McKenzie Goad's Archive

My Perspective on the Humanistic Approach

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

I’ve always thought that Carl Rogers’ humanistic theory had a neat perspective.  The three characteristics of unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding, and congruence allow the main focus to be on the development of wholeness and identity in the client.  Although the idea that the therapist does not give the client any answers can be controversial in regards to how effective the approach is, I think it’s extremely influential on a client’s ability to develop a self-identity and individual beliefs without influence of another opinion.  A client-centered approach based on genuineness really creates an open environment for a client to feel comfortable in being accepted for all of their weaknesses as well as their strengths.  It gives a client the confidence to be genuinely honest with the therapist if the therapist returns the genuine response in therapy.  I think that this approach carries with it much significance because it allows the client to have a mind of his/her own, which I think is greatly important.  It allows a client to develop a solution to his/her own problem after contemplating many perspectives and thoughts, and they can discover for themselves their confidence and worth as a person who is insightful and can make wise decisions.

Rationality & Faith

3 Commentsby   |  03.21.11  |  Beginning of Scientific Psychology (Part III)

I’ve been revisiting in my mind, the discussion of evolutionary psychology and religion that occurred before spring break.   On the day that we watched the video of how similar humans are to apes including the resemblance of our facial expressions, I brought forth the comment that it bothered me how animalistic evolutionary psychology made humans out to be.  I believe that God designed humans uniquely, as written in Genesis, God made Adam and saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he then made Eve.   In reviewing evolutionary psychology and sociobiology in chapter 19 to write this blog, I again had a hard time to accept it with the looming thought in my mind that God made humans different from animals.  Yes, there is a rational aspect of females choosing males with “good genes” to have healthy and fit children, and there is rationality behind survival of the fittest, but the thought of these instinctual behaviors (being easy to compare to the behaviors of animals) being the root of humans’ actions or the essence of who human beings are greatly bothers me.  I have a faith in God that has been instilled in me since I was an infant that God created a beautiful earth, and he created man to rule over His creation on earth until the fall of man occurred, and Jesus later died on the cross, so we could be saved and have eternal life with Him.  I can’t find where my faith fits in or can even coincided with the ideas behind evolutionary psychology.  Where is the soul in this idea, and where is the belief in humbleness and good in a survival of the fittest world?  I think that is where I am struggling to accept this belief, which is difficult because it also makes rationale sense in the instinctive sense.  I think it’s important to discuss topics like this, because I do not want to use my faith as a tool of ignorance for learning; however, at the same time, I do not want to accept ideas that are contradictory of my faith… perhaps this is an example of free will, but at the moment I do not feel free, because I am stuck in trying to make sense of rationality and the comfort to accept so much rationality in my spirit.

Analyzing a Few Beliefs

2 Commentsby   |  02.02.11  |  Pre-Renaissance (Part I)

During class, we discussed some of the common questions of psychology, through a Christian perspective such as “the nature of human nature,” “the source of knowledge,” “the role of reason,” etc.  As a student in psychology with a mind that is constantly asking questions, and a heart that yearns for God, I always seek to find truth that psychology shares with my faith.  When we were comparing Plato and Aristotle in class, I continued to analyze the different perspectives of their ideas and how I felt it fit with faith or how it didn’t.

These were a few of my thoughts throughout the last few lectures:

  • Plato’s belief that “the more you trust your senses, the less you find truth” made me think of the Holy Spirit and the verse Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.”  To me, Plato’s belief to not trust your senses contradicts the idea of trusting in the Lord because I sense when the Holy Spirit is at work in my life and I can sometimes sense God’s presence around me.  Although I don’t think this kind of “sensing” is exactly what Plato was talking about, I would suggest that there is substance to the belief that trusting in your senses can lead you to the truth.
  • Socrates “Socratic questioning” with the goal of showing people the limit of their knowledge has merit to the belief that believing in God takes faith.  There can be continuous “why?” questions or “how?” questions to many aspects of Christianity and passages from the Bible.  As human beings we are constantly seeking knowledge and wanting to know how things work, but part of being a Christian is knowing that we cannot grasp the knowledge of God.  We may not be a rational explanation to how Jesus raised from the dead, but that’s why we have faith.
  • In another reference to knowledge, Aristotle believed that knowledge was a source of experience.  I believe that this may also have merit to it in my personal faith.  Of course, I did not personally experience/witness Jesus resurrecting from the dead, or experience God creating the animals on earth; however, I have experienced God’s working in my life.  The memories of God’s protection over me and witnessing healing for people allows me to trust God not only with my heart but with my mind as well.

These are just a few ideas, and although I may just be overanalyzing a few points of the past minds of psychology, it’s great to figure out personally what I believe of other’s beliefs, and how close or far I believe some of the past ideas to be from my perspective as a Christian.

McKenzie Goad's Comment Archive

  1. McKenzie Goad on Freud
    11:36 pm, 05.02.11

    I think that although many of freud’s ideas seem so obscure, there is still merit in some of his ideas. You mentioned dreams, and although I don’t think that dreams are linked to unconscious sexual thoughts and all of the really weird stuff, I think dreams do sometimes give us an insight into our lives. Sometimes I wonder if God encourages us or speaks to us through our dreams. I’ve never had that experience, so I don’t really know, but it’s just a thought.

  2. McKenzie Goad on Do you think this course in important?
    11:32 pm, 05.02.11

    That’s so neat that you feel like you’ve learned a new perspective this semester. I think you make a good point that all of the theorists do have some merit to them, and maybe the best theory to use in counseling is a mix of all of them.

  3. McKenzie Goad on Rogers - realistic & modern
    11:30 pm, 05.02.11

    I think that you make an interesting point when you said that this approach is something that you could use just as a compassionate person. Maybe that’s why this approach is so appealing to people because we would feel comfortable talking to someone using this approach on us. It seems very friendly, perhaps the three characteristics are reflective of genuine friendships and how easy it is to relate to people who are honest with us.

  4. McKenzie Goad on Rogers deserves a high-five
    11:23 pm, 05.02.11

    I also like that Rogers’ theory motivates the client to help himself. It allows the client to develop a self-identity and feel comfortable in the therapeutic environment.

  5. McKenzie Goad on Evolution and Free Will
    9:17 pm, 03.21.11

    I’ve had a similar thought about the concepts of evolution and genetics and how they can coincide with the human compassionate characteristics that God has placed on our hearts. I grew up in a Christian faith, and was taught more creationism in my private elementary school, and then as I moved to a public school, I was taught evolution. I’ve spent a bit of my college experience, trying to make sense of how these two beliefs can coincide and although I’ve done a bit of reading and thinking, I still have much more to do. But I wanted to also comment on what you said about choosing mates and whether we are instinctively choosing mates that are the best genetic match with our genes. Ideas such as this are what make it so difficult for me to accept this aspect in psychology because it makes humans so animalistic. Where is the aspect of compatibility based on personalities and character traits? Where is the aspect of love? And where is the essence of emotions? Without these, it almost makes humans seem mechanistic and like life is pre-determined, which I struggle to accept.

  6. McKenzie Goad on Religion: Pre-determined, or Personal Decision?
    9:07 pm, 03.21.11

    I really like what you said about the transition of Christianity as a pre-determined idea for God’s chosen people transitioning to the idea of Christianity being a deliberate choice (free will) that anyone can become a christian if they choose to accept Christ into their hearts. This was a gift granted to us through Jesus dying on the cross, and even the thief who hung next to Christ was able to accept God into his heart before he died. I think your emphasis of a faith being about relationships with other people is so important and I believe that this aspect of faith is only encouraged by the belief in free will. God gave us the choice to follow Him or to go our own ways, key word being choice. If we choose Him, we will be granted eternal life.

  7. McKenzie Goad on Tell Me the Truth
    10:01 pm, 02.02.11

    I understand and agree with what you are saying. I’ve contemplated this a lot myself because I’ve questioned how out of Christianity there can be so many denominations who believe in the same God yet have so many differences in the culture of their denominations. I have accepted that there is one absolute truth that all Christians share and that is that God is the only one true God who gave his son Jesus Christ to die for all of our sins to be forgiven and then resurrect and return to Heaven.

  8. McKenzie Goad on The Happy Life
    9:50 pm, 02.02.11

    I really agree with your belief in happiness stemming from relationships. Like the Epicurians belief that freedom from pain and mental anxiety is where we find happiness, where I find peace and contentment is in my relationships with friends and family.

  9. McKenzie Goad on Allegory of the Cave (Parental Version)
    9:32 pm, 02.02.11

    I think viewing “The Allegory of the Cave” through the perspective of parenting is a neat way to value how we learn knowledge from experience. Parents often have to let children learn lessons the hard way, as long as it’s not going to hurt them. For example of a small lesson to learn from experience is cutting your own hair as a little kid and then having to go to school the next day with messed up hair. Although it is hard for kids to feel ashamed and embarassed when at school, it teaches them a lesson through their experience. I know it worked for me when I was 5!

  10. McKenzie Goad on Gorgias & truth
    9:18 pm, 02.02.11

    I think that Gorgias’s belief in Solipsism where the self can only be aware of his own experiences and mental states can have some merit to it. Although we all go through life doing the same routine of going to school or going to work or being in relationships, we all do have our own hearts and truly only have one experience that another person may not share with us. The idea of everyone having separate truths has some merit to it; however perhaps there is some danger in believing that there isn’t one truth for everyone to share when there are morals and values that people share, such as a belief in the commandment not to kill.