LeeAnn Green's Archive

I really like the idea of client centered therapy.  I like the idea of having a personal relationship with your client and letting them come to their own conclusion.  I think that by doing that the client will truly be better because they came to the conclusion of their problems on their own.  They did all the work themselves.  I do understand that in certain circumstances this type of therapy would not work.  Such as phobias.  I do not think it is possible to overcome a phobia without very direct help, but for other problems I think client centered therapy is a very effective option.

I think it is really interesting how much Darwin’s theory has influenced in psychology today.  Studying behavior is very prominent in our society today and that was directly influenced by Darwin.  He showed that studying behavior is just as important as studying the mind.  I also think that it is interesting that he greatly influenced a more “American” psychology.  His theory shows the importance of individual differences which is very prominent in American psychology.  We are a very individualistic society and I wonder if a lot of that mentality came from Darwin’s emphasis on individual differences.  As far as what I believe concerning his thoery, I believe that evolution occurs.  It would be silly to say that evolution does not happen.  However, the idea that I came from an ape is a little silly as well.  I do not like the idea that evolution has no purpose and that it just happens for no reason.  I think that if everyone believed that then a lot more people would be depressed in our world.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau  looked at humans natural impulses.  He believed that humans were born good and were only then made bad by societies rules.  He believed that if they were given the option of living freely then they would develop good and would be happy. Because of this he proposed a government that would give humans as much freedom as possible. He suggested the notion of general will.  This is that one must inhibit their personal will for the good of others and act in ways that are beneficial to the community.  I think he believed this because of his childhood.  He grew up acting on his personal impulses and it was not beneficial to the community.  I think that when he grew up he realized that this is not how a civilized society should act.

I find the notion that we are born good interesting.  I believe that in general humans are born good and we can choose to stay that way or become bad, but I also believe that we are born with some bad, such as selfishness.  I think that no matter the society we live in, we will still remain somewhat selfish at heart.  Although I think it is very possible to overcome selfishness if you strive for it.

It is also interesting that Rousseau wrote a book on how a child should be educated.  He discussed the best relationship for a child and tutor.  He believed that education should be particular to each individual child’s talents and interests.  Rousseau discusses that a tutor should let his student learn some on his own. I really like this idea of education because so many times students just learn things in different ways.  We all have different strengths and different talents and if you do fit into the standard way of learning then you are left behind.  I think that if more educational institutions would pick up on Rousseau’s theory of education many more people would have a better educational experience.

I believe that much of what Rousseau believed in his later life stemmed from his experiences in childhood.  He was abandoned by his father, suffered from poor health, moved all the time and changed jobs frequently, and was poor much of his life.  He did not have an easy childhood and I believe he took those experiences and used them to create theories of a better life than what he was given.

Plato was a firm believer in the rational mind.  He believed that you found truth through reason and that reason was everything.  In class when we discussed the Christian view of the role of reason I really began to think about the differences in Christianity and Plato.  If you could only find truth through reason then how could God be truth?  You cannot see or touch God and many of the stories of miracles and healings are not rational or reasonable.  A very large part of Christianity is faith; “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).  We must believe in the unseen God in order to be a Christian, which is not reasonable to many people.  Christians believe in the importance of reason, but they know that reason is not enough.  Faith is sometimes believing in the unreasonable.  It is important that we know how to balance faith and reason.  We must remember the command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).  This verse reminds us that not only must we trust our heart and soul but also our mind.  We must trust the rational part of us as much as we have faith that God exists.  I think that Plato was correct about the importance of reason, but he was wrong that reason is the only way to find truth.