A Psychology of Becoming

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

17 Apr Ambassador for Development through Performance

Posted at 18:14h in Community Organizing, Culture, Education, Learning Environments, Outside of School, Psychology, Psychology of Becoming, Social Therapeutics, Youth Development 2 Comments

April 17, 2010 Anyone who knows me and/or visits this site knows I'm an avid supporter of the All Stars Project and have been since it began some decades ago. The All Stars' program are exquisite applications of the social therapeutic approach to human development because they are uniquely suited to...

16 Apr If There is an Achievement Gap, Where is it?

Posted at 19:22h in Education, Learning Environments, Politics, Psychology of Becoming, Youth Development 0 Comments

April 16, 2010 On April 15, my good friend and colleague Lenora Fulani delivered a brilliant statement about educational policy at the National Action Network's Annual National Convention in New York City. Dr. Fulani, a developmental psycholoigst and political activist, co-founded the All Stars Project, Inc. and its Operation Conversation: Cops...

02 Apr Help New Yorkers Play

Posted at 18:58h in Community Organizing, Culture, Psychology of Becoming 0 Comments

April 2, 2010 You can help New Yorkers play by voting for New York Plays in the web-based grant competition Pepsi Refresh. It's the entry of the East Side Institute, the non-profit I direct. Our idea is To conduct at least 3 community PLAYgrounds throughout NYC To introduce the power of play to...

30 Mar Development Grows in Newark

Posted at 21:51h in Community Organizing, Culture, Education, Outside of School, Psychology of Becoming, Youth Development 0 Comments

March 30, 2010 I don't usually post news items but I'm so thrilled about the All Stars Newark expansion plan — a partnership through which everyone grows — that I want to share it! From The Star Ledger NEWARK — The All Stars Project of New Jersey today announced a $9 million fundraising...

19 Mar View the Work/Play

Posted at 02:39h in Psychology of Becoming 0 Comments

March 18, 2010 In January I wrote about the Youth Onstage! production of the Work/Play last month. Now there's a video excerpt for your viewing pleasure...

13 Mar Politics and the DSM

Posted at 19:56h in Culture, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology of Becoming, Psychotherapy 1 Comment

March 13, 2010 One of my weekly treats is the arrival in my inbox of Talk Talk, excerpts from a dialogue Fred Newman and Jackie Salit have after watching the political talk shows on TV. Newman, co-founder with me of the Institute, is many other things – among them a...

12 Mar Play in China

Posted at 22:29h in Community Organizing, Culture, Education, Learning Environments, Psychology of Becoming, Youth Development 8 Comments

March 12, 2010 I just returned from a week in China - specifically, Deyang, a city in the Sichuan province very hard hit by the 2008 earthquake (more than 17,000 people died and over 70,000 were injured; the schools in neighboring areas collapsed). I was there to train middle school teachers...

27 Feb Vygotsky at Work and Play Nominated for APA Award

Posted at 01:34h in Activity Theory, Culture, Education, Learning Environments, Outside of School, Psychology of Becoming, Social Therapeutics, Vygotsky 11 Comments

February 26, 2010 I'm so pleased and honored that my book Vygotsky at Work and Play was nominated for the Eleanor Maccoby Book Award in Developmental Psychology, given by Divison 7 (Developmental Psychology) of the American Psychological Association annually. I just posted the nomination on the Reviews page under Vygotsky at...

23 Feb Philosophizing and Clowning with Patch Adams and Fred Newman

Posted at 23:22h in Clowning, Community Organizing, Culture, Health Care, Popular Posts, Psychology of Becoming 0 Comments

February 23, 2010 [caption id="attachment_403" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Fred Newman and Patch Adams"][/caption] This past Saturday I had the privilege of hosting Patch Adams for the day between two university presentations he was giving that morning and evening. The meeting was a long time coming; Patch ("the clown who is a doctor") and I...

22 Jan Reports from the Field—Advancing Community Building through Performance

Posted at 15:06h in Community Organizing, Culture, Education, Learning Environments, Performance Movement, Psychology of Becoming, Social Therapeutics 2 Comments

January 22, 2010 In 2004 I initiated a program to support grassroots social entrepreneurs and activist-scholars whose work is too new or innovative or radical to get much support. The program is called The International Class of the East Side Institute. As of today, over 50 people from five U.S. States...