Reflections on Wallerstein, Sanchez-Merki, and Dow’s Freirian praxis in health education and community organizing: A case study of an adolescent prevention program

Any initiative that actively engages adolescents to take control of their lives by illustrating how they can actively and positively participate in their social environment instead of being a victim of it, is powerful.  Wallerstein, Sanchez-Merki & Dow (2006) explore a program that utilized at its heart Freirian empowerment education methods and Ronald Rogers (1984… Read More

Reflections on Christie, et al’s Peace psychology for a peaceful world, Hall and Pilisuk’s The social healer, Mang’s Toward a regenerative psychology of urban planning, Rountree’s Joining inner and outer approaches to freedom, Hoffman’s Existential activism, and Bargdill’s Existential activism

While there is a rich history of peace psychology according to Christie, et al that dates back to William James (Christie, et al 2008), there is also a rich history of conflict resolution, of peaceful anti-war protests, of the Society of Friends (Quakers) engaging in conscientious objection and outward neutrality during conflicts while participating in… Read More

Reflections on Nelson’s Psychology, religion, and spirituality, Johnson and Friedman’ Enlightened or delusional? Schneider’s Awakening to an awe-based psychology, and Fehl’s Spirituality and existentialism

Within the Universe, spiritually and otherwise, I see connections everywhere.  Nelson (2009) posits that that interconnectedness between psychology and religion has been especially dominant over the last century, but I would argue that it has been especially for millennia, though not categorized under any specific labels of Western Psychology, as is the case with Hinduism,… Read More

Reflections on Qualitative Research Methods, the Qualitative Case Study and Reactions to Hays’ Community activists’ perceptions of citizenship roles in an urban community

I am grateful for many experiences and environments in my life, including the ethnic influence of my father, that allowed me to experience different cultures and be open with others that were different from my bicultural identity.  This influence, in many ways, brought me here to a place where I am curious about everything, with… 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

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