Reflections on Rappaport’s The art of social change – Community narratives as resources for individual and collective identity Rappaport (1998) reinforces a previous written critique I had in another course. Researchers in community psychology as well as humanistic psychology are not there for themselves or to dictate a narrative, whether it is finding a means to evolve through a series of community problems or not. Rappaport explains it as being, “useful to people… Read More
Reflections on Hoffman’s Toward a deep diversity in humanistic psychology, Hoffman’s Multiculturalism, epistemological diversity, language, and Johnson’s Cultural competency and humanistic psychology Hoffman (2012) waxes about as nostalgic as I did when I left the sociology department at the University of West GA for the humanistic psychology department that eventually guided my light to Saybrook. Finding humanist psychology and intersectional feminist inclusiveness felt like home. Multiculturalism is a powerful manifestation of that and a subject that may… Read More
Reflections on Qualitative Approaches, Especially Grounded Theory and Crawford, et al’s Women’s understanding of the effects of domestic abuse Having studied qualitative methods in a previous course, grounded theory as Locke, et al (2010) describe it is familiar territory for me. Before discovering asset-based community development (ABCD) and participatory action research (PAR), grounded theory was particularly intriguing because the research determined the theory, rather than the theory determining the research. My familiarity with it… Read More
Reflections on Roe, et al’s Community building through empowering evaluation – A case study of HIV prevention community planning Roe et al (2006) offer an intriguing commentary on community in this country and a unique counterpoint on how it should function. The United States is seen as stereotypically individualistic, which is, unfortunately, a reality in a majority of this country, while AIDS is seen as an area where “effective prevention must be community-based, ecologically… Read More
Reflections on Comas-Dias’ Humanism and multiculturalism, Quinn’s A person-centered approach to multicultural counseling competence, Taylor and Nanney’s An existential gaze at multiracial self-concept, Hanks’ The Ubuntu paradigm, and Hoffman’s Creating a home for diversity in humanistic psychology While humanism is admirable and multiculturalism is admirable and ideal, Comas-Dias (2012) does not operationalize either term, relying instead on a commonly accepted definition without defining it. Additionally, examples of what the author believes other cultures view as humanistic and multicultural are cited, but all without an operationalized definition. This is obviously dangerous because anyone… Read More
Reflections on Histories of Theories of Memory, Neath’s Learning and Memory: In Humans, and Molbak’s Meaning and memory: A Heideggerian analysis of children’s first memories Intelligence, defined strictly, is qualified as educational intelligence, but this is a definition I don’t necessarily accept. From my father and a shelterless man named Uriel, whom I met decades ago, I learned clearly that education is not a sign of intelligence. My father is an immigrant whose original language is not English and Uriel… Read More
Reflections on Kretzmann and McKnight’s Building Communities from the Inside Out (pp. 171-376) Kretzmann and McKnight (1993) cover all aspects of community building from individuals to associations to local institutions and taking those assets and rebuilding and mobilizing. I may have reiterated this before, but while this book is powerful, it is large and not portable and there are no printable forms. Since its printing in 1993, it… Read More
Qualitative Research Reflections on Dowson and McInerney’s Psychological parameters of students’ social and work avoidance goals and Applications to My Own Qualitative Research For reasons of in depth analysis and to allow study participants their full voice, qualitative research and inquiry is where my heart, mind, and soul are, because, to me, people are more than mere numbers and statistics, though, in a very limited capacity, I can see where quantitative research may be useful when a certain… Read More
Reflections on Rieber’s Entry on Perception and Schroeder’s Sex and gender in sensation and perception Rieber defines perception in context as, “an experience that results from stimulation of the senses. It can be examined by verbal description and by psychophysical experiment, or it can be related to the processes in the nervous system that accompany the experience.” He also cites Aristotle’s classification of the five senses. Yet, Rieber spends the… Read More
Reflections on Kretzmann & McKnight’s Building Communities from the Inside Out (pp. 109-170) Kretzmann & McKnight (1993) have codified, more or less what I have done to research necessary information, be it looking for research materials for a report, digging up an obscure musical recording, and especially resources to help individuals with personal or health crises. Here it is codified neatly into one compact place, this time with… Read More