Growth psychology [antikvár]

ace A radical change is occurring in the way in which somé psychologists are viewing the humán personality. The new focus and direction is called "growth psychology" or "health psychology," and it is concerned not with the sick side of humán nature (psychological illness) but with the healthy side (psychological "wellness"). The purpose of growth psychology is not to treat victims of neuroses and psychoses, but to tap and release the vast humán potential for actualizing and fulfilling one's capabilities and for finding a deeper meaning in life. In short, growth psychology attempts to expand, enlarge, and enrich the humán personality, quite a change from the previous emphasis. People of all ages, in all walks of life, are enthusiastically embracing the humán potential movement. Sensitivity sessions, T-groups, and other forms of encounter therapy are immensely popular as more and more Americans become concerned with actualizing, fulfilling, and expanding their selves in order to reach heightened levels of awareness. A variety of schemes and prescriptions for achieving selfactualization is offered in semiprofessional and popular books and in magaziné articles. With almost messianic fervor, practitioners and followers of the humán potential movement explore their own inner natures and, apparently (although the evidence is far from complete), are finding the sense of identity, autonomy, and fulfillment that the older, traditional approaches to psychology fail to provide (or even to recognize). Interest in growth psychology is nowhere stronger than in the college classroom; many students have come to look upon this new