According to Alex S. Key, the author of “The Third Instinct: How Religion Doesn’t Get You”, one of the greatest challenges facing humanity may well revolve around a misunderstanding of human needs. It can lead to frustration, diseases, and even war. In the view of the World Health Organization (WHO), one in 5 people is clinically depressed and it describes depression as the biggest epidemic that the world has ever known. The levels of depressions are far higher than a hundred years ago, even though life today is easier and more comfortable than ever, and despite more psychotherapists being game fully employed than ever! Key says that we are living in a world in which the number one killer on the planet is not cancer, influenza, or hunger. …show more content…
This is a gargantuan challenge that includes television, processed meats, flavour enhancers, video games, adult topless bars, internet porn, contraception, narcotics, shopping, fashion magazines, and even commercials! Add to this huge challenge the fact, that humans have a third basic instinct, which has gone virtually unnoticed, buzzing under the scientific and social radars, and we have a recipe for a very confusing world, filled with philosophical conflicts over women 's rights in Islam, supreme court nominations in the US, family values, and even the definitions of morality and …show more content…
He felt that what is called instinct is often imprecisely defined, and really amounts to strong drives. For Maslow, an instinct is something which cannot be overridden, and therefore while the term may have applied to humans in the past, it no longer does (Maslow, 1954). In this book, Maslow presents several criteria which distinguish instinctual from other kinds of behavior. To be considered instinctual, a behavior must: a) be automatic, b) be irresistible, c) occur at some point in development, d) be triggered by some event in the environment, e) occur in every member of the species, f) be unmodifiable, and g) govern behavior for which the organism needs no training (although the organism may profit from experience and to that degree the behavior is
Courting the Beast Imagine yourself in an empty, soundproof room; white padded walls, a lonely lightbulb flickering above. Depression feels very much like the aforementioned scene: desolate, monotonous, and helpless. Despite the wide variety of demographics affected by depression, our society devalues the physiological effects of depression and instead portrays it as a mood––or even worse––a phase. This notion is further amplified in our modern society through the way depression is depicted by pop culture and the mass media. For instance, a movie mocks a girl suffering from depression and instead showcases her as the anti-social geek who refuses to make friends––as if it were a conscious choice.
In the Greco-Roman period, melancholia was thought to have been caused by demons or spirits (Nemade, Reiss & Dombeck, 2007). This could have been because of how much depression can affect a person and how drastically their personality can change because of it. Such beliefs continued well into the Renaissance period, up until the Age of Enlightenment when depression was viewed as an inherited, unchangeable weakness (Nemade et al., 2007). The two conditions weren’t concretely separated until the mid 20th century, when distinctions between the severity of illnesses was also being taken into consideration (Levine et al., 2001). Emil Kraepelin, Sigmund Freud, and Aubrey Lewis all contributed to the ultimate separation (Levine et al., 2001).
The discord that has divided psychology and theology has created much opposition to finding a place of co existence. In spite all the various worldviews, psychology and theology seem to be inseparable in spite of the challenges. Entwistle states “Blamires helps us to see that we can learn from ‘secular’ sources while framing our thinking with a Christian worldview and applying knowledge with Christian concern” (Entwistle, 2010).God created everything, nothing is hidden from him and he is all wise and knowing. Every problem was created by sin and it will take philosophical anthropology, psychological and theological approach to change the outcome of sin to explain how humans behave the way they do. In the book Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, Entwistle provides the necessary information to educate on the
In the pursuit to belong to a particular movement or community, the general outcome is the acquisition of a meaningful life. The three routes that aid in the perfect definition happiness result to what they refer to as the full life. A further discussion according to the article is centered on some empirical approaches aimed at attaining true happiness in addition to the flourishing nature of the movement of positive psychology. Nevertheless, it seems quite artificial to be able to alienate these approaches towards attaining happiness from the general procedures of curing mental illnesses. One of the best reasons behind this in my opinion is that this area is one that considers the very sensitive area of traditional values and virtues (Seligman, Parks & Steen
Freud argues that human suffering results in the fact that there is no God (41). I can agree to this statement because people start to question God’s existence whenever they experience a downfall in their
It is true that I am suspicious of philosophies developed by man versus God’s divine inspiration. My major concern was that Positive Psychology might influence clients to seek answers, only from within themselves, rather than from prayer and spiritual disciples. However, I would now favorably consider the fact that “Psychology…can be useful to illustrate what Scripture tell us” (Entwistle, 2010, p.
In an effort to survive deplorable conditions, slaves turned to spiritually; “a search for a sense of meaning, purpose, morality and well-being” (Hutchinson, 2015, p.183). Spirituality was the one thing “master” could not take away. Numerous studies have been done examining how mental health and spiritually are linked. Spiritually has been proven to increase self-esteem in individuals and provide healthy immune functioning. Often individuals tap into creative processes which facilitate spiritual strength such as relaxation techniques, meditation or mindfulness.
Maslow used the terms physiological, safety, belonging and love, esteem, self-actualization, and self-transcendence to describe the pattern that human motivations in the main move
Happiness is associated with the notion of feeling good, the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure. The pursuit of happiness has been an ancient tradition in which we believe that the only way to achieve a good life is to be happy. I personally believe that happiness comes from being kind to one another, having good company, a job that we will enjoy, making others smile and just simply helping out one another. I also believe that happiness is based on how one perceives life. For example, negative people such as people who are close-minded or pessimistic will have a negative outlook on life while people who are more optimistic and open-minded have a more positive attitude towards life.
For an individual to attain their highest level of their full potential, the elements of life’s sustenance such as meditation, studying and obeying God’s word, prayer, and retraining the mind, spirit, and body shouldn’t be neglected because at that moment it will opens all avenues for pessimism to generate which will have severe repercussions to their spiritual,
Even animals are in a better condition than us, because their suffering is not exacerbated by ambition and reflection. In the last third of this essay, Schopenhauer presents his thoughts on the origin and organization of our world as explained by Hinduism, Buddhism, the ancient Greeks, Judaism, and Christianity. This is where I found several factual flaws, and at the same time several surprisingly Biblical claims in Schopenhauer’s arguments. He begins by denouncing Judaism, saying that an all-benevolent God would not create a world full of misery. But according to the book of Genesis, the Garden of Eden, where man lived before the Fall, was essentially paradise on Earth.
Furthermore, he argues that religion does not prevent suffering, because it utilizes suffering as an instrument to impose regulations upon its followers. However, the text speaks to a sentiment that millions of religious believers experience: it is a feeling that can be described as "a sensation of 'eternity', a feeling as of something limitless, unbounded—as it were, 'oceanic'" (Freud 11). Faith in a Supreme Being and confidence in an afterlife provides consolation to followers who struggle under the weight of their sufferings. Freud attempts to dispute religion by using a psychological and scientific approach to reveal its derivation. According to Freud, the origin of religious desire stems from an "infant's helplessness and…longing for [a] father," and people sustain religion because they have a "fear of the superior power of Fate" (Freud 20).
As such, instinct can have a major impact on decision making and therefore should be studied in greater detail. Conclusion Decision making is a complex process with many factories that research has sought to examine. While there are many methodologies to making a decision and many factors that can affect a decision, Rousseau and Barends (2011) said it best “We make the best decisions we can at that time, based on the best information we have available”. As such, there is an inherent understanding with decision making, that the choice is rarely ever wrong, rather it was the right choice at that
This theory is proposed by Araham Harold Maslow by year 1954. There are 5 different needs in this theory which consists of: Physiological; Safety; Belongingness; Need for esteem and Self-actualization. Maslow believed that a man being motivated by the needs he wants to satisfy. So, the fundamental needs must be satisfy in order to begin motivating behavior (Adiele and Abraham, 2013). 1) Physiological Physiological needs is fundamental and most basic need for human survival.
This use of the term motivational forces has been replaced by the term units to correct the original error in the translation of Freud's work. The psychologist Abraham Maslow argued that humans no longer have instincts because we have the ability to turn off in certain situations. In your opinion, what is called instinct is often inaccurate, and really becomes hard strong. For Maslow, instinct is something that cannot be canceled, and therefore, while the term could be applied to humans in the past, no longer does. The instinct of the book establishes a set of criteria that distinguish from other types of instinctive behavior.