A Psychology of Becoming

Here's where I share what I'm thinking about. I would love your comments.

17 Feb Take Back Our Subjectivity

Posted at 01:00h in Critical psychiatry, DSM-5, Human Development, Language, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy 4 Comments

February 16, 2012 In yesterday’s Huffington Post, Dr. Eric Maisel asks, “Does Depression Exist?” Why’s he asking? To show that sometimes what we call things can create false realities. To invite readers to consider that this is what’s happened to our mental life and our feelings. To add a critical political/philosophical dimension to...

01 Feb There’s No Science in the DSM

Posted at 00:51h in DSM-5, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy 7 Comments

January 31, 2012 The DSM-5 controversy continues, as more professionals and parents share their experiences and opinions regarding specific diagnostic changes and their impact on people’s lives. This is happening on the blogospere and in major media like The New York Times, which in the last ten days has had front...

24 Jan Autism, Asperger’s, Theatre and Play—Watch this TED Talk

Posted at 02:35h in Creativity, Culture, DSM-5, Human Development, Performance Movement, Psychology of Becoming, Theatre 0 Comments

January 23, 2012 A huge thanks to my friend Tony Perone for alerting me to a recent TED Talk by Stephen Volan, "Approaching Autism Theatrically." Diagnosed with Asperger's as an adult, Stephen shares how he experiences himself in the world, at one point likening it to just about constant stage fright....

18 Jan Still More on DSM-5

Posted at 03:12h in Critical psychiatry, DSM-5, Health Care, Human Development, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy 0 Comments

January 17, 2012 Here’s some other voices speaking about the DSM-5. First, Dr. Anthony Rao. Tony is a pediatric psychologist, founder of Behavioral Solutions in Lexington MA, and author of The Way of Boys: Promoting the Social and Emotional Development of Young Boys. I met Tony in 2010 when I interviewed him...

09 Jan More on The DSM-5 Controversy

Posted at 17:47h in DSM-5, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy, Social Therapeutics, Social Therapy, Wittgenstein 0 Comments

January 9, 2012 To go a bit deeper into the underlying problems with the theory and practice of psychology that the controversy over the DSM-5 exposes, I invite you to do some philosophizing. What assumptions must people be making— about persons; therapy, the therapeutic relationship and therapeutic discourse; illness, cure and treatment; emotions...

04 Jan The Real Problem with the DSM-5

Posted at 19:09h in DSM-5, Health Care, Human Development, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Social Therapy 9 Comments

January 4, 2012 I’ve been following the controversy over the latest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM-5. Compiled and published by the American Psychiatric Association, the DSM is the diagnostic bible for mental health professionals the world over—and a cash cow for the...

29 Dec Common Joint Activity

Posted at 22:52h in Creativity, Culture, Education, Human Development, Learning Environments, Outside of School, Performance Movement, Psychology of Becoming, Social Therapeutics, Vygotsky, Youth Development 0 Comments

[caption id="attachment_1180" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Zdravo da Ste Weekend"][/caption] December 29, 2011 I returned from Serbia a few weeks ago, energized from six very performatory days with friends old and new. Nearly every year since 1997 as winter begins I’ve made the journey to work and play with the extraordinary people of Zdravo...

17 Nov What is Relational Therapy?

Posted at 22:46h in Human Development, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy, Social Therapy 2 Comments

November 17, 2011 What is relationality and how does it play out in psychotherapy these days? Are all therapies relational? Or at least all non-medical model therapies? What challenges do relational therapists confront? A communication from a therapist in Norway sparked these questions for me. I have the privilege of lurking in...

16 Nov Can Kids Run a Town?

Posted at 22:31h in Culture, Education, Human Development, Learning Environments, Psychology of Becoming, Youth Development 0 Comments

November 16, 2011 I love my responsibility as chair of Global Outreach for the All Star's Project's UX because of the opportunities I get to bring people together who wouldn't ordinarily meet. Like the immigrant young people from Rome who run their own community, the inner-city young people and adults in New York...

09 Nov Social Therapy in South Africa

Posted at 00:44h in Activity Theory, Community Organizing, Education, Human Development, Performance Movement, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy, Social Therapeutics, Theatre, Vygotsky 0 Comments

November 8, 2011 Please check out the latest issue of the East Side Institute’s newsletter, Reports from the Field, for news on what our friends, colleagues and alumni are up to. You’ll hear from Annalie Pistorius and her new social therapy practice in Pretoria South Africa, the synergy between Elina Lampert-Shepel and...