On the Relation Between Psychology and Physics
Douglas M. Snyder, Berkeley, California
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 1-18
ISSN 0271-0137
Garrison's recent article provides another analysis of the need for the inclusion
of a relativistic theoretical structure for doing psychological work that adopts
some notion related to compementarity for integrating distinct relativistic positions.
Problems in his historical account of the introduction of this approach are addressed.
Issues concerned with interpretation by psychologists, including Garrison, of modern
physical theory are also discussed and point toward the unique contribution that
psychologists can bring to understanding modern physical theory. The central significance
of psychologists' exploration of modern physical theory is addressed through discussing
evidence in this theory of an unavoidable link between the observing, thinking person
and the physical world.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Douglas M. Snyder, Ph.D., P.O. Box 228,
Berkeley, California 94701.
On Mentalism, Privacy, and Behaviorism
Jay Moore, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 19-36
ISSN 0271-0137
The present paper examines three issues from the perspective of Skinner's radical
behaviorism: (a) the nature of mentalism, (b) the relation between behaviorism and
mentalism, and (c) the nature of behavioristic objections to mentalism. Mentalism
is characterized as a particular orientation to the explanation of behavior that
entails an appeal to inner causes. Methodological and radical behaviorism are examined
with respect to this definition, and methodological behaviorism is held to be mentalistic
by virtue of its implicit appeal to mental phenomena in the account of how knowledge
is gained from scientific endeavors. Finally, it is noted that the behavioristic
objection to mentalism is pragmatic: mentalism interferes with the effective explanation
of behavioral events.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Jay Moore, Ph.D., Department of Psychology,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201.
On Reversal of Temporality of Human Cognition
and Dialectical Self
Suchoon S. Mo, University of Southern Colorado
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 37-46
ISSN 0271-0137
In terms of temporality of logic, the relation between "before" and "after"
is an inverse relation, as is the relation between intension and extension. Reversal
of temporality of human cognition is accompanied by corresponding reversal between
intension and extension. Such reversal is based on lateral reversal of brain hemisphere
locus of time information. A similar inverse relation exists between self as subject
and self as object. Extreme objectification of self is associated with brain hemisphere
lateral reversal of time information, indicating that subject-object reversal is
similar in nature to reversal of temporality of cognition. Dialectical nature of
self is based on contradiction between self as subject and self as object. Synthesis
arising from such contradiction may be regarded as reality of self.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Suchoon S. Mo, Ph.D., Department of Psychology,
University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, Colorado 81001.
Personal Expressiveness: Philosophical and Psychological
Foundations
Alan S. Waterman, Trenton State College
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 47-74
ISSN 0271-0137
Psychological and philosophical perspectives are employed in an exploration of the
reasons particular individuals experience an activity as personally expressive while
others may find the same activity neutral or even aversive. The relationships between
personal expressiveness and intrinsic motivation, flow, and self-actualization are
considered. The construct of personal expressiveness is shown to have its roots in
eudaimonistic philosophy. Living in a manner consistent with one's daimon or "true
self" gives rise to a cognitive-affective state labeled "eudaimonia"
that is distinguishable from hedonic enjoyment. A personally expressive personality
pattern is described integrating concepts from diverse theories including (a) a sense
of personal identity, (b) self-actualization, (c) an internal locus of control, and
(d) principled moral reasoning. A series of empirical investigations is proposed
to test the theoretical concepts of personal expressiveness advanced.
Requests for reprints should be addressed to Alan S. Waterman, Ph.D., Department
of Psychology, Trenton State College, Hillwood Lakes, CN4700, Trenton, New Jersey
08650-4700.
Consciousness in Quantum Physics and The Mind-Body
Problem
Amit Goswami, University of Oregon
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 75-96,
ISSN 0271-0137
Following the lead of von Neumann and Wigner, Goswami (1989) has developed a paradox-free
interpretation of quantum mechanics based on the idealistic notion that consciousness
collapes the quantum wave function. This solution of quantum measurement theory sheds
a considerable amount of light on the nature of consciousness. Quantum theory is
applied to the mind-brain problem and a solution (quantum functionalism) is proposed
for the paradox of the causal potency of the conscious mind and of self-reference.
Cognitive and neurophysiological data in support of the present theory are also reviewed.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Amit Goswami, Ph.D., Physics Department,
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403.
On the Theory and Application of Third Person
Analysis in the Practice of Psychotherapy
Lauren Lawrence, The New School for Social Research
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 97-104
ISSN 0271-0137
This paper critques a new mathod which I have termed third person analysis
and gives perspective on its range and application in clinical practice. Third person
analysis turns the analysand into a narrator who will speak of herself in the third
person. It is believed that the basic analytic principle inherent in narration can
be employed in the form of third person analysis with a wide variety of patients.
This new form of psychotherapy provides the analysand with the necessary tool of
the narrator, an objectivity needed for the construction of her story. The idea of
this paper, then, is not to denigrate the values of free association but rather to
shed light on a new form of the mechanism. Free association in the third person may
allow the narrating analysand a more creative spontaneity wherein a certain leakage
of unguarded and heretofore unrealized material may guiltlessly emerge.
Requests for reprint should be sent to Lauren Lawrence, 31 East 72nd Street,
New York, New York 10021.
Book Review ª Paradigms in Behavior Therapy:
Present and Promise
Daniel B. Fishman, Frederic Rotgers, and Cyril M. Franks (Editors). New York: Springer
Publishing Company, 1988
Reviewed By William O'Donohue, University of Maine
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 105-110
ISSN 0271-0137
[Note: First paragraph, no abstract available.] According to the editors the two
purposes of this book were "to articlate the basic assumptions underlying modern
behavior therapy within a philosophy-of-science context, and to sample and compare
the views of systematically selected, prominent, exemplar behavior therapists with
regard to the status of behavior therapy on various dimensions of the concept 'paradigm'"
(p. 4). These goals are important for several reasons. First, the explication of
the presuppositions of behavior therapy potentially can allow a deeper understanding
of behavior therapy. Second, to the extent that criticism is essential to the growth
of knowledge, such an explication can expose these buried assumptions to the light
of critisim and perhaps aid in the growth of behavior therapy. Third, adopting a
Kuhnian perspective is important because Kuhn's views have dominated meta-scientific
analyses of psychology (Coleman and Salamon, 1988) and, if examined critically, such
an analysis could provide important information regarding the value of the Kuhnian
account of science.
Requests for reprints should be sent to William O'Donohue, Ph>D., Department
of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469.
Book Review ª The Adventure of Self Discovery
Stanislav Grof. New York: State University of New York Press, 1988
Reviewed by Anton F. Koote, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 111-114
ISSN 0271-0137
[Note: First paragraph, no abstract available.] Stanislav Grof has devoted his life
to the study of the "remarkable healing and transformative potential of nonordinary
states of consciousness" (Grof, 1988, p. xi). His early career focused on the
effets of psychedelic substances - initally in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and then at
the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. He became convinced that "psychedelics
- if used properly and judiciously under expert guidance - represent extradinary
tools for psychiatry and psychology" (pp. xi-xii). As we all know, the social
and judicial climate has inhibited the full development of psychedelic research and
therapy. Of necessity, researchers interested in the therapeutic effects of altered
states of consciousness have turned their attention to other mind expansion techniques-yoga,
meditation and hypnosis - as a means of attaining similar states. Grof and his wife
Christina have developed their own non pharmacological method, known as Holonomic
integration, or holotropic therapy (Greek holos = whole; trepein = moving toward),
which combines controlled breathing, music and sound technology, focused body work,
and mandala drawing. Grof has found that application of the yogic technique of deliberate,
sustained hyperventilation known as "bastrika," particularly when utilized
in conjunction with evocative music, allows access to the entire range of states
available with psychedelic drugs. Its therapeutic value lies in its activation of
the unconscious, which selects the most relevant emotional materials and facilitates
their emergence into the consciousness.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Anton F. Koote, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville,
4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32224.
Book Review ª Carl Jung and Christian Spirituality
Robert L. Moore (Editor). New York: Paulist Press, 1988
Reviewed by Victor H. Jones, Indiana State University
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 115-118,
ISSN 0271-0137
[Note: First paragraph, no abstract availabe.] Carl Jung and Christian Spirituality
comes at a time when Jungian psychology is becoming more and more important, says
Robert L. Moore, editor of this collection of essays and author of the introduction.
Jung's ideas appeal to many "laypersons and professionals in the mental health
field-especially among those disillusioned by the more narrow and simplistic psychlogical
theories" (p. vii). Jung's views have great appeal, of course, because they
suggest the possibilty that human beings do have a "common humanity" and
"common spiritual roots" (p. vii). The need to find these aspects of mental
life shared by all is crucial, says Moore, for "no less than the future of the
planet is at stake" (p. viii). Moore identified additional reasons for the appeal
of Jung's ideas: they may "help us find areas in which we remain in bondage"
to shadow forces in our lives; they may help us to transform ourselves and so improve
our world; and they may help us achieve individuation of the Self (p. x).
Requests for reprints should be sent to Victor H. Jones, Ph.D., Department of
English, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana 47809.
Book Review ª Rat Man
Stuart Schneiderman. New York and London: New York University Press, 1987
Reviewed by Michael Walsh, University of Hartford
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 119-122
ISSN 0271-0137
[Note: First paragragh, no abstract available.] Rat Man, a lucidly Lacanian
rereading of Freud's famous case of obsessional neurosis, suggests at one point that
an obsessional cannot establish any temporality of his or her, and is obliged to
wait for what Lacan called "the hour of the Other" (1977b, p.18). As the
authors preface makes clear, something similar is true of Rat Man itself;
originally completed in 1977, this terse and instructive book took a full decade
to find a publisher. I know nothing of the specific circumstances involved in this
delay, but hope that it is not an indication of the current status of Lacan and Lacanians
in the English-speaking intellectual world.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Michael Walsh, Department of English,
University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut 06117.
Book Review ª The Last Intellectuals
Russell Jacoby. New York: The Noonday Press, 1987
Reviewed by Robert E. Haskell, University of New England
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Winter 1990, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 123-126
ISSN 0271-0137
[Note: First paragraph, no abstract available.] For the reader who cares about ideas,
and the "intellectual life," The Last Intellectuals is a sobering
book. Its basic thesis is that the post-1940s United States generation has produced
no intellectuals, and that the last intellectuals belonged to the previous generation.
As an academic, my initial reaction to Jacoby's thesis was one of shocked skepticism.
The proof of this thesis, however, hangs on his definition of "intellectual."
It soon becomes clear that what Jacoby means by the term intellectual is a non-academic
who writes for the larger public, who writes on economic and political issues, who
raises the consciousness of the public, who engages in cultural criticism around
a sense of community - and who is a relatively independent freelancer secondarily
publishing in small magazines and pamphlets. Further, not only is the intellectual
a person of ideas but a writer of quality prose as well. Once these premises are
accepted, Jacoby's thesis unfolds smoothly, if not inexorably.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Robert E. Haskell, Ph.D., Department
of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine 04005.