Journal of Humanistic Psychology

Linked Table of Contents(Vol. 49 No. 1)

Editor's Commentary
Schneider, K. G.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
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Judaism and the Origins of Erich Fromm's Humanistic Psychology: The Religious Reverence of a Heretic
Schimmel, N.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
This article explores the Jewish roots of Erich Fromm's humanistic psychology: its ethical values, conception of human nature, and societal aspirations. It analyzes key concepts in Fromm's humanistic psychology that have Jewish antecedents, including biophilia, the rejection of idolatry and group narcissism, moral universalism, and free will. It explicates Fromm's major work addressing Judaism and humanistic psychology, You Shall Be as Gods: A Radical Interpretation of the Old Testament and its Tradition, along with other texts written by Fromm that address Judaism and interpret it with a secular, humanistic orientation. The article examines how Fromm situates the Bible, the Talmud, and various rabbinic texts in relation to the development of Jewish civilization, its liberal humanistic philosophy, and the universal relevance of these texts and the values that they transmit.
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Sosein: Active Self-Acceptance in Midlife
Strenger, C.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
In light of the increase in life expectancy in the 20th century, a growing number of people are making significant midlife changes. This article tries to steer a way between two cultural myths about this life period. The first is that the only sane solution of the midlife crisis is acceptance of growing limitations. The second is the idea that, given drive and a vision, we are capable of boundless change. The alternative middle way proposed is called "active self-acceptance." It is based on Karl Jaspers's notion that we are all condemned to failure vis-à-vis boundary situations and that there is a Sosein (being thus and no other) that is recalcitrant to change. Jaspers's biography and an extended case example show that active self-acceptance is not passive resignation but initiation of a process of self-transformation in which lucid self-knowledge and acceptance are combined into a process that allows full self-development.
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The Medical Model in Psychotherapy: Its Limitations and Failures
Elkins, D. N.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
This article discusses the limitations and failures of the medical model in psychotherapy. Specifically, the article shows that (a) the medical model does not accurately describe what actually occurs in psychotherapy; (b) the model continues to dominate the field not because of its accuracy but because of its questionable ties with medicine, science, and the health insurance industry; (c) the model obscures the fact that psychotherapy is an interpersonal process, not a medical procedure; and (d) the model fails to account for the fact that the vast majority of clients use psychotherapy for support, guidance, and personal growth instead of treatment for mental illness. Implications of this analysis are presented.
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Interpersonal Perceptions and Metaperceptions: Psychotherapeutic Practice in the Interexperiential Realm
Cooper, M.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
This article aims to systematize and develop humanistic practice by considering the implications of adopting an experiential stance to working within the "interexperiential" realm: the interface between one person's experiences and those of another. Psychological theory and research are used to develop an understanding of how people perceive, and misperceive, others' experiences, and implications for practice are discussed, particularly the need to encourage clients to test out their assumptions about others' experiences and to communicate more transparently their own. The article then focuses on the issue of "metaperceptions"— how one person perceives another person as perceiving him or her and his or her experiences—and again argues that people often make significant errors in their judgments. Implications for practice are discussed, with a particular emphasis on using appropriate self-disclosure to deliberately challenge clients' metaperceptual errors. In the conclusion, the proposed interexperiential practices are presented as specific process—experiential tasks.
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Imaginal Relationships with the Dead: Applications for Psychotherapy
Dannenbaum, S. M., Kinnier, R. T.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
This study explores possible therapeutic benefits derived from imaginal relationships with deceased loved ones. Using grounded theory methodology, triangulation of the qualitative data was attained through analysis of three data sets: responses from experts, interviews with elders, and a search using LexisNexis. Replicated findings or "global assertions" indicate that imaginal relationships with the deceased are common, "normal," and therapeutic. Reported therapeutic benefits include feeling cared for and loved, experiencing resolution of grief and relationship conflicts, and experiencing increased confidence in problem solving and decision making. The discussion focuses on applications in counseling.
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Extreme Sports: A Positive Transformation in Courage and Humility
Brymer, E., Oades, L.G.
Dec 2, '08, 4:00 PM
Extreme sports and extreme sports participants have been most commonly explored from a negative perspective, for example, the "need to take unnecessary risks." This study explored what can be learned from extreme sports about courage and humility—two positive psychology constructs. A phenomenological method was used via unstructured interviews with 15 extreme sports participants and other firsthand accounts. The extreme sports included BASE (building, antenna, span, earth) jumping, big wave surfing, extreme skiing, waterfall kayaking, extreme mountaineering, and solo rope-free climbing. Results indicate that humility and courage can be deliberately sought out by participating in activities that involve a real chance of death, fear, and the realization that nature in its extreme is far greater and more powerful than humanity.
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The JHP is available electronically to members of institutions with a print subscription or for a fee.

The Journal of Humanistic Psychology is an interdisciplinary forum for contributions, controversies and diverse statements pertaining to humanistic psychology. It addresses personal growth, interpersonal encounters, social problems and philosophical issues.

An international journal of human potential, self-actualization, the search for meaning and social change, the Journal of Humanistic Psychology was founded by Abraham Maslow and Anthony Sutich in 1961. It is the official journal of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and maintains a close connection with the Saybrook Institute where Thomas Greening, JHP's editor for the past 26 years, is a member of the faculty. You can visit the Saybrook Institute's web site at www.saybrook.edu

Expand Your Horizons
The articles and features in JHP bring you the best of current scholarship covering a wide range of topics, such as: Authenticity · Community-building · Confluent education · Consciousness · Creativity · Existential psychotherapy · Holistic healing and learning · Humanistic politics · Humanistic psychotherapy · Human science research · Identity · I-Thou encounters · Love · Peace and mediation · Personal Growth · Self-actualization · Self-transcendence · Spiritual development · Synergy · Values.

A Multifaceted View of the Field
The Journal of Humanistic Psychology explores the many facets of humanistic psychology through a variety of features, including experiential reports, analyses of contemporary culture, theoretical papers, personal essays, poetry, research studies emphasizing human scientific methods, and applications of humanistic psychology.

Easy-to-Use Annual Index
For fast, easy reference, the last issue of each volume of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology includes an index of articles and authors.

Influential Scholars
Notable contributors to the Journal of Humanistic Psychology have included James F T Bugental, Abraham Maslow, Rollo May, Carl Rogers, Brewster Smith and Ken Wilber.

Thematic Issues and Sections
The Journal of Humanistic Psychology occasionally supplements its broad coverage with in-depth studies of topics of particular interest. Recent Special Issues and Special Sections include: International Developments in Humanistic Psychology · In Honor of Jim Bugental · Rollo May · Carl Rogers-The Man and His Ideas · Dialogue · Trauma and Transcendence · Leary, Drugs, Learning and Reality · The Growing Edge in Humanistic and Experiential Therapies.

Journal of Humanistic Psychology Contents: Winter 2009, Volume 49, No. 1

Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Contents: Winter 2009, Volume 49, No. 1