Lindsey Fleming's Archive

Human Purpose & Identity

0 Commentsby   |  05.02.11  |  The Schools of Psychology (Part IV)

Well, as we come to the end of the semester, I am reflecting back on what we have learned. The great minds we have investigated and the theories and studies they produced that have allowed us to learn and continue to manipulate and help heal the minds of many in our society. Where would we be without any given one of these who have contributed so much? It is in classes like this where I am always reminded and inspired to look at all sides of an idea and theory. Why do we need to pick “one single” theory? Why can’t we accept that no theory works as an umbrella over ever issue that will ever come up? No two people will ever respond exactly the same to the same theory. None of our minds work exactly the same, but we also have to remember that there is much more in common between human beings is than we sometimes give credit. We must be humble and realize that we will never be able to know everything there is to know about the mind, but we should continue to seek continually for truth because even the bible tells us that the truth will set us free. God gave us minds for a reason, but we also must try to use them to his glory and also keep them open to his revelation.

Twins and religion…

1 Commentby   |  03.21.11  |  Beginning of Scientific Psychology (Part III)

So, the twin studies really interested me, partially because my dad is a twin and he's shared some really interesting things with me, but a lot of it was the types of study they've done. The fact that they choose to study something like religion and spirituality is a real comment on how innately that is a part of our lives. It is a core part of who we are and what we choose to believe/no believe, do/not do in that area means a lot to who we are as humans. I also think it is ridiculous that people think they can measure spirituality by someone's church attendance or religious affiliation. I think that we are really way to caught up in trying to find proof for everything. Why can we never settle for knowing that we will never know everything and that faith can only be faith without proof, and without and explanation. I believe that God moves in mysterious ways and that even twins with the same genetics could end up with different spiritual beliefs and levels of faith and understanding while living and breathing in the same environment their entire lives. God made us all individuals, and whether we can grasp that we can't see everything in DNA or not, it's true. Some, and even most things are beyond our comprehension. That's why we are not God.   

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God Bless,
Lindsey Fleming
Assistant Director, Sikes Hall

(325)439-8417
ACU Box 27212
xo liv~luv~laf xo

Aristotle’s Golden Mean

0 Commentsby   |  02.03.11  |  Pre-Renaissance (Part I)

I really enjoyed the exercise where I was allowed to read from Aristotle’s writing. It is really interesting to me that he pointed out some principles that are very basically biblical ones. That there are many different things that we experience at many different levels. There is an excess, a mean, and a deficiency. This relates directly to the fact that everything is good, but not everything is permissible, and also that we should practice moderation in everything. Enjoyment of life doesn’t mean we need as much as we can get of everything. You can have too much of a good thing, and really, instead of trying to have the most extreme level of a characteristic or of possession we need to try to live a balanced life. This would also help the world be a lot more equally distributive among the nations and the people of each country. If only we could all be content with what we need, rather than continuously searching for the excess.

Lindsey Fleming's Comment Archive

  1. Lindsey Fleming on Existentialism--very cool, but very scary
    11:50 pm, 05.02.11

    I agree. there are some great benefits to everyone living true to themselves when we theorize about these things, but we do also have to think about the down side, and I’m glad you are willing to submit that if we have no measure of right and wrong that applies to everyone then we will have many different perceptions of right and wrong and therefore many conflicts. That world brings a trouble of it’s own. I think this is one of the reasons why God has given us rules and guidelines that are meant for everyone. Rather than assuming that everything that we think and feel is right, we need to learn to discipline ourselves to live in ways that are proven to create peace and perpetuate love. All we can control is ourselves, so there will still be people who will live for their own perception of right and wrong, but that’s just life.

  2. Lindsey Fleming on The Unconscious
    11:44 pm, 05.02.11

    I think that the unconscious is something that will always be almost completely subjective. It is one of those miraculous things that is between us and God and no one else can ever completely empathize or understand your every thought and feeling, no matter how much we try to relate these things. There is just so much diversity in our understanding of life and existence and our interpretation of each and every thing we see, hear and feel. I think it was meant this way to allow us to appreciate diversity and also to be reminded how small we truly are.

  3. Lindsey Fleming on Rogers - realistic & modern
    11:21 pm, 05.02.11

    Rogers’ techniques hold a lot of merit for making clients comfortable and creating an atmosphere that allows for open sharing and introspection. There definitely are times where the needs of the client require more intense forms of therapy. I have this feeling that if you sat down with many clients and just allowed them to think out loud and work through their own problems, they wouldn’t really get anywhere.
    Counsellor to client relationships should definitely include Roger’s concepts of Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Congruence, but they must expand beyond these relating tools once rapport is achieved.

  4. Lindsey Fleming on Freud
    11:12 pm, 05.02.11

    I appreciate what you are saying about Freud and his fairly obscure connections between dreams/thoughts and meanings. I think he great intentions in that most of the things we think and dream about do have relation to something deeper, or something going on in our lives that is just not being addressed sufficiently by our conscious mind.
    I don’t think that his wild theories are much different than our own thoughts sometimes though. We often manipulate what we see and hear to mean what we want it to, interpret things to our benefit. We truly allow ourselves to be about self-gratification in our society, so it is only natural that we would want to “mentally masturbate” and stimulate our minds.
    I do not by any means think that Freud’s techniques were really effective, but I do think there is something to be said for looking more deeply within our minds.

  5. Lindsey Fleming on Imageless Thoughts
    12:00 am, 03.22.11

    I think the fact that we have imageless thought reconfirms how much we are like our creator. How could we create if not first created, imagined, sketched? We are also figments of an imagination. Now, what brings things from conception to creation is where we lack our sway. That is where we are only minions, made to reflect God rather than be him.

  6. Lindsey Fleming on Habits and Instincts
    11:57 pm, 03.21.11

    I absolutely agree about making ourselves to act righteously even if it is not pleasant at first. We really have allowed ourselves to be almost entirely about pleasure and comfort, but we have lost sight of self-discipline and being able to deny ourselves to work for the good of everyone, and to serve God no matter how uncomfortable it makes us to do what we are asked.

  7. Lindsey Fleming on Spencer's views on Social Darwinism and laissez-faire policy
    11:54 pm, 03.21.11

    I think this is where we have to look at things from a spiritual perspective. Should we really be most concerned about having the strongest, most advanced society? Is that our purpose in life? If that was so, than he would be correct, but it urks us as Christians because there is a conflict in us with the American Dream. Is it about gain and power? or is it about caring for others who are weak and in need? The bible tells us that it is when we are weak, then we are truly strong…so maybe we have our priorities mixed up.

  8. Lindsey Fleming on This will trip you out! (use headphones)
    11:51 pm, 03.21.11

    I think it’s interesting how much we underestimate our minds. There is so much more potential in human creativity and imagination because we were made like our creator, but we somehow manage to stifle a lot of it. I wonder if there will ever come a time when all human potential will be tapped into or if perhaps, that is just a part of the fall. Maybe in heaven.

  9. Lindsey Fleming on Dreaming and Aristotle
    11:52 pm, 02.02.11

    My father always encouraged me to take control of my dreams when I had nightmares, and I have always been able to do that. I have always thought that was a neat thing and that it’s interesting how dreams relate to our conscious lives. As far as I’ve experienced dreams relate in some way to experience or concerns that are going on in my life, sometimes things that I have not dealt with fully, or that are once again relevant in my life. I think that just like our conscious thoughts, for the most part, we can decide where to take our dreams. We may not be able to control the setting or how they start…what our initial thoughts or responses are, but we can harness and focus our thoughts and become productive and functional as well as very self-aware.

  10. Lindsey Fleming on The Happy Life
    11:46 pm, 02.02.11

    I think you could even take the idea of being more at peace when you are at peace with friends and family, when you are supported and balanced in life. This may seem like a strange reference, but in the movie ‘Failure to Launch’ one of guy friends tells the lead male that he is out of balance with nature and that’s why he’s getting hurt and attacked. I really do think there is a God-given connection of kinds between all living things. We all depend on one another and so when we mistreat another person or another living creature we are mistreating ourselves and God, and taking away from the quality of our own lives as well as those of others.