I touch on this a bit in my post, but Americans tend to confuse psychology with philosophy, which are two very distinct fields.
The most common practical application for psychology is marketing, used subtly in PR and advertisements in order to "persuade" people into buying certain things or thinking a certain way. Then comes interrogation, torture, then therapy, the last of whom its effects are not quite clear even if you give it the benefit of the doubt. Needless to say I've become pretty skeptical of the psychology industry as of the late, especially when its practices have been tied directly to to pharmaceutical industry as of the late. Philosophy is about the pursuit of truth for its own sake, which sometimes might produce annoying, but generally not self-centered, people in it of itself. But it's become difficult to make a distinction now because people tend to confuse self-obsession with the obsessive personalities that intellectuals have when pursuing an idea. On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 2:14 PM, Dr. Ernest Prabhakar < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Billy, > > As much as I despise philosophy, I would think this is better titled "The > dangers of self-centeredness." > > The Bible was warning about the love of money a couple thousand years ago, > so this isn't exactly a new problem… > > -- Ernie P. > > On Jan 10, 2013, at 4:08 PM, [email protected] wrote: > > > > > > *Natural News . com* > How modern philosophy is killing you > > Friday, April 20, 2012 by: Mike Bundrant > > > > . > > (NaturalNews) Sigmund Freud's American nephew, Edward Bernays (1891-1995), > was the first person to take his uncle's ideas and use them to manipulate > the masses. Beginning in the early 20th century, through a new method he > called *public relations*, Bernays ushered in the age of American > consumerism by showing the government and large corporations how to > convince people to want things they didn't need. This was accomplished by > linking mass-produced goods, services and political ideas to people's > unconscious and self-centered desires. > > Out of Bernays' efforts would come a modern method of controlling the > masses. By satisfying inner, selfish desires, one made people "happy" and > thus docile. It was the beginning of America's all-consuming obsession with > self, an obsession that has come to dominate every aspect of Western > culture, including the philosophies we now use to improve our lives. > > Cultural self-centeredness was CREATED on purpose to serve political and > financial interests > If you keep the masses preoccupied with themselves, happily consuming the > goods and services they have been conditioned to believe they need, those > in power may profit handsomely and exercise control according to their > desires. > > There are those who believe that if this is true, it is nonetheless > harmless. The problem is that the agenda of the power structure is far from > harmless. It has altered the very meaning of life for millions of people > and weakened the foundation of the communities and countries in which > people live. Again, this was done intentionally. > > *We must shift America from a "needs" to a "desires" culture. People must > be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been > entirely consumed. Man's desires must overshadow his needs.* > -Paul Mazer of Lehman Brothers circa 1930's > > Birth of the American consumer (and death of the American citizen) > Prior to this massive cultural intervention, there was no American > consumer. There were American *citizens*. There were American *workers*. > There were no consumers. Consumerism was invented by the power structure. > The people fell for it hook, line and sinker. Ironically, the typical > American consumer is not a happy person. > > Bernays and company employed never-before-used tactics to associate > consumer products and political propaganda to feelings of self-importance, > success, wealth and credibility. The unconscious message was clear: use > these products, support this cause and you will be successful, important > and happy. > > In fact, the masses were often called "happiness machines." Keep rewarding > the happiness machines with more products and services that stoke their > self-centered <http://www.naturalnews.com/self-centered.html> desires > and, soon enough, that is all the happiness machines will want. > > Techniques used to convince persuade the masses to believe propaganda and > purchase unnecessary products involved: > • Inventing the press release to inform news agencies of corporate > developments and new products as if they were newsworthy. > > • Using models, socialites and celebrities to endorse products, conveying > to the masses that they can also be popular, important, sexually powerful > and successful if they purchase. > > • Inventing third party endorsements (often from fabricated entities) to > lend credibility to a product or political campaign. > > Of course, these tactics are common today, standards in mainstream > marketing and public relations. They are part of a classic approach to > manufacturing desire and demand for products and services, all in the name > of personal happiness <http://www.naturalnews.com/happiness.html>. In > other words happiness and success in life equals the purchasing products > and services. > > Self-improvement philosophy and new age teaching is stained with > self-obsession > Not surprisingly, self-obsession has infiltrated (or perhaps even created) > the field of self-improvement. Teachers and gurus have invented modern > philosophies and distorted ancient ones in order to accommodate the all > consuming self. For example: > > *If you have ever dreamed of a better life, Unlimited Power will show you > how to use the power of the mind to do, have, achieve, and create anything > you want.* > - Describing Tony Robbins' Unlimited Power > > *As you soon as you lock your intention upon that, bang! You've got a > Mercedes. And that's how it works. * > -James Arthur Ray (actual words from a recorded live workshop) > > *The only limits in our life are those we impose on ourselves.* > Bob Proctor > > *If you can envision it, you can have it!* > Law of Attraction quote > > Beyond being painfully untrue and misleading, the above quotes reflect the > cultural self-obsession as set in motion by Bernays and company. Every > quote above reflects self-centered desires, childish wishes and a lust for > "more" that is perfectly aligned with the tenets of modern culture - > happiness machines seeking self-centered satisfaction. We want to be > unlimited, unstoppable, success-bound, wealthy and popular. And we want it > now! > > Steeped in pop philosophies, we don't want to hear the truth: > • You can't have anything you want and you will not achieve everything you > intend. You can have many things and achieve many things, if you are > willing to work hard and make sacrifices. > > • You have limitations, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Only > you can learn where those limitations are. Only you can accept them. When > you do, you will free yourself from the expectation that you should be > doing more than you are capable of doing. > > • Wishing for something does not make it so. Wanting something doesn't > bring it into reality. Focusing your intention does not manifest anything > other than focused attention. > > • Suffering is unavoidable and a good thing to learn to do well. > > How modern philosophy is killing you > The philosophy that created self-centered happiness machines and destroyed > the identity of the individual as "citizen" or "worker" has also killed off > more character-driven principles of an earlier time, as reflected in the > following quotes: > > *I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I > consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. > * > -George Washington > > *What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral > character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the > performance of virtuous actions. * > -Aristotle > > *Action is character. * > -F. Scott Fitzgerald > > *By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the > ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will > return.* > -Genesis 3:19 > > If you can help it, don't allow your deeper character to die a slow death, > turning you into a shallow, self-centered happiness machine. The choice to > become a person of character, one who does not need to make up fancy ideas > to avoid reality, is yours. Character development (growing up) is a lot > work, however, but it does turn into actual happiness in somewhere along > the way. > > To read about some of the lies the personal development industry has > created in order to delude the happiness machines, see this > article<http://www.naturalnews.com/034926_personal_growth_gurus_lies.html> > . > . > . > . > > *About the author:* > Get the free mini-course taken by more than 15,000 people, Three Soul > Stirring Questions That Reveal your Deepest > Goals<http://inlpcenter.com/free-nlp-course/> > . > > For a free, 30-minute strategy session with Mike Bundrant to discuss how > this article applies to you, and to learn about life coaching or NLP > training, please visit this > page<http://inlpcenter.com/dear-natural-news-reader>at the iNLP > Center <http://inlpcenter.com/> school of personal development. > > Mike Bundrant <https://plus.google.com/117285597389575946600/posts> is > the host of Mental Health > Exposed<http://www.naturalnewsradio.com/Archive-MentalHealthExposed.asp>, > a Natural News Radio program. > > > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community < > [email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: > http://RadicalCentrism.org<http://radicalcentrism.org/> > > > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community < > [email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > -- Ryan Tanaka Ph.D, Historical Musicology at USC http://ryangtanaka.com - Scholarship, music, entrepreneurship. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
