Psychology

In looking at where psychology found its first roots and to where it is now, though centuries have passed, as most of us know, the science of psychology is a young field.  There is so much more that we still dont know as psychology only began to make real headway in the 1950s.  From the times of our Ancestors the same questions they had then, are the same questions we have now.  This tells us that we havent gotten very far in unraveling the mysteries of the mind.  One thing we do know in evidence of then and now is that man in his reasoning over time implies that psychology is innate in its practice and perception as a natural occurrence that involves cognitive stimulation.

This observance can be justified in looking back historically to the time before Christ, 1120 BC.  During those times Chinas philosophy was to focus on harmony and unity in being one with nature, while practicing love and wisdom.  This philosophy was documented in the book of I-Ching (Book of Changes), and was given warm approval by Confucius.  As China expounded on this philosophy the Taoist philosophy was born.

These early eastern practices reflect a people obeying the laws and elements of nature and seeking to understand their natural fit in the schema of life.  They may well have pioneered the early western civilizations views on naturalistic observation.  The Greek believed and viewed the environment as possessing physical elements to provide explanations

Middle Ages
With the rise and fall of the Roman.Empire in the wake of the dark ages, Muslim control was increasing, thus setting off the crusades for Christianity.  The pope was the most influential and powerful figure of the times These were times when those who went against the Inquisition were tortured and killed for what was described as deviant behaviors.  These behaviors were explained by labeling the offenders as witches and demons.  This was also a time in which intellectual reasoning was forming, and universities began to be built.  As more universities began to appear, it was apparent that the ability to reason was increasing and holding its own with faith.  This turning point brought science back to the forefront with a focus on Aristotles teachings.

17th and 18th Centuries
The power of reason and science together formulated scientific methods of research which had made its name as a reliable source for investigations.  Francis Bacon was responsible for the creation of reliability of scientific endeavors in reorganizing the methods as a mathematical practice in which the work could then be verified or confirmed.  The age of statistics was born.

The British were focused on sensory perception and the workings of the mind as a unified source.  John Locke in supporting and expressing fundamentally Britains theory from a political and philosophical standpoint was responsible for bringing Britains theory to fruition.  Thus, by the 19th century psychology was an accepted practice for British philosophers.

German philosophers in light of the views of Frederick the Great had a different view of psychology in comparison to the French or British.  Their contributions to psychological studies have laid the foundation for psychology practices as we know them today.  In light of the French who were focused on the physiological aspects, being way off base and could have set psychology back to extinction.

Somewhere in all of the ongoing theories a great theorist by the name of Sigmund Freud made his debut, quickly being recognized as being the founder of psychoanalysis.  It brought to light the breakdown of the mind in discovering the hidden paths of the unconscious.  His methods were met with criticism, but his findings stood there ground.  Though many theorists were hesitant to agree with many of his theories, they stood supportive and in agreement with his theory on evolution.
19th Century

Psychology was soon to become known as a science in its own right.  The Germans in the mid nineteenth century began intense focus in this direction as advances in the study of the mind and sensory physiology led them to view psychology as a science.   The induction of psychology as a science opened a whole new volley of questions in relation to psychology and mans aptitude of his environment in both a mental and physical capacity.

Darwins theory is attributed to separating psychology from the natural sciences and philosophy.  It was also the path to perceiving that psychology was a combination of scientific nature as well as the components of physiology, physics and natural philosophy.  This knowledge led to the field of psychophysics.  The breakthrough shed light on nature vs. nurture adding increased need to understand the relevance of each in how they affected man.  Germany once again was at the forefront in creating a model of structuralism in the study of experience.  This was met with disdain in light of the inadequate translation of the method by Titcheners translation whereupon he adlibbed to the extent that the findings were incomprehensible.

American psychology was coming into being and was responsible for the turning point from structuralism to functionalism.  Although the focus on functionalism was not well met by foreign theorists, it did provide the opportunity for psychological research to expand into the Americas.  This was well met by foreign theorists as they found that America soaked up the aspect of psychological theory like a sponge, inviting theorists to America to expound on the concepts.  Foreign theorists readily accepted the opportunity as they found that there was much more freedom to explore and study with less restriction in their own countries.  As a result America became the gateway of psychological study and growth.

20th Century
Into the 20th century,  we find that through it all from its humble beginnings, psychology has been examined, and re-examined to an extent that it has not made much progress in defining who, what, when, or where as to the workings of the mind.  Great research has been done in stipulating the workings of the mind and the scientific connection that must be realized.  This has taken several centuries to establish this foundation.

The focus now is on behaviorism.  Psychology is pulling out all the stops in going forward to understand the true nature of man and the basis of nature vs. nurture in defining the workings of the mind.  Many theorists are starting at various stages of development in searching for the elusive connection that ties everything together.  So much research has been done that it is apparent the way to proceed is to get a firm handle on what has come before and what is relevant in going forward.

This is the way in which I plan to proceed in the continuance of shedding the veil of mystery on the makeup of mans cognitive functioning in association with behavior.  Redundancy is easy to occur, and has occurred over centuries in relation to psychology and the many findings that have been achieved. Many sacrifices have been made along the way, but for all of the efforts, we are still just scratching the surface.  The work to be done is to ask the question that will bring the answer that is sought.  The focus will be on working in a systematic profile in accordance with what is already known vs. what is not clear or left unanswered.  In answering or completing these aspects by appropriate study and research much can be accomplished.

A theorist whose work stands out is that of Albert Ellis.  His works were renowned in the psychological arena, and has contributed many breakthroughs that deal directly with mans emotional status.  He has opened the door in finding a connection that shows the power of mind over matter in recognizing who, what, when and where of emotion.  His research has laid the foundation in recognizing how powerful the mind truly is.  Our emotional states are the factors for our behaviors.  Ellis has made a huge contribution to the science of psychology and mans behavior.

History of Theory and Theorist
Albert Ellis was born September 27, 1913 in Pittsburgh, PA.  He came from a Jewish family wherein his father was a business man who showed little affection to the children and was mainly always away from home on business.  His mother was reportedly suffering from a Bipolar Disorder and was more concerned with herself than her children.  As a result of the lack of emotional support from either parent, Ellis being the eldest of three siblings took on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings.  He would get them ready for school each morning, and when the family was impacted by the Great Depression, all three children worked to help make ends meet (Abrams, 2008).

Ellis was of ill health during his childhood.  At the age of 5 was diagnosed with a kidney
disease and was hospitalized and was subsequently hospitalized a total of 8 times with one hospitalization lasting for approximately a year.  Unsupported emotionally by his parents, as they rarely visited him in the hospital, he learned to fend for himself emotionally.  His illnesses still plagued him as he developed diabetes at age 40 (Abrams, 2008).

Ellis was very shy, especially around women.  He had a fear of rejection.  Acting in rare
Psycho-therapist form at the age of 19, he conducted self therapy in making his self proactively speak to 100 women.  As a result of his self therapy Ellis reports that he cured himself of the fear of rejection by women.  Thus his future in the field of psychology began (Abrams, 2008).

Albert Ellis attended Columbia University majoring in clinical psychology graduating
with honors he received both his MA and PH.D.  He was the founder and President of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City.  Ranking second as the most influential psychotherapist in history he developed REBT in 1955.  Ellis expounded on the concept of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).  His thoughts were that for psychotherapy to be effective it needed to be empirically based as an active philosophy that is directed individually to the current state of environment (Weinrach, 1980).

Theoretical Beliefs
Ellis contributes the works of Alfred Korzybski, modern psychology, and ancient philosophy for his development of REBT.  His belief that an individuals self contained beliefs led to personal emotional pain.  His theory stressed that people contain in addition to self defeating beliefs and behaviors a mechanism of irrationality, self defeatism, and rigidity that could counteract self defeating beliefs and behaviors.  The therapy would allow a person to connect with this part of self, and the resulting measure would allow reconstruction in developing rational insight as a coping mechanism.
In other words the therapy would help a client to see and understand that his personal beliefs were negatively affecting the emotional state.  Once this was realized, the client would be in an environment of understanding of how to change cognitively emotional reactions or learn the ability to control ones emotions (Ellis, 2002).

Techniques and Practices
The methodology of the therapy included cognitive, emotive, and behavioral constructs.  REBT is an educational process.  The client through therapy teaches how to identify the irrationality of self defeating thinking, which affects the emotional state resulting in behavior that is not in the best interest of the client.  The therapy is very intense bringing the client to the edge of raw emotion, and at its core forcefully exposes that emotion which must be faced openly, and to then question its rationale.  In this process client is able to see the irrationality of the emotional state and to then replace it with a more rational emotion that is good for self (Stills, 2006).

Cliniques and Practices
The clinical approach used for REBT is to provide insight into the interpretation of cognitive theory in using a process known as the ABCs, which Ellis describes as a humanistic exchange observed by all individuals.  Ellis advises that we have

Activating Events (A) everyday that prompts us to look at, interpret, or otherwise think about what is occurring. Our interpretation of these events results in specific Beliefs (B) about the event, the world and our role in the event. Once we develop this belief, we experience Emotional Consequences (C) based solely on our belief.
(Heffner, 2002).

The practice illicits to clients the explanation of how emotional states are developed, and once developed, the consequences of our actions thereof.  It points out that emotions are biased projectiles of our environments.  The evolving of insight then shows clients how to rise above and to be unbiased emotionally in resultive controlling of ones emotional state.  This results in an empowering of self, cognitively, in controlling cognitive thought and behaviors (Stills, 2006).

Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths of this therapy - it is realistic and unlike many psychological therapeutic measures does not deal with the clients past.  It takes a stronghold of current thinking and environment in a purposeful self driven endeavor of changing cognitive perspectives by purging biased negative thought processes and reconstructing them in a positive and rewarding light (Weinrach et al, 2001).

The weakness of this therapy - it is self contained within each client.  The success is reliant on Client interaction with the process.  Clients must be made aware of the psychological dysfunction in their core beliefs of which they function that are negatively affecting them.  Only then can the therapy get underway on the road to understanding and change (Ellis, 2002).

Why this Theory
I chose this theory because I believe the continuance of this work will lead to even further breakthroughs in unraveling the mystery of human behavior in why we act as we do, and in recognizing that we do have a choice in our behavior.  The findings in time may finally settle the debate of nature vs. nurture as well.  It wont happen overnight, there is much work to be done, but at least we will be headed in the right direction.