Narratives: The Focus of 21st Century Psychology

Description

Humans are emotional beings who feel deeply, reason occasionally, and narrate constantly. Narratives are the stories we tell ourselves to help us understand what we are feeling, thinking, and doing. Narratives help us remember the past, interpret the present, and prepare for the future. Narratives justify ourselves, to ourselves and to others. Narratives can motivate our successes, or be used to excuse our failures. To change our lives, we must change our narratives. This book should not be regarded as a rejection of traditional religion, classical philosophy, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanistic psychology, or cognitive science. These are the milestones of humanity's attempts to understand human nature. We accept these as the building blocks for a more complete formulation. The first chapter explains what narratives are, and why all narratives are not equal (and some are even dead ends). The second chapter focuses on the most important thing in the study of humans (their values) and why we must distinguish between the ultimate, the utilitarian, and the ulterior dimensions of relevance. The third chapter reviews the role of religious narratives in understanding those values (historically, and in the present; in society, and in individuals). The fourth chapter considers classical philosophy, especially logic, and how this contributes to narratives (but cannot always save us from the dead-end narratives of conspiracy theory and determinism). The fifth chapter charts the historical development of psychology as a science (from mind, to behavior, to mental processes, to narrative and willpower). The sixth chapter looks at the lifespan, and how narratives develop as we confront the challenges posed by our changing relationships. The seventh chapter goes into greater depth on the interacting roles of adulthood: spousal, parent, career, consumer. The last chapter emphasizes the need for resilience and transformation in order to flourish and find flow in those roles. Contents Preface Chapter 1 To Each Our Own Narrative You Meet the Most Interesting People at ... The Narrating Species Facts and Inferences All Narratives Are Not Equal Chapter 2 Values: What Really Matters? Dead-End Narrative: Nihilism Utilitarian Relevance Ultimate Relevance Ulterior Relevance Emotion Art Chapter 3 Religion as the Primal Narrative What It Is; What It Isn’t Ethics: The Most Social Component of Religion Free Will as a Moral Postulate Fundamentalism as a Dead-End Narrative Cults as Dead-End Narratives Radical Secularism as a Dead-End Narrative Religion’s Future Chapter 4 The Thinking Species: How Logic Shapes the Narrative Deductive Logic: The “if/then” of Conditionals Dead-End Narrative: Logical Fallacies #1 Deductive Logic: Categorical Syllogisms Dead-End Narrative: Logical Fallacies #2 Dead-End Narrative: Prejudice toward Others Dead-End Narrative: Fragility of Group Identification Inductive Logic: The Method of Science Dead-End Narrative: Confirmation Bias Dead-End Narrative : Ad Hoc Explanations Dead-End Narrative: Post Hoc Fallacies Dead-End Narrative: Determinism Chapter 5 Psychology: How It Became the Study of Narratives and Willpower 21st Century Psychology: The Cognitive Revolution 21st Century Psychology: Testing Is as Testing Does Chapter 6 Narrative across the Lifespan Memory: Linking with the Past Stage Theories: Dead-End Narratives? Chapter 7 Overlapping Roles: Template for Adult Life Child: The Initial and Most Enduring Role When Roles Become Dysfunctional Role Conflict Role Incompatibility Role Overload Role Underload Rapid Role Transition Role Timing Careers: Finding Flow & Utilitarian Relevance Consumer: You Are What You Purchase Relationships: Finding and Keeping Significant Others Parenting: How Not to Create Dead-End Narratives in Your Kids Chapter 8 Resilience and Transformation Mental Disorders Treatment Family Therapy Decisions References About the Authors Name Index Subject Index Blank Page Blank Page