History of Theories in Psychology (PSYC 493)

Viktor Frankl’s views on existentialism can be categorized with the fall. His studies on people’s views of life after their experiences in the concentration camps is associated with the results of the consequences from the first Adam. Frankl stated that, “…it becomes clear that the sort of person that the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not the result of camp influences alone.” Not only was the Holocaust one of the most tragic and horrifying displays of what human beings can do to one another, but what people became of themselves and how they dealt with the aftermath is a direct result of the fall. “When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task, his single and unique task.” His statement leads us to believe that if we are dealt a certain, unfortunate hand in life, we cannot change it, we can only deal with it; we have to accept the way things are and there is no other way around that certain circumstance. As a result of the fall, we are continuously fed lies about ourselves and our circumstances. If we believe that we cannot change a certain situation, then we can never move forward and redeem ourselves from the curses of the lies. Of course, not all of Frankl’s views were so pessimistic but when looking at his view from this angle it is definitely associated with the fall.

Maslow felt that psychology had spent too much time focusing on the sick and psychologically disturbed and decided to start studying individuals he believed to be self-actualizing. A self actualizing individual was explained by Maslow as being outstanding humans. They are people who have a number of extremely desirable characteristics, however, this does not leave them without fault. Even people who are strong, give into the lesser of human characteristics. Maslow grouped people into the self-actualizing catagory if he felt they were above the average man.
I want to take this idea Maslow had of ideal characteristics and apply it to what I think God had in mind when he began creating humans. I know Maslow only thinks the above average individual can achieve self-actualization, but what if we are all capable of being above average? I want to focus on a couple of the characteristics Maslow thinks are particularly important.
I like the idea of being independent of environment and culture. I think it can go along with God calling us to be in the world but not of the world. I also like the idea of perceiving reality accurately and fully. God tells us that we can live life to the fullest because he sent his son for us. If we were to perceive that reality accurately and fully, our lives would be so much more meaningful just from that.
What if we look back at what God created us for and try to become self-actualizing Christians?

I really like Viktor Frankl and his ideas. I have been reading Man’s Search for Meaning for the paper and he has become one of my favorite thinkers that I have encountered in this class. His idea of logotherapy shows his redemptive spirit. His ideas about how people must find meaning in their lives offers hope. He had first-hand experience of the depths of human experience, spending three years in the Nazi Concentration Camps but his ability to be able to focus on the hope of seeing his wife again along with the opportunity to rewrite his manuscript, gave him meaning  and by his own admission saved his life. That hope that shines through in his own person story is what makes it so clear that although he is classified among the existentialists, who often fit in the fall, he is a man who looked to help people in their search for meaning and to help them redeem themselves from themselves and their situations. I especially like the quote that we talked about today about how we ask life questions but how life also asks us a question. That question is, “What are you going to do about the situation you are in?”. He says that the only way to answer it is to find meaning to go on and live responsibly. That is the kind of redemptive thoughts that flowed from him throughout his career and life.

Unconditional positive regard is a technique used by Carl Roger in his client-centered therapy. Positive regard involves receiving things such as love, warmth, and acceptance from the important people in a child’s life. According to Roger, we all have a basic need for positive regard in our childhood. Those who receive unconditional positive regard-full and warm acceptance of people for who they truly are-early in life are more likely to actualize their positive potential. However, some children receive positive regard only when they act in certain way. They acquire conditions of worth-they must act and think in line with the values of the important people in their lives to receive positive regard. Thus, these children may distort actions and thoughts that do not meet their conditions of worth. They live their lives according to other’s values and do not know their own true feelings and who they truly are.

I want to put unconditional positive regard under the category of redemption. Giving unconditional positive regard is very difficult. We will more or less set up our own standards to judge if someone is lovable and acceptable. But I believe we all receive unconditional positive regard from God-his grace. God’s unconditioned love is not blind. He knows very much about people he loves-their weakness and sins, but fully accepts them and never asks anything in return. There is nothing we can do to win his love. His giving of love is without any preconditions. As in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.

I have always had a sort of fascination with the Holocaust – as strange as that may sound. It astounds me to think that people could have been so absolutely monstrous to other human beings. But in the destruction and tragedy of the Holocaust, there was also hope. Viktor Frankl saw this too. He found that when prisoners (in the concentration camps) found meaning in their lives despite the awful circumstances, those prisoners continued to live. Frankl taught that no matter what kind of situation you are in, you can make it better or worse depending on your attitude and actions. This is why I associate Frankl with both the Fall and Redemption. Although the world was falling apart around him, Viktor Frankl rose above it and inspired others to do so as well. Despite the fact that his wife, mother, and brother were all killed in concentration camps and he himself was stuck in one for three years, he found little rays of hope all around him. Frankl even found suffering to be meaningful. He is quoted as having said, “Suffering ceases to be suffering the moment it finds a meaning.” He also stated, “He who has a *why* to live can bear with almost any *how.*”

George Kelly had quite an adventurous childhood and young adulthood.  His life consisted of multiple moves, schooling in a one-room school, tutoring from his parents, attendance to four different high schools, giving speech classes to immigrants wishing to become U.S. citizens, becoming a member of the Navy in World War II, and living during the Great Depression.  It is interesting also to note that at one point Kelly taught drama. His life was filled with many different roles and opportunities.  Then, once the Great Depression hit, he gained a passion for psychology.  He desperately wanted to help all of the troubled people.  And shortly after, he got the opportunity to do so.  Kelly began working with students and teachers both, and they all experienced a variety of emotional problems.  Because Kelly didn’t have an extensive background in psychology nor was he trained in any therapeutic approaches, “he began to experiment with a variety of approaches, and he discovered that anything that caused his clients to view themselves or their problems differently improved the situation” (p. 545).  This is why I would argue that George Kelly informs us about redemption.  In his theories, I see hope.  In his theories, I see a glimpse of a brighter future.

One thing I really like about Kelly is that, yes, he recognizes human fault.  He sees the “fall” of humans.  He recognizes emotional disturbances, limitations on human perspectives, and different ways humans process events and situations.  But, Kelly doesn’t think we have to stay there.  He thinks if we can just begin to see ourselves differently, if we can continue to play “make-believe” as adults, then we can pull ourselves out of the pits.  Kelly’s therapeutic approach reflected his belief that psychological problems are largely related to perceptual problems, meaning the goal of therapy is to help the client view themselves and situations differently.  I love this quote by Kelly:

We take the stand that there are always some alternative constructions available to choose among in dealing with the world. No one needs to paint himself into a corner; no one needs to be completely hemmed in by circumstances; no one needs to be the victim of his biography.

We don’t have to play the victim, and because of that I see freedom, hope, and redemption.

Of everyone we’ve covered through out this class I think I agree most with Frankl. He leaves so many things open to the individual while still allowing room for humanity as a whole. In classifying his theories I chose to categorize Frankl under the restoration. His high view of Free Will coupled with his beliefs concerning Destiny are so thought provoking to me. I love the idea that while we have an ultimate destiny that is our task alone, it is our free will that allows us to choose how we handle our destiny. I think this agrees greatly with our Christian beliefs that God has a path he has set before us, but it is up to us to act according to his will.

I also really like what Frankl has to say about Good and Evil. I think the idea that the rift between the two is present in all humans agrees with scripture as we are fighting a constant battle of the flesh. I think this also goes great with his ideas regarding Self-transcendence. I totally agree with him that we can’t have self actualization without looking outside of ourselves. If you only look within you will always have a torn world caused by the presence of good and evil, but if you look outside of your tiny world and see the whole picture you can find yourself in Christ.

Viktor Frankl. We learned about him in class today, and I think that was one of my favorite lectures of this semester. What an incredible man. His story is heart wrenching, his character is beyond unique; it is steadfast and loving and humble and open. He has many Christ-like qualities and I put him in the category of the Fall- not because he himself seemed fallen, but because the world around him was crumbling and he rose above it.

I have been to Auschwitz concentration camp. It was at the end of a mission trip to Poland my youth group went on. I remember reading Night by Elie Wiesel and actually finishing it as we pulled up to the camp. You can’t really describe what it is like to walk around and see all the brick buildings, the dorms, the shoes, combs, hair. The gas chambers. It is like walking around a ghost town, only wondering in a sort of awe at the horrors that happened there. That was a fallen time. That was a time where death and life intermixed in a twisted dance that left everyone stumbling. Evil prevailed in expected and unexpected ways. Evil blinded; evil killed.

Frankl seemed to remain certain through his time at Auschwitz. He helped others, he cared for the sick, he survived. Frankl decided to persevere as best he could, and he did so with grace. This reminds me of Christ as he carried the cross through the streets of Jerusalem. He was scorned, spit at, discouraged, beaten, broken. Yet he showed kindness and perseverance to finish the task. Frankl had accepted death as a possibility. So did Jesus.

I would classify Maslow as a restoration philosopher.  His hierarchy of needs does several things that clearly depict a restorative theme.  First, he restores the humanity to humans from the Behaviorist view of man.  He says that the needs at the bottom of the hierarchy are basic and more similar to those needs of other animals, but the higher up the hierarchy you go, the more uniquely human the needs become.  Second, Maslow’s hierarchy emphasizes self-actualization.  Self-actualization is a restorative concept in itself.  It essentially means reaching one’s potential.  Self-actualizing requires “a great deal of honest knowledge of oneself,” which is a restorative trait of humanistic psychology.  He says that self-actualizing people are concerned with all humans instead of with only their friends, relatives, and acquaintances, they have a strong ethical sense but do not necessarily accept conventional ethics, they are creative, etc.  These traits reveal a restored view of man– that he is more than an animal and has a hope of becoming great.  Not only does it restore humanity to the behavioristic machine man, but Maslow’s hierarchy even seems to be a formula for restoring man.  If he can meet his lower needs, working up the ladder, he can eventually become a full, thriving individual with the capacity to care, create, and appreciate the world.

I believe that Victor Frankl should go under redemption. Not just because he had such a positive view of life after his time in concentration camps but because of his view of man’s ability to be something greater than himself. His view of behaviorism being just a basis for man i feel is very inspiring. Free will is something that i have always been interested in and Frankl shows how man can over come any circumstances in a positive way shows mans free will. To look at tragedies and still over come them while still letting them shape you shows how Frankl should be placed under redemption. I also feel this has a huge impact on Christianity. Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek and i feel that with Frankl’s view of free will shows how one could forgive the aggressor and not be impacted by their actions.