Integrative Paper # 1



Joel Bennett

Prof. Warmoth

Psychology 423

11/26/06

Integrative Paper #2

Personal and Collective Change

We are living in what has been argued to be the most complex time in human history. So many aspect of human life are in transformation or crisis. Some major trends requiring immediate concern and attention are globalization, climate change, the information revolution and the shift in age demographics.

Globalization is widely recognized as a leading force in the transformation of human and ecological systems. Its impact is systemic, causing social, environmental, political, technological and cultural change. Many critics have provided evidence of the failures and destructive aspects of globalization. Free market capitalism, a major driving force in globalization, is widely blamed for being a primary source for the destruction of the environment and exploitation of labor worldwide. Joel Kovel (2002) identifies the destructive dynamics of capitalism: capitalism requires expansion without end and achieves profits and growth primarily by degrading the condition of its own production, including exploiting natural resources and labor (p. 38). This has lead to environmental impacts, such as the destruction of the rainforest and global warming. It has also increased exploitation of workers globally. Some of the worse cases can be seen in the maquilas in Mexico and sweatshops in South East Asia.

Social and environmental scientists argue that the earth cannot sustain unlimited material production and growth, nor can the social fabric or geopolitics sustain continued exploitation of the poor. The current practices of economic globalization and free market capitalism are inherently unsustainable. The increase in energy consumption now threatens the health of the ecosystem. Communities, around the world, face overwhelming violence and illness due to high levels of poverty. Africa is one of the most tragic cases. Capitalism has primarily met the physical and material needs of those living in developed countries, but at the expense of the poor, communities and ecosystems.

Although I recognize the serious challenges of globalization, I also see opportunity for new forms of creativity and collective action. The ongoing developments in information processing and telecommunications are promising tools to facilitate social change. The information revolution is commonly recognized for its potential to improve access to information and education, facilitate new forms of personal and public broadcasting and increasing opportunities for social networking and knowledge construction. According to Friedman (2005), “flattening of the world means we are now connecting all the knowledge centers on the planet together into a single global network… which could usher in an amazing era of prosperity and innovation” (p. 8). It is clear the Internet and globalization continues to radically transform many human systems, including business, education and media, to name a few.

To effectively engage these challenges and transformations collective decision-making needs to improve. Morse states in Smart Communities,

We no longer have the luxury of ‘going it alone.’ The complexity of the problems facing every community requires that people and organizations be willing and able to come to gather and craft strategies effective in good times and bad…community groups of all sizes have found that deep seated community issues can not be solve by one group alone. (2004, pp. 46-47)

Under current conditions, it is critical that communities engage in quality decision-making. For communities this involves developing political practices that are both inclusive and deliberative. Morse supports inclusion and community dialogue and demonstrates that it has a proven track in collective problem solving, “Deliberation among and between people in communities helps solve problems – clear and simple… dialogue provides an outlet for new ideas and creates pathways to active problem solving” (2004, p.117). Including a diverse population in community decision-making can improve the quality of collective evaluation and actions. Identifying an array of perspectives makes the decision-making more comprehensive and therefore potentially more effective.

Based on this assertion political practices should involve the following processes 1) Communication of various perspectives to ensure the most comprehensive evaluation is represented 2) Group negotiate to determine an evaluation that is acceptable to the group. 3) Participants present various choices, solution or recommendations 4) Then the group determines the action that is most suitable.

Individuals can help support and in rich the above political practices by improving their self-awareness and communication skills, so they can collaborate more effectively. Humanistic psychology offers principles and techniques to improve both these social processes. Warmoth (1994) explains how the values of humanistic psychology can serve to inform the process of social change.

Humanistic psychologists transformed our ideas about what it means to be fully human… This movement was based on a set of values which deserve to continue to inform our strategies for cultural evolution as we move into the new century. The core values included:

1. The centrality for psychology and human affairs of human experience, of the 'subject,'

2. The centrality of the human experiences of choice, will, responsibility, and emotional and spiritual depth.

3. The importance of the satisfaction of the full range of human needs: physiological needs, security, relationships, achievement & recognition, and psychospiritual self realization,

4. The importance of spiritual consciousness and spiritual development,

5. The importance of higher values such as compassion, responsibility, commitment, truth, beauty, and justice. (p. 1)

Humanist psychology has highlighted the importance of self-understanding and understanding others. Both these forms of knowledge are critical to improving communication and decision-making processes. Humanistic psychology advocates self-understanding so people can identify and communicate their values and needs. For instance, Carl Rogers promoted characteristics such as congruence, authenticity and genuineness. One of Rogers primary goals was to help improve his clients self-esteem so they could reach their full potential.

Self-esteem is critical for people to become effective at working collectively. People need to be mature enough to be available to others and they need to feel secure enough to take risks and lead. Roger’s supported the development of self-esteem and was trying to prevent individuals from being controlled by authority. Masuki (2006) made this point, “In a society where each individual is well aware of him/herself, authoritarian governments will not be allowed to impose their ‘strong usage’ of laws, institutions…” (p. 4).

Erikson’s theory of personality also demonstrated the connection between self-esteem and effective citizenship. In the stage of autonomy vs. shame and doubt, the child attempts to develop confidence that they can engage the world independently. Erikson viewed this development stage as directly linked to the child’s ability to participate in political and economic life in their adult years. Erikson (1950),

“A sense of rightful dignity and lawful independence on the part of adults around him gives to the child of good will the confident expectation that the kind of autonomy fostered in childhood will not lead to undue doubt or shame in later life. Thus the sense of autonomy fostered in the child and modified as life progresses, serves (and is served by) the preservation in economic and political life of a sense of justice. (pp. 254)

Another important stage in child development is trust vs. mistrust, here the child needs continuity of care and connection. The child can face frustrations, if it gains an overall sense of belonging. Erikson, “Ultimately, children become neurotic not from frustrations, but from the lack or loss of societal meaning in these frustrations”(1950, pp. 249-250).As adults, the development of trust and meaning impacts the quality of their activities and relationships. People who lack trust and meaning often become depleted, depressed, and apathetic. This condition describes many Americans who feel they are disconnected and cannot contribute to improving their community. To reverse this trend and improve the health of communities families and social systems need to promote the development of self-esteem.

Phenomenology is another area of study that has contributed to helping individuals gain a deeper level of self-understanding and communication. Phenomenology uses the method of bracketing to help people concentrate on their own flow of consciousness.

I have used this method, along with meditation, to observe my thinking. This has helped me identify my emotions, needs and thoughts. In turn, this has improved my communication and relations with others, because it has allowed me to communicate a deeper level of my experience. Warmoth stated, the level of our communication determines the health of our relationships; this is as true in individual relationships as it is in communities (PSY 423 Lecture, October 5, 2006) .

Another fundamental aspect of bracketing and meditation is to help people concentrate on their thoughts so they can realize the transient nature of thinking; Humanistic and Transpersonal psychology draws from Eastern philosophy, identifying thinking as impermanent or a flow of consciousness. The aim of demonstrating the transient nature of thought is to encourage people to be less reactionary, emotionally triggered or attached to their way of thinking. This includes letting go of emotional triggers that have developed from personal history. In addition, it can help people gain distance from their worldview or intersubjective reality, which has developed from their cultural history. Schumacher (1977) uses the metaphor of humans reacting to programs, rather than emotional triggers or worldview.

Without self-awareness (In the full sense of “factor z”) man acts, speaks studies, reacts, mechanically, like a machine: on the basis of “programs” acquired accidentally, unintentionally, mechanically. He is not aware that he is acting in accordance with programs… when he is awake, no one can program him: he programs himself. (p.75)

Being able to identify my emotional triggers has freed me to make a wider array of choices, especially in the realm of communication. For instance, I am frequently emotionally triggered when people require emotional support. This stems from my relationship with my mother who was an alcoholic. Growing up, I developed into a parentified child where my mother’s needs regularly came before my own. Now as an adult, I often do not want to be available to others, because of my anger and fear that my needs will never be met. Being able to identify this when it happens and let it go has improved my communication and relationship with others. Being less trigger or reactionary allows me to be more available and supportive in my relationships. Clearly increasing self-awareness and self-esteem can improve individual’s ability to communicate and make decisions.

As mentioned previously, another vital aspect in improving communication and decision-making is to increase one’s ability to understand others. Understanding others is a critical aspect to collective participation and decision-making. Understanding and including a wide range of participants can dramatically improve the quality of assessments and choices. As the issues individuals and communities face are continue to become more complex, it is essential that the highest quality of decision-making practices be adopted. To insure inclusion and diversity in collective decision-making it will take high levels of listening and understanding.

Humanistic psychology has been one of the predominant fields to contribute methods and skills to understand others. Once more, Rogers promoted developing the ability to listen empathically; one of the key techniques in Rogerian therapy is to mirror or paraphrasing the client’s statements, this is to insure the client feels understood. Another fundamental aspect of Rogerian therapy is developing unconditional positive regard for the client. Roger’s believed if therapist emanated non-judgment, client would be more willing to communicate openly and genuinely. Later, Rogers applied these theories to education and politics; Rogers knew, in all forms of communication trust plays a major role. Warmoth (2006) asserts Rogers potential contribution to improving politics and collective decision-making.

Humanistic and transpersonal psychology have an important role to play in the development of a more democratic and humane social order. The key to this is to develop the skills which Carl Rogers called as “empathic listening” and unconditional positive regard”. In a political context the former translates into active listening in dialogue and debate, the latter becomes acceptance and inclusiveness. (p. 4)

Phenomenology has also contributed to how we understand others, by describing how people’s intersubjective reality or worldview is shaped by their cultural history. This insight is crucial when participating in collective decision-making, all participants should be aware that knowledge is contextual. Lakoff’s (2004) study of Neuroscience substantiates this principle.

Neuroscience tells us that each of the concepts we have-the long-term concepts that structure how we think is instantiated in the synapses of our brains. Concepts are not things that can be changed just by someone telling us a fact. We may be presented with facts, but for us to make sense of them, they have to fit what is already in the synapses of the brain. Otherwise facts go in and then they go right back out. They are not heard, or they are not accepted as facts, or the mystify us. (p. 17)

These insights have helped reinforce the relevance of multiculturalism and it has also demonstrated that when making collective decisions people should not take their framework for granted. Both Warmoth and Lakoff emphasize the importance of being able to understand and communicate about frameworks. Warmoth (2006),

In the postmodern world, many values frameworks that are taken for granted in traditional cultures become debatable: family values sexual mores, ideas of authority, rules of commerce, standards of fairness and justice. Secondary acculturation involves developing the knowledge and skill to be able to participate effectively in these debates and their consequent choices. (p.4)

Lakoff (2004),

I think it is crucially important to understand the cognitive dimensions of politics-especially when most of out conceptual framing is unconscious and we may not be aware of our own metaphorical thought… as a professor I analyze of linguistic and conceptual issues in politics, and I do them as accurately as I can. But that analytic act is a political act. Awareness matters. Being able to articulate what is gong on can change what is going on-at least in the long run. (pp. 73-74)

To ensure level of diversity and inclusion needed for comprehensive decision-making individuals need to be conscious of frameworks. This especially true for members of the dominate culture, Anglo’s are often have limited cultural self-awareness due to white-privilege. Warmoth (2001),

The mainstream English-speaking culture in the United States has been labeled “White Anglo-Saxton Protestant (WASP) or sometimes simply “Anglo”. This culture tends to have a limited sense of cultural self-awareness, partly because of certain ideological characteristics of the culture itself. These characteristics include a tendency to see itself in ahistorical and universalizing terms, as well as a tendency to use racial categories to describe essentially cultural phenomena. (p. 20)

As our social systems become more complex and our collective activities threaten the health of the ecosystem, intelligent decision-making becomes vital. This is why Humanistic psychology has advocated democratic practices, inclusion and increasing awareness and improving communication. As this paper demonstrates, the quality of our collective decisions is dependent on the quality of our communication. Humanistic psychology offers values and principles to improve both these social processes. One of my goals is to work in education to help promote the Humanistic approach to communication, advocating that a fundamental part of education should be both increasing self-awareness and improving our ability to listen.

Bibliography

Ericison, Eric H. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York:W.W. Norton & Company.

Friedman, Thomas L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Lakoff, George. (2004). Don’t think of an elephant: Know your values and frame the debate. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.

Kovel, Joel. (2002). The enemy of nature: The end of capitalism or the end of the world. New York: Zed Books Ltd.

Masuki, Ikuko.(2006, Fall). In pursuit of a viable community. PSY 423: Sonoma State University.

Morse, Suzanne W. Smart Communities: How citizens and local leaders can use strategic thinking to build a bright future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schumacher, E.F. (1977). A guide for the perplexed. New York, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

Warmoth, Art (1994). Community learning: What the 60s have to say to the 90s. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from Art Warmoth Professor of Psychology Web site:

Warmoth, Art (1995). José Ortega y Gasset and human systems science. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from Art Warmoth Professor of Psychology Web site:

Warmoth, Art (2006, Fall). Culture Somas and Human Development. PSY 423: Sonoma State University.

Warmoth, Art (2006). Phenomenology: The study of consciousness. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from Art Warmoth Professor of Psychology Web site:

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