Blog Post 6

Third Force Psychology is called by many names, but most call it Humanistic Psychology. Regardless of the label attached to it, Third Force Psychology focuses on self actualization and creativity of individuals. One of the main cornerstones of third force psych is that humans are naturally good and any action, thought, or emotion that is not good is just a deviation from the natural human tendency to do good. I would like to compare and contrast 2 entities that embody third force beliefs, or the opposite.

A modern example of someone who supports third force thoughts and beliefs is Barack Obama. To be more specific, Barack Obama supports third force psychology in his campaigns. I don’t intend to turn this blog post into a political argument so lets focus on some of the simple things that everyone can agree on. Many articles and people label Barack Obama as “The Man of Many Slogans” because his campaign slogans that accompanied him in 2008 and 2012. All of these slogans follow the belief that all humans are inherently good and will continue to do good naturally. Obama’s campaign slogans encourage people everywhere, regardless or status, to keep being good. “Believe” was a slogan in 2008, encouraging us to believe in the good of others and the good of Obama to lead the country. “Yes We Can” was another 2008 slogan that helped us believe that with the good in people and hard work, we can do anything. Finally in 2012 he debuted with “Forward!” This is a reference to the good in people helping themselves and others move forward in a world that seems to be moving backwards.

As a contrast, the media seems to always point out the bad in people. You never hear stories about people saving others or doing good deeds but instead you hear stories of disasters and people committing crime and acts of terrorism. The media is a good example of a group that refutes third force psychology.

Thoughts?