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Encyclopedia > Human potential movement
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The Human Potential Movement came out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and was formed to promote the cultivation of extraordinary potential believed to be largely untapped in most people. The movement is premised on the belief that through the development of human potential, humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with happiness, creativity, and fulfillment. A corollary belief is often that those who begin to unleash this potential will find their actions within society to be directed towards helping others release their potential. The belief is that the net effect of individuals cultivating their potential will bring about positive social change at large. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... The social environment or social context is a group of identical or similar social positions and social roles. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

Contents

Roots

The movement has its conceptual roots in existentialism and humanism. Its formation was strongly tied to Humanistic psychology, also known as the "3rd force" in psychology (after psychoanalysis and behaviorism, and before the "4th force" of Transpersonal psychology which emphasizes esoteric, psychic, mystical, and spiritual development). It is often considered synonymous with Humanistic psychology. The movement views Abraham Maslow's idea of self actualization as the supreme expression of a human's life. Existentialism is a philosophical movement in which individual human beings are understood as having full responsibility for creating the meanings of their own lives. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Humanistic psychology is a school of psychology that emerged in the 1950s in reaction to both behaviorism and psychoanalysis. ... Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes, emotion, personality, behavior, and relationships. ... Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the work of Sigmund Freud. ... Behaviorism is an approach to psychology based on the proposition that behaviour can be studied and explained scientifically without recourse to internal mental states. ... Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transcendent, or spiritual dimensions of humanity. ... Esotericism is knowledge suitable only for an inner circle of the initiated, advanced or privileged. ... The term psychic comes from the Greek psychikos, meaning of the soul, mental, which is in turn derived from the Greek word psyche (soul/mind). ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... Humanistic psychology is a school of psychology that emerged in the 1950s in reaction to both behaviorism and psychoanalysis. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs is a theory in psychology that Abraham Maslow proposed in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which he subsequently extended to include his observations of mans innate curiosity. ...


The name "Human Potential Movement" is sometimes credited to George Leonard (see Esalen below). George Burr Leonard is a former United States Army Air Corps pilot, a former editor of Look Magazine, President of the Esalen Institute, and holds a fifth degree black belt in aikido. ...


Relationship to other fields

The movement is sometimes considered to be under the broader umbrella of the New Age movement. It is distinguished ideologically from other New Age trends by an emphasis on the individual development of secular human capabilities as opposed to the more spiritual views within the movement. However, participants rarely make this distinction and it is common to find that most who embrace the ideas of the human potential movement also tend to embrace the other more spiritual ideas within the New Age movement. New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ...


It is in many ways the progenitor of the contemporary industry surrounding Personal growth and self-help. Though the term self-help can refer to any case whereby an individual or a group betters themselves economically, intellectually or emotionally, the connotations of the phrase have come to apply particularly to psychological or psychotherapeutic nostrums, often purveyed through the popular genre of the self-help book. ...


Esalen

The Esalen Institute was formed by Michael Murphy and Dick Price primarily as a center for the study and development of human potential, and is considered to be the geographical center of the movement today. Aldous Huxley gave lectures on the "Human Potential" at Esalen in the early 1960s and his ideas are also considered fundamental to the movement. Esalen Institute is a center for humanistic education, a nonprofit organization devoted to multidisciplinary studies ordinarily neglected by traditional academia. ... Michael Murphy is the co-founder of the Esalen Institute, a key figure in the Human Potential Movement and author of both fiction and non-fiction books on topics related to extraordinary human potential. ... Dick Price co-founded Esalen, opening the Big Sur grounds to course leaders and students in October 1962, including the course leader Alan Watts. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...


An important early influence on Esalen was George Leonard, a magazine writer and editor who was conducting research for an article on human potential. Leonard claims that he came up with the phrase "Human Potential Movement" during a brainstorming session with Murphy. He and Murphy then popularized the idea in bestselling books. Leonard has worked closely with Esalen ever since and in 2005 was its president. George Burr Leonard is a former United States Army Air Corps pilot, a former editor of Look Magazine, President of the Esalen Institute, and holds a fifth degree black belt in aikido. ...


Criticism

The movement has received criticism in two forms. The first is from researchers in psychology, medicine, and science who often dismiss the movement as being grounded in pseudoscience, overusing psychobabble, and whose efficacy can be explained entirely by placebo. This criticism was expressed by Richard Feynman's response to his visit at Esalen. Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ... Psychobabble is a pejorative term applied to jargon from the field of psychology, intended to imply that the jargon means little of consequence. ... A placebo is a medicine or preparation which has no inheren pertinent pharmacologic activity but which is effective only by virtue of the factor of suggestion attendant upon its administration. ... Richard Phillips Feynman (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988; surname pronounced ) was an American physicist known for expanding the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, and particle theory. ... The Esalen Institute is a workshop and retreat center in Big Sur, California. ...


However, a technique may still be useful despite a pseudoscientific or religious background. The crucial point is whether critics are correct in asserting that the techniques of the human potential movement have no effect other than the placebo effect or an attitudinal effect such as the Hawthorne effect. Empirical research is required to settle this question. The Hawthorne effect is a label first used in 1955 to give a new interpretation of the results of the original Hawthorne experiments conducted from 1924-1932. ...


The second criticism comes from those often considered sympathetic to the movement, but who believe that the movement has not succeeded in its goals, but has instead created an environment that actually inhibits personal development. The claim is that it encourages childish narcissism by reinforcing the behavior of focusing on one's problems and expressing how one feels, rather than encouraging behaviors to overcome these problems. This criticism is best viewed in the terms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In this analysis, the failure is characterized as an exclusive focus on helping individuals fulfill their Deficit Needs, without moving individuals up the hierarchy to Being Needs, i.e., self actualization. This article is about narcissism as a word in common use. ... In operant conditioning, reinforcement is any change in an organisms surroundings that: occurs regularly when the organism behaves in a given way (that is, is contingent on a specific response), is contiguous with the behaviour (associated in time and space), and is associated with an increase in the probability... Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs is a theory in psychology that Abraham Maslow proposed in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which he subsequently extended to include his observations of mans innate curiosity. ... Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs is a theory in psychology that Abraham Maslow proposed in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which he subsequently extended to include his observations of mans innate curiosity. ... Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs is a theory in psychology that Abraham Maslow proposed in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which he subsequently extended to include his observations of mans innate curiosity. ...


A more serious extension of this criticism claims that this problem is due to a flawed foundation of the movement altogether--the focus on the individual's own development as supreme, to the detriment of the consideration of others and society.


Sonia Choquette, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Deepak Chopra and others negate this criticism by suggesting that the individual consider putting his/her individual development in the hands of the divine as a means to better others and society. This makes the criticism invalid, as, though some of the focus is on the individual's development, the movement, for the most part, is guided by extrinsic consideration for the highest good of all beings on the planet.


The issue can only be resolved by empirical research. The contention that the Human Potential Movement encourages narcissism requires documentation.


See also

Autosuggestion (or autogenous training) is a process by which an individual trains the subconscious mind to believe something, or systematically schematizes the persons own mental associations, usually for a given purpose. ... Biofeedback mechanism. ... There is no organisation today called the Emin Society or the Emin Foundation. ... Esalen Institute is a center for humanistic education, a nonprofit organization devoted to multidisciplinary studies ordinarily neglected by traditional academia. ... Erhard Seminars Training, or est (always in lower-case), was a controversial New Age large group awareness training (LGAT) seminar program, widespread during the 1970s. ... Erhard Seminars Training, or est (always in lower-case), was a controversial New Age large group awareness training (LGAT) seminar program, widespread during the 1970s. ... The Feldenkrais Method is an educational system intended to give individuals a greater functional awareness of the self. ... Gestalt Therapy is a psychotherapy which focuses on here-and-now experience and personal responsibility. ... Humanistic psychology is a school of psychology that emerged in the 1950s in reaction to both behaviorism and psychoanalysis. ... Professor Charcot was well-known for showing, during his lessons at the Salpêtrière hospital, hysterical woman patients – here, his favorite patient, Blanche (Marie) Wittman, supported by Joseph Babiński. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. ... // Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a set of techniques, axioms and beliefs that adherents use primarily as an approach to personal development. ... Personal development (also known as self-development, self-improvement or personal growth) comprises the development of the self. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Though the term self-help can refer to any case whereby an individual or a group betters themselves economically, intellectually or emotionally, the connotations of the phrase have come to apply particularly to psychological or psychotherapeutic nostrums, often purveyed through the popular genre of the self-help book. ... The Silva Method, originally called Silva Mind Control, comprises a self-empowerment system to shape beliefs and augment personal success. ... Visualization can refer to: Graphic Visualization as in any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate any message. ... Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, focusing on meditation as a path to self-knowledge and liberation. ...

Notable figures

Werner Hans Erhard (born John “Jack” Paul Rosenberg on September 5, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), [11] became arguably best known to the general public for the programs he set up: the “est Training” (1971 – 1981) and the “Forum” (1981 – 1991). ... Carlos Fernando Flores Labra (born January 9, 1943) is a former Chilean cabinet minister and current senator. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Michael Murphy is the co-founder of the Esalen Institute, a key figure in the Human Potential Movement and author of both fiction and non-fiction books on topics related to extraordinary human potential. ... Friedrich (Frederick) Salomon Perls (July 8 1893, Berlin - March 14, 1970, Chicago), better known as Fritz Perls, was a noted German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist of Jewish descent. ... Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987) was an influential American psychologist, who, along with Abraham Maslow, was the founder of the humanist approach to psychology. ... Jean Houston, Ph. ... George Burr Leonard is a former United States Army Air Corps pilot, a former editor of Look Magazine, President of the Esalen Institute, and holds a fifth degree black belt in aikido. ... Richard Bandler (full-name: Richard Wayne Bandler) (born February 24, 1950) is an American author and the co-inventor (with John Grinder) of Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and creator of Design Human Engineering (DHE) and Neuro Hypnotic Repattering (NHR), . // Bandler holds a BA (1973) in Philosophy and Psychology from the... Paul McKenna (born 8 November 1963, in Enfield, Middlesex, England) is a British hypnotist, author, and television personality. ... Anthony Robbins (born 29 February 1960, Glendora, California) is an American motivational speaker and writer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

  • Esalen
  • Esalen Alumni Group
  • Salerno, Steve (2005). SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless. New York: Random House. ISBN 1-4000-5409-5.

  Results from FactBites:
 
Human Potential Movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (696 words)
The Human Potential Movement came out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and was formed to promote the cultivation of extraordinary potential believed to be largely untapped in most people.
The movement is premised on the belief that through the development of human potential, humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with happiness, creativity, and fulfillment.
The movement is sometimes considered to be under the broader umbrella of the New Age movement.
Human potential movement - definition of Human potential movement in Encyclopedia (706 words)
The Human Potential Movement is premised on the belief that through the development of largely untapped potential for extraordinary capabilities, humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with happiness, creativity, and fulfillment.
Aldous Huxley gave lectures on the "Human Potential" at Esalen in the early 1960s and his ideas are also considered foundational to the movement.
The first is from researchers in psychology, medicine, and science who often dismiss the movement as being grounded in pseudoscience, overusing Psycho-babble, and whose efficacy can be explained entirely by placebo.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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