The discussion concerning whether or not the concept of "sin" should be incorporated into psychology, as well as the heat generated by this proposal, was of great interest to me. I see such discussions on TIPS as an example of an ongoing cultural debate about meaning, purpose, and values.
We all (I think) are constantly engaged in an attempt to understand ourselves in relation to our surroundings. Culture is not only the result of such attempts, it also has an active role: it instructs us about what it means to be a human being, how we should act/think/feel, how we should respond to others in various situations, and so on. In other words, culture represents the instructions that inform us how to think about ourselves and how to situate ourselves in relation to the rest of the world. The language of psychology has become a fundamental component of western culture (perhaps especially in the United States but definitely not limited to it). I don't think that it is hyperbole to claim that the language of psychology has infiltrated every aspect of western culture. To a large extent, it seems to me, we think of ourselves in terms of the concepts and theories of psychology. It is a testament to the success of psychology that representatives of various approaches to understanding what it is to be human being attempt to appropriate psychological concepts into their approaches as well as to inject their own concepts into the language of psychology. As many of us undoubtedly have noticed, this process has tended to make the term "psychology" a catch-all category for any ideas and approaches that deal with the attempt to understand ourselves in relation to the universe. I refer to this as "Psychology NOS" (for the DSM-nonliterate among you, this can be translated as "Psychology not-otherwise-specified). Those attempting to incorporate psychology and to influence its future direction range from proponents of New-Age spirituality all the way to academic philosophers (e.g., a group of philosophers have promoted the idea of what might be called "philosophical therapy") have Thus, the discipline of psychology has become a focus of the ongoing cultural debate about human nature; and various groups seem to be fighting for control of its language. Jeff -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298 Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED] Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 Listowner: Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically (PESTS) http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/pests/index.html --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
