A Recent Behaviour Analytic Approach to the Self

Theopsych: A Psychological Science Primer for Theologians

In ‘Darkly Dreaming (in) Authenticity: The Self/Persona Opposition in Dexter,’ Glenn D'Cruz uses Dexter Morgan, the novelised serial killer and Showtime TV anti-hero to examine the connections between self and persona and the discourse of authenticity. D’Cruz foresees a series of challenges for persona studies and considers key concerns ahead, in terms of the critical vocabulary and scholarly agenda and addresses the need for critical genealogy of the term ‘persona’.

Perspective-taking skills have been shown to be pivotal in a variety of social and interpersonal interactions. A better understanding of the process involved in building such a repertoire could be beneficial in a wide variety of language and social skills training programs. A relational frame theory approach to perspective taking involves a focus on deictic relations, such as I-You, Here-There, and Now-Then. The present study examined the effect of operant contingencies on deictic relational responding in 3 normally developing young (57 to 68 months old) children. In a multiple baseline across persons and tasks format, I-You, Here-There, and Now-Then deictic relational frames were successfully shaped as operant behavior. As the children acquired deictic relational frames at the Reversed and Double-Reversed levels, the children’s performance on traditional perspective-taking measures generally increased.

The purpose of this article will be to review some self psychological concepts and describe their commonalities and differences with system theories that have emerged under the umbrella of a dynamic systems framework. There are several important elements of self psychological language and theory that cohere with a systems vantage point. There are also elements that are not consistent with a dynamic systems perspective, such as the nuclear self. The concept of the nuclear self has the potential to galvanize psychoanalysts to look for the buried essence of structural properties and a preprogrammed design. It is our view that the language and underlying theory of psychoanalysis should be consistent with the fluidity, variability, and soft assembled nature of a systems viewpoint.

This chapter explores how affective states of mind, such as presence and vigilance, emerge, transform, and disappear as performative effects of leading students’ learning milieu. Specifically, we follow how the use of post-psychologies targeting milieu, contexts, relations, and bodies are centrally incorporated into leadership practices. Post-psychologies are psychological concepts and practices that go beyond modern psychology and are concerned about the autonomous individual. These post-psy-informed leadership practices are, on the one hand, producing and bringing life to certain feelings and affective state of minds, while on the other hand, taking the life out of others. In addition, these processes are carefully interwoven with practices informed by modern psychologies. Inspired by Michel Foucault and Brian Massumi, these types of post-psy-informed leadership practices can be conceptualised as an ontopower radically producing and constituting psy-ontologies and affective economies. All in all, this results in an interesting, however, muddy, affective economy, and a situation, which again asks for new thoughts on the entanglements of leadership practices and post/psychologies. The chapter is a hopeful contribution to such psy-interruptions.

Self-control is a difficult concept for behaviourists. The implication that we are exercising control over ourselves, rather than being controlled by our environment, appears to run counter to strict behaviourist doctrine. The spectre of mind-body dualism with homunculi sitting inside our head looms large on the horizon. The concept of the self as initiator and controller of our behaviour appears to break all the rules in the behaviourist book. Self-control, in this sense, is not only ‘mentalistic’ and ‘inferential’, it is also in danger of becoming ‘explanatory fiction’. Like the man who gives up smoking because of willpower, we can only infer his willpower from the behaviour it is designed to explain. Skinner (1953) has pointed out the dangers of using inferential concepts such as willpower and self-control. He and many other ‘radical behaviourists’ have strongly argued that there is no place for these concepts in scientific psychology.

The hypothesis of this dissertation is that an alternative notion of selfhood is emerging in disparate areas of contemporary thought. This postmodern idea of selfhood may be seen as a reaction to traditional paradigms of human agency found in western mythology and theology, rationalist philosophy and psychology, and scientific positivism. It is not properly a new notion of selfhood insofar as many of the characteristics of self that are brought forward can be found in the history of ideas such as Romanticism and Neo-platonism. This alternate notion of selfhood emerges in two distinct areas of postmodern thought: archetypal psychology and contemporary feminist scholarship in religion. A critical assessment of archetypal psychology as informed by contemporary feminist theory is a necessary outcome of this investigation into an emerging concept of self in contemporary thought. One conclusion reached is that archetypal psychology is weak in its means of accounting for the body in how it theorizes about selfhood. Nonetheless, archetypal psychology and contemporary feminist thought can be seen as characterizing contemporary ideas of selfhood as follows: it is not singular or montheistic but diverse and polytheistic; it is more than merely rational--it is also based in the imagination; it demands the re-sacralization of both the body and the material world; it denies the belief that self is separated and autonomous, advocating the perspective that self communes with and is connected to the things and beings of the world; and, finally, it is not static, but is in the process of becoming what it will.

The history of psychology as a scholarly field has grown and diversified since the landmark volumes of E. G. Boring’s A History of Experimental Psychology (1929, 1950). It is now a site of scholarly inquiry that attracts practitioners from a range of disciplines. Psychological concepts and practices hold interest for people from all walks of life and from around the globe. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the History of Modern Psychology reflects the range of such interest. The essays found here explore topics from everyday subjective experiences to deep connections among esoteric laboratory sciences and Enlightenment philosophies. Our contributors seek to answer difficult questions about how psychology developed, not only in the Western world, but across the globe. Human history has many examples of how people have used knowledge about themselves, others, and their world to try and change or improve their lives. How did these experiences help make possible a science and profession of psychology? In turn, how has scientific and professional psychology shaped or influenced the psychology of everyday life? The reader will find in these essays key insights into the profound differences that have marked the growth of Western modernity—race, gender, sexuality among them—and what they reveal about selfhood, identity, and possibilities for human freedom and oppression. In our own time, we see the psychological, economic, and political legacy of past practices and the profound inequities that we now must address. We hope these histories will help readers find or create counter-histories that help us move toward a more equitable world.

The concep of as a material thing atom or steady particle in time and space was replaced by relative theory with concept of as events system. The theory of modern physics has exchanged the meaning of matter bercome organism with rresult that, according to Iqbal's opinion, is derived from movement. The space could be distinguished between visible, mathematics, objective, absolute, and relative space. Time was also distinguished. Finally, Iqbal put those concepts in contact with the concept of self

This paper explores the elusive and esoteric concepts of self and soul. After examining the psychological concept of self, as differentiated from ego, the authors present a unified theory of psychological, psychoanalytical and spiritual conceptualizations in light of Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. We suggest that understanding the self system (whether in object relations, intersubjective or interpersonal terms) is enhanced by the framework found in the Jewish mystical literature.

Mary Henle's many years of research have earned her a loyal following and a reputation as an original and signiicant contributor to concepts of modern psychology. In her latest book she analyzes theories of psychology, rather than simply presenting them, and invites her readers -psychologists and students alike- to read these accepted ideas more closely and critically. 1879 and All That argues that psychologists should think more clearly about concepts, assumptions, and even words they use. Providing examples from Gestalt psychology, her own specialty, Henle addresses a number of themes, including: the need to recognize that labelling a problem is not the same as solving it; the need to analyze an author's assumptions in order to understand the author; and the need to consult primary sources instead of relying on secondary materials. The goal throughout is to take the student and psychologist beyond the passive reading of psychology history and theory, in which one simply learns what significant figures have said, and to start them on a much more adventurous and exciting path of analysis.


 From a relational frame theory perspective, our sense of self is a by-product of language that arises from transformation of stimulus functions through relational framing of our own responding. In this way, selfing is an important action that allows us to clarify our needs, wants, and what matters to us. Tacting and deictic relational responding are two processes that are instrumental to the development of a healthy selfing repertoire. This paper provides an overview of tacting and deictic relational responding in accordance with relational frame theory in addition to features of an optimal environment for shaping these processes. In terms of tacting, it is important to consider learning environment sensitivity, consequence availability, the individual’s experience, and to facilitate rich discussions of private events. In terms of deictic relational responding, it is important to provide frequent interactions that contain multiple exemplars of distinctions between self and others in addition to rich discussions of private events while also tailoring to the individual when drawing from training protocols. We conclude with a brief overview of the current evidence base regarding the identified features.

Reviewed by: The Holocaust and the Revival of Psychological History by Judith M. Hughes Russell A. Spinney The Holocaust and the Revival of Psychological History. By Judith M. Hughes. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Pp. xi + 188. Paper $22.49. ISBN 978-1107690448. Judith M. Hughes's book explores the uses of psychology and psychiatry in some landmark works in Nazi and Holocaust studies. Her selection criteria involved consideration of prominent figures, key debates, accessibility in English, and the authors' attention to sorting out how they acquired their understanding of their historical protagonists. For instance, she examines the psychology of leadership through the early portrait of Hitler by Hugh Trevor-Roper, The Last Days of Hitler (1947), and the more recent, comprehensive work by Ian Kershaw, Hitler: Hubris [End Page 450] (1999). Then Hughes concentrates on perpetrator motives through the works of Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men (1993), Daniel J. Goldhagen, Hitler's Willing Executioners (1996), Saul Friedländer, The Years of Persecution, 1933–1939 (1997) and The Years of Extermination (2007), and Jan T. Gross, Neighbors (2002) and Fear (2006). Finally, she looks at conscience among the perpetrators including Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (2006), Gitta Sereny, Into That Darkness (1983), and Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth (1996). Hughes urges scholars to revisit their own assumptions about the historical agents they study. Based on her training as a psychoanalyst and a long career of studying its history, she asks us to reconsider how psychology, psychiatry, and, one might add, the growing use of neuroscience or any other science, can inform future scholarship. At the heart of the matter, to paraphrase Hughes, is the question of how to develop scholarly interpretations that are more sensitive to the current research in psychology. Rejecting stories of demonic figures ruling over a helplessly enthralled populace, she wishes to bring out of the shadows the psychologically complex individuals who were motivated by their moral passions and convictions (179–182). She forewarns the reader that she will exclude from her examination of each author's work any exaggerated assertions of adult beliefs and childhood behaviors. Similarly, she means to avoid any notion of internalization or the projection of impulses, desires, or feelings that the subject refuses to recognize in him- or herself. Many of these concepts have become commonplace in the scholarship, perhaps even heuristic tropes akin to the emotions themselves, but they often stand in for something left further unexplored by the scholar. All of these misunderstandings, Hughes contends, show the shakiness of the historical subject's grasp on reality, the dynamic interaction between a person's internal world and the external world, and the problematic reliance of historians on what she calls a psychoanalytically inflected "commonsense" psychology (5). The purpose of Hughes's book is thus to provide a set of case studies for those considering the strengths and limitations in the use of psychoanalysis and psychology in history; the real task for the historian, she claims, is to tease apart the actual thinking and fantasies of the historical agents, in order to better understand those historical agents' actions they study. Hughes devotes as much space as possible for a biography of each author, an account of the evolution of their work, and a description of their involvement in key debates. This narrative approach contextualizes the studies for anyone coming to these topics for the first time; and for more informed readers, it may provide a fuller portrait of familiar authors and their contributions. It is not always as clear, however, what psychological or psychoanalytical concepts Hughes would advocate. In fact, when analyzing how historians have used psychology to investigate the protagonists, many of the concepts that she views as outdated are exactly the ones she finds them using. In Hughes's estimation, some of the best uses of psychology and [End Page 451] psychiatry in Holocaust historiography, like Kershaw's study of Hitler, ultimately fall back on these popular understandings of psychology while still bringing important psychoanalytic themes into discussion—including the German people's widespread belief in the power of the leader's wishes and Hitler's sense of being driven by a mission and feeling buoyed up by adulation...

The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic study was to explore the impact of a chronic disease on low socio-economic women with RA in South Africa. Ten women participants with a mean age of 48 years and a mean duration of RA of 10 years were obtained through purposive sampling from a public hospital RA clinic. In-depth individual interviews were conducted as a method of data collection. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed for the data analysis. Grounded theory analysis was used which produced 3 primary categories around the impact of RA: (1) Physical impact, (2) Social and economic impact, and (3) Psychological impact; and 5 sub-categories, namely, Pain and poor Functional Status, Change in life-style following a weakened economic position, Change in the constitution of the “Self”, Change in the constitution of the “Self” of the spouse/partner, and Depression. Depression, pain and poor functional status are well known health outcomes for RA patients. Perceived change in the psychological concept of the “Self” is less frequently reported. The value of this study is that the concept of the self is further explored in chronically ill individuals as a ‘fluid’ one, with the potential for undergoing a complete transformation as a consequence of RA.

Debatable issues are discussed in the responses and comments of the debaters (9 papers) on a series of articles by A.L. Zhuravlev, E.A. Sergienko “Analysis of modern concepts in psychology. Part I. The experience of systematization of concepts”, “Analysis of modern concepts in psychology. Part II. Development of modern concepts by scientists of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, “System-network organization of modern concepts of psychology (using the example of developments by employees of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences)”, which were prepared on the basis of collective work “Development of concepts of modern Psychology” (2018, 2019, 2021). Most of the debaters discussed the system-network hypothesis of the organization of the conceptual space, paying little attention to the characteristics of modern concepts that we have highlighted. Judgments have been made about the polyparadigmatic nature of modern concepts, which on the one hand may contradict the pre-paradigm status of psychology (V.A. Mazilov), and on the other — to confuse the theoretical planning of research. Modern views on the polyparadigmality of psychology in the era of metamodern, constant interaction and mutual influence of different paradigms, not always reflected by the authors, were presented. The proposal to develop a system-network approach, taking into account the strength of connections and the degree of growth of hierarchies, becomes a task for further testing of this hypothesis. There may also be a different division of concepts than that undertaken by the authors, and this would show that the essence of their organization probably would not have changed. The prospects of our work may be further substantiation of the criteria for the allocation of psychological concepts, their place and significance in the socio-human sciences and strengthening interdisciplinary analysis. In part, some answers to the debatable questions are presented in a subsequent article by A.L. Zhuravlev, E.A. Sergienko, A.A. Fedorov “Bibliometric analysis of the three-volume work “Development of concepts of modern psychology” (2018–2021)” (2023) and the collective monograph “Scientific approaches in modern domestic psychology” (2023).