About "A Rogue Psychologist's Field Guide to the Universe"
This page is tied into my larger website, , in which I offer an alternative psychological perspective than that found in mainstream psychology. In particular, I challenge the primary focus on rationality, such as is found in cognitive behaviorism. I am reprinting my " About " 'A Rogue Psychologist's Field Guide to the Universe' " here to offer a summary of this perspective, elaborated upon in my website:
This Field Guide offers a practical perspective for addressing the various stressors that are inevitable and universal aspects of daily life. Note that this does not offer solutions to life’s problems; rather, it focuses on life’s paradoxes, which, by definition, defy logical solutions. These include the conflicting values of individuality and belonging, order and freedom, security and excitement, and being and becoming. Whereas we often view conflict in a negative light, this website promotes the positive aspects of conflict. On the individual level, we achieve personal integration through reconciling our opposing feelings, values, and goals. On the interpersonal level, conflict allows us to strike a balance between asserting our self-worth by advocating for ourselves, on the one hand, and demonstrating our commitment to others by making sacrifices for them, on the other. Of course, this process does not always goes smoothly, as frequently demonstrated in Congress. We will be exploring how we can get stuck in unhealthy relationship patterns, in which we keep trying variations of the same approach and yes, keep expecting different results. We will identify various guidelines that have proven useful in breaking out of these vicious cycle patterns. This work has its hazards, and I should warn you of potential side effects, such as experiencing humility, compassion, gratitude, and emotional intimacy. The Rogue Psychologist offers a counterpoint to cognitive behaviorism, the science- and evidence-based model of psychotherapy which proclaims proven superiority in the mental health field. This site proposes to complement the objectivity of Western science (as embodied in cognitive behaviorism) with the rich subjectivity of the arts and humanities, as well as providing an Eastern perspective. This complementarity is in contrast to the typical Western view of an objective reality that gets tainted by subjective distortions and biases. In proclaiming the fundamental limitations of a predominantly objective perspective, this approach also challenges conventional authority, much like Toto pulling the curtain back on the Wizard of Oz, or the child observing that the Emperor is wearing no clothes. It is only by challenging such authority that we empower ourselves, which brings with it increased personal responsibility. Aside from the duality of objective and subjective modes of experience, this orientation attempts to avoid the abstract theoretical constructs that some refer to as “psychobabble.” The intent is to make the various insights from the field of psychology more accessible to lay audiences by staying close to the language of personal experience. I also hope to appeal to other mental health professionals by offering a psychological model that expands our perspective beyond rationality and into the realm of enchantment through the door of paradox. This field guide emphasizes the paradoxes of our experiential and interpersonal universe, in contrast to those of our much larger physical universe. While I am intrigued by such explorations, particularly when they point to a confluence of science and spirituality (cf. The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra and The Quantum and the Lotus by Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan), I prefer staying closer to home with our paradoxes of everyday life. I have presented two basic facets of my particular orientation, which I might call Dialectical Existentialism, or perhaps Paradoxical Existentialism, in three of my pages. I have explored the paradoxical nature of human experience in two rather lengthy articles, “Living Rationally in a Paradoxical Universe: Staying Sane in a Crazy World, or Trying to Force a Round Peg into a Square Hole?” and "Muddling Down a Middle Path: Wading through the Messiness of Life." These approach much the same topic from somewhat different perspectives, which hopefully promotes depth perception through stereoscopic vision (no 3-D glasses, though). Another main focus of mine is on the dynamics of conflict, particularly as it develops into relatively enduring vicious cycle patterns in relationships, which I have presented in my article, "Vicious Cycle Patterns in Relationships 2.0." I am supplementing this article with an exploration of various strategies for breaking out of these unhealthy patterns of relating in separate posts. These articles have evolved out of various public presentations I have made over the years. Many of my upcoming posts will be elaborations or spin-offs of these presentations, and some will be an outgrowth of my dissertation. I also have various other topics and stories that do not fit neatly into categories, which I plan to address over the coming year or two. These represent the continuing evolution of my outlook during my forty-some years studying psychology. In identifying myself as a rogue psychologist I am simply acknowledging that my orientation runs counter to the prevailing cultural and psychological emphasis on rationality. I am not denying the positive contributions of logic and reason, and I actually present articles that demonstrate its helpful application in the cognitive behavioral approach to therapy. Yet I do not hesitate to point out its limitations, particularly in the realm of paradox, which by definition defies rational solution. This sets the stage for what I identify as a dynamic existential approach to our paradoxes of everyday life. The lack of clear and absolute guidelines to resolve these dilemmas leave plenty room for disagreement, and the site tackles the challenge of resolving the ensuing vicious cycles patterns of relating that evolve out of these conflicts. Later, I plan to delve more deeply into the complementarity of objective and subjective realities, of science and the humanities, of West and East, and of Yang and Yin, in an effort to integrate various perspectives into a coherent view of the human condition. Consistent with my advocating the value of subjectivity, I have posted several therapeutic stories, following the wisdom of a Sufi saying, which I paraphrase as, “If you want to change a person’s mind, you give a lecture or discourse, but if you want to touch a person’s heart, you tell a story.”
I plan to submit posts on about a regular basis. If you like what you see, you can help motivate me by leaving feedback - whether supportive, challenging, or just acknowledging - with any of this helping to motivate my efforts. You can also subscribe to the website, so that you will be notified when I've posted a new article. I want this to be an interactive site, in which I can respond to the interests of the readers, but I cannot do so without your feedback. Hopefully, the above mission statement has whetted your appetite for more. So if these ideas appeal to you and you want to explore an alternative vision of the world, climb on board, hang on tight, and enjoy the ride.
