Meghan Lawrence's Archive

As I have learned and gotten a taste for all of the various psychological theories throughout history, I have usually found each theory to have something about it that I simply do not like or cannot accept. However, with third force psychology I have not felt that way. To me, this theory has combined many of the theories together in order to create a theory that can be universal and that can address all of the problems previous theories had. Because third force psychology takes from the romantics the wonderful view of life and the pursuit of a beautiful one at that while at the same time juxtaposing it with existentialists who understand that life is fleeting and we all must die in the end, I feel like it gives the client and the therapist a well rounded theory to base counseling on. It does not neglect the client or degrade the client in any way but allows the client to move through therapy in their own way and time while reminding them about all aspects of life. I also love that this theory does not have to be rooted within a religious context but it still can be. As a christian and possible future counselor, I think it is important to be able to tailor your counseling to the client while still maintaining your own beliefs and convictions and I believe that third force psychology allows the counselor and client to do just that.

Michelle getting potty trained.

While there are many adorable clips involving Michelle Tanner, in order to view the clip involving Danny potty training her you should skip to about 2:51. Within this small clip, the behaviorist model is clearly given. Danny not only shows Michelle what to do by demonstrating with Potty Polly exactly what her actions should be, he also tells her exactly what type of positive reinforcement Michelle will receive once she “rings the bell.” Danny not only gives Michelle positive reinforcement when she successfully uses the potty but he pairs the stimulus of ringing the bell with a cookie, which as most of us know who are die hard Full House fans, Michelle loves cookies. So, within this clip Danny proves that he is a smart father when it comes to conditioning his children. He perfectly models what Michelle must do to learn how to use the potty and then he allows her to learn what kind of rewards she can get when she acts in the right way. Unfortunately, the clip does not show how successful Michelle is at being potty trained but since the show continues into her adolescence I would say that Danny accomplishes his goal of potty training his daughter.

Evolutionary thought explains altruism in a truly unique way. In my biology course here at ACU, professor Brannan explained to his students that there was not truly altruistic action because it is very hard for someone to not gain something in return for an action they have made. Even if said person was not meaning to receive a reward, they did. This idea was hard to swallow. Every student wanted to believe that some actions were indeed truly sacrificial. Perhaps it is because of our belief system which is built upon the very idea of sacrifice. Darwin also puzzled over the idea of altruism and morals. The core idea within Darwins evolutionary theory is that creatures a like all want to pass down their genes. That even if we cannot live forever a part of us can, because a portion of us was needed to create future generations, not only through our genes but through our characteristics. But Darwin pondered over the inheritance of morals. He posed a question that if a man sacrificed himself for the good of his society or tribe then how would his genes and characteristics be passed down to future generations. In order to solve this conundrum, Darwin explained an idea of reciprocal altruism. This new kind of altruism describes the idea of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” mentality where if one person acts for the good of the society then the society will in turn act for the good of that individual. While I don’t deny the existence of this form of altruism, I think that Darwin did not answer his original question. What about the man that chooses to sacrifice himself thereby ending any chance he had of having offspring who embodied the same qualities that were good and beneficial to the society. Evolutionary thinking may not always be able to answer every question, but for many people religion does. Christianity is built on the relationship between a deity who sacrifices His relationship with His son as well as His son’s life for the sake of the rest of the world. Not only that but His son willingly sacrifices himself as well. I believe that it is because of these truly altruistic sacrifices that we as mere humans have the capacity to be altruistic and morally sound as well. Even if we can’t be truly altruistic, we can strive for it.

Any well known school of thought will have influence on future schools of thought just as their predecessors influenced them. Even when schools of thought seem completely wrong or ridiculous, they have an impact if only to teach society never to think that way again. The Scholastics were within a school of thought that seemed to reject many of the ideas that their present society seemed to force upon them. Instead the Scholastics chose to find middle ground between the old ways of thinking from Aristotle and the Greeks and from their contemporaries. This foundation of a middle ground has influenced and affected many societies throughout history.

Thomas Aquinas for instance sought to marry the ideas of Aristotle and the ideas of the church. As a theologian and monk, Aquinas is asked to teach against the ideas of Aristotle which inspires Aquinas to prove that Faith can be explained through science. This is an idea that we often consider in today’s society. We often see astronomers trying to explain the phenomenon of the star of Bethlehem and the practice of psychology no longer shunned from the church but encouraged. Because Aquinas chose to deviate from the church’s ideas, he helped to create a religion where we feel freer to express our doubts in miracles and sciences and where we can practice the act of marrying faith and reason together in order to enhance our Christian lives.

Peter Abelard, another scholastic, was also known for deviating from the church. One of his teaching methods was debating both sides of an argument so that bias could be revealed and new ideas could form. While some of his actions as a professor or theologian are questionable, Abelard was able to teach us that no one is infallible. We all fall prey to our flesh or sins. This is a lesson that many who work in a people profession could learn from, even psychologists. It can be hard to counsel someone and not become emotionally attached. It is a fine line when counseling because one does not want to be too clinical but they also do not want to be too emotional. While Abelard may not show us the correct way in acting in such situations, he helps to raise the questions that we need to ask ourselves.

The Good Life always seems to be somewhat idyllic in my mind. It is a life that one strives for but never quite reaches and yet it is one of the driving forces that keeps us passionately striving for something better. This Good Life can be different to each and every person depending upon their goals, passions and even insecurities but I feel that the one ingredient that seems to be the same for each and every person is happiness. That is the thing that we strive for throughout our lives.

My Good Life would have to be described as a world where I was successful in my endeavors and where my passions were vast. Where life came easily, no one had worries and love was easily spread. Where strangers were not harmed by other strangers and where no child would go hungry or thirsty. Even where ignorance was truly blissful. The more we learn about ourselves and the world around us the more pain and suffering we seem to bring into the world. Adam and Eve were perfectly ignorant. They had no knowledge of Good or of Evil and that makes all the difference. Yet Adam and Eve still strived for the thought of happiness, going so far as eating of the forbidden fruit to gain knowledge and even, dare I say it, happiness. But was their idyllic happiness truly happiness? Is the idea of the Good Life a reality or simply a fantasy to help us cope with the sin, pain and suffering of our lives?