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TranspersonalTheoriesofPersonalityDevelopment

Week5:Skinner,Horney,Erickson,Maslow,HayesandMe:

APanelofPeopleDiscussSuffering

GailTuckerWhipple

InstituteforTranspersonalPsychology

April29,2010

AuthorsNote:

Thisismyimagineddialogbetweenseveralphilosophersand

psychologistswhoseworkIadmire.Thewordsinthispaperare

completelymyunderstandingandprojectionoftheirpositionon

thequestionofhumansuffering.

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Thequestionis:Whyistheresomuchsufferingintheworld

andwhydopeoplehurteachother?

B.F.SKINNER:ThisissomethingIhavethoughtlongandhardabout.IwroteanddeliveredapaperatKeio

UniversityinJapan,in1979,calledTheNon-PunitiveSocietywhichIthinkshowsthewayoutofthesecond

partofthequestion.Astothefirstpartofthequestion,Ithinkitwouldbehelpfultoacknowledgegreat

stridesindealingwithworldsuffering.AsIsaidinmypaper;Threegreathistoricalexamplestowhichthe

specieshasbeenexposedarestarvation,illnessandexhaustinglaborandwevemadegreatprogressindealing

withthem...Theonlysufferingstowhichmanymembersofthehumanspeciesarestillexposedarethosewe

inflictuponeachother.

Positivereinforcementisnotonlythewaytohelppeoplestophurtingoneanother,itisimperativethatwe

undertaketoeliminateviolenceorviolencewilleliminateus.

KARENHORNEY:Ifwefocussolelyonwhypeoplehurteachother,weshouldstartwiththeindividualswho

comefromanunstable,unloving,unvaluedorunsafechildhoodexperienceinwhichthechildmustdefendin

ordertosurvive.Peoplewillmovetorelievetheiranxiety,andtheyllmovetoward,againstorawayfromthat

whichmakesthemanxious.Neuroticbehaviorsthengrowoutofthisbadenvironment,andthesebehaviors

canevenbeinconflictwithoneanother.Thisleadstoviciouscirclesinwhichtheirstrategiesformitigating

theiranxietywill,infact,increaseit.Thisisnotarecipeforpeace.

Thisimpactsourlargerculture,too.Peoplewhomoveagainstothersaredoingsoasadefenseagainstthe

perceivedhostilityinothers.Aslongasthesepeoplehavetheirinsatiable,neuroticneedtobeincontrol,(itis

unbearable,emotionally,nottobe)therewillbeviolenceascollectivesmovetocontroltheenvironmentof

others.Theywillfindvictimsinthosewhomovetowardthesecontrollingelementsasawaytohandletheir

neurosistheywillallowthemselvestobeoverpowered.Thosemovingawayfromthecontrollingonescreateavacuum,allowingthosewhomoveagainstotherstotakemoreground.Itsaperfectstormofpeople

movingtowaylaytheiranxietyatallcosts.

ERIKERIKSEN:IagreewithHorneythatasub-standardenvironmentcanleavemanychildrenat-riskofnot

developingnaturallyandfully.Thiscanleadtopeoplewhogrowuphurtingoneanother.Andanother

importantconsiderationisthatpeoplewithineachculturehavevastlydifferentvalues,whichtheylearnfrom

birth.Thenurturingtheyreceivefromtheirculturewillpowerfullyshapehowtheywillnavigate

developmentalchallenges,andshapethepeopletheybecomeandinevitablyhowtheyandtheirfellowswill

interactwithothercultures.Ifconflictscannotberesolvedsuccessfully,theywillleadtoturmoil.Ithinkthe

answerliesinthebalanceofdynamicsbetweenculturesandthehealthyprogressionofindividualsthrough

thedevelopmentalstagesinherentwithinthosecultures.

ABRAHAMMASLOW:Iagreewithmycolleaguesthatenvironmentisveryimportant.Iftheenvironmentis

right,peoplecangrowstraightandtrue,buttoooftentheenvironmentisnotright.However,Ithinkrather

thanconcentrateonwhypeoplehurtoneanotherwearebetteroffconcentratingonhowhealthy,self-

actualizedpeoplework.Thestudyofcrippled,stunted,immatureandunhealthyspecimenscanyieldonlya

cripplepsychologyandacripplephilosophy1nottoomuchoffenseintendedtomycolleague,Dr.Freud.

1MotivationandPersonality

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STEPHENK.HAYES,BlackBelt&BuddhistPriest,andFirstWesternertobringNinjitsufromJapantoa

broadWesternaudience: Inaway,IfindmyselfinDr.Maslowscamp,forIbelievewecannotfocuson

sufferingasawayoutofsuffering.Ialsosenselike-mindednesswithDr.Skinner:Whatwereinforceisvitally

importantincreatingasaferplanet.AsaBuddhistPriest,IsubscribetoTheFourNobleTruths:

1. Lifemeanssuffering.2. Theoriginofsufferingisattachment.3. Thecessationofsufferingisattainable.4. Thepathtothecessationofsuffering.

Itsjustthewayitis.Theworldweliveinwillneverbeperfect.Withthelimitedamountoftimewehaveon

earth,weshoulddevelopourpositivepotentialandbecomestrongenoughtobeofservice.Bypracticing

detachment,weareabletoremovethecauseofsufferingforourselvesandforothers.Byfocusingonthe

positive,wecanenjoyourlives.Intheend,itwontmatter,asregardlessofourexperience,itwillallfade

away.

GAILWHIPPLE:AsIthinkabouttherootcauseofpeoplehurtingoneanotherIacknowledgethegreatimpactofonesearly,personalenvironment.However,Ialsoacknowledgetheimportanceofgeneticsanda

hostofotherinfluences,somewhichwebarelyrecognizeandothersweyetknownothingabout.For

instance,thecollectiveunconsciousandthecollectiveconsciousaffecteachoneofus.Whenitsthecollective

unconscious,Ithinktheresadoublewhammy,becauseeachindividualwindsupaccessingrandompointsof

theunconscious,manyofwhichareharmful.Geneticfactorswindupinflictingagreatdealofhurt:Relatives

ofschizophrenicssuffergreatly,asdothosewithschizophreniathemselves,andhurtisperceivedonallsides

evenwhennoneisintended.ThiscouldbechalkeduptothefirstoftheFourNobleTruths,Isuppose.

Thebetterpartofvalormightberealizingthathumanityisabyproductoftheconditionsofthisworldandto

wantalifeofnot-sufferingisanerroneousdesire.However,Idobelievethataslongastherehasbeenearth

andentitiesonittherehasbeenastrivingtowardawholenessorbalancethatmaymeanwecould

systemicallytranscendthelevelofviolencewecurrentlyinflictononeanother.Iseehopeinwhatisexpressedinpartbyeachofmypanelists:

AsSkinnerbelieves,Ibelievewemustbecomeskilledmastersatpositivereinforcement,especiallyforour

youngpeople.Theyarethebestpeopletoinvestin,astheywillcomeintopowerwithin30yearsoftheir

birth.

AsHorneybelieves,Ibelievewemustprovidepositiveenvironmentsforpeople,acknowledgingthatpeople

havethepotentialforcontinuedpositivedevelopment,regardlessofwhatisreinforcedintheirearlyyears.

AsEriksonbelieves,Ibelieveitisimportanttofindthehealthybalancebetweenonespersonalandcultural

preferencesandbeingopenandconsideratetothepersonalandculturalpreferencesorunderstandingsof

others.

AsMaslowbelieves,Ibelievewelearnmoreinthelongrunfromthestudyanduseofpositivity.

AsHayesbelieves,Ibelievewemusteachindividuallydevelopourpositivepotentialregardlessofthe

obstaclesthatconfrontus,regardlessoftheenvironmentwefindourselvesin.Wearethechangewewishto

see.

However,itisfoolhardytoignorethenegativeorthebase,foritisandalwayshasbeensofaranintegralpart

ofthewhole.Theremustbesomethingtrueaboutthecreativetensionbetweentheyinandtheyang.The

concepthasrungthroughtheages,andinthishistoricaltime,throughphysics,wehavecometobelieveina

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quantumwaythateverythingleadstowardsbalance.IhavetoagreewithSiddharthaandgreatmindslike

Eriksonandbelievethatbalance,themiddleway,isadesirablething.Ifwecangettothepointwherewe

havebalancedindividuals,andcanmaintainabalancebetweenculturesthatisadvantageoustousall,I

believethatbalancewouldhelpusavoidsuffering.

However,thereisanimportantpointthatgoesbeyondtheconceptofbalancethatoftranscendence.A

goingbeyond.Weareallfamiliarwiththeexamplesofpeoplewhotranscendsufferingoverwhichtheyhave

nocontrol,suchasthesufferinginherentinafataldisease.Wealsoknowofthosewhotranscendsufferingat

thehandsofothers,whichiswhattheheroicjourneyofrebirthinherentintheJesusstoryandothersuch

storiesexemplifies.

Toclose,intheclosingwordsoftheHeartofWisdomSutra,Ioffer:

Gyate,gyate,hara-gyate,hara-sogyate,bojisowaka.Hannya-shin-gy.(Gone,gone,goneover,gonefullyover.

Awakened!Sobeit!)