sorry, but I really cannot bring myself to agree with evolutionary psychology. It is very interesting to me and I respect the research and the theories that have come about, but I simply cannot entertain the idea of agreeing with it. There are many great things that have been discovered that can be stepping stones for the future of science and psychology, and I hope that one day the creation theory and these findings can better go hand in hand.

Though not always directly, I think that it minimalizes the essence of our existence and inhibits humans from being differentiated from animals. Don’t get me wrong, I know that evolutionary psychology isn’t only about our similarities with animals.

I did find this ridiculous & hilarious video though.. Anna, I’m hoping there’s no relation to the Baba Brinkman.

Short-Term Mating Dance

I think this video is a wonderful representation of how we can dumb ourselves down to act like animals. Sure, we can look at life as a way to find pleasure and… mate like animals do, because that is their only purpose. But my goodness we are robbing our species of so much if we take away the fact that our Lord made us to worship him through that act and that there is an emotional connection made there. It is not only about bettering our species.

I believe that the reason Rousseau had so much wisdom on education and child rearing is because he endured so much in his childhood and adolescent years. He by no means had an easy life, and became independent (literally and temperamentally) at a young age.

He endured many hardships, beginning with the death of his mother nine days after his birth. He was abandoned by his father at age ten, and was left with his uncle who took him away to learn from a Calvinist minister where he gained many hopes for his future. At age sixteen he was challenged and converted to Catholicism and eventually had to process what he himself believed. He was very influential later in life with his thoughts on politics, education and parenting.

I find it very interesting that when thinking of education, he focused solely on the emotional well being of the pupil rather than the actual fundamental skills. He thought that the most important part of teaching was not only being able to impart knowledge and concepts, but encouraging the students to develop moral character and common sense. After this he believed that the student would naturally accomplish self-mastery and be able to independently achieve many things.

This evidently stems from his beliefs about his own experiences in life. His ability to withstand the seemingly never ending crises and hardships made him a much stronger person and thinker, giving him wisdom to teach others.

If I were to ever write a thesis or do some in depth study on one subject, it would be on sleep and dreaming. I have always been extremely fascinated with the way our body ebbs and flows in and out of deep sleep, causing many unpredictable actions. I however, am no expert on the things our body does while sleeping.

Plato, a nativist, believed that while sleeping individuals did not have as much control over certain appetites. He describes the appetite that “skips about, casts off sleep, and seeks to find a way to its gratification” as the “wild and animal part, fill of food and drink”. He goes on to state his opinion that deep inside us “there is a dangerous, wild and lawless kind of  desire in everyone, even the few of us who appear moderate. This becomes obvious in our sleep.” He indirectly refers to dreams as well, but does not specifically talk about them. I am not sure how I feel about this philosophy, but I can definitely relate to having some unexpected personality traits in some of my dreams that surprise me frequently. Here is a video on Plato and going to sleep.

Aristotle had both rational and empirical components to his theories. The empirical component is shown when you examine his beliefs about dreaming and the imagination. The text states that “According to Aristotle, when sensations occur, they create images that long outlast the stimulation that caused them. The retention of these images is what constitutes memory.” This is something that I agree with fully. I have experienced many recollections due to my sense of smell, or a lasting image in my mind. The five senses and their sensations last much longer than the experience itself. He also believed that images of past experience could be stimulated by events inside or outside the body during dreaming. He explained the oddness of the images in our dreams by stating that they are not organized by reason during sleep, and we do not have ongoing sensory stimulation during sleep, which control our images and their interactions while awake.

The most interesting part to me about Aristotle’s beliefs on dreaming is his being skeptical about their ability to provide information on future events. He thought that most cases were mere coincidences, but some were capable of predicting important future events.

I know people today at my church that study dreams and actually teach classes on dreaming. They believe that the Lord or the enemy influence almost all of our dreaming, and that it is possibly that prophecy can come from dreaming if it is analyzed according to colors and events.

I hope that one day I can learn more about dreaming and sleep so that I may create my own philosophy and agree or disagree with these greeks.