In my Human Growth and Potential class last week, I sensed that a relatively large fraction of the class is new to our program. So, I created the following "provocation" as a way of loosening up our thinking about what psychology necessarily is, as well as what psychology (and our involvement in it) possibly could be.

My basic thesis is that humanistic psychology in its central import is not so much a school of psychology among other schools, but an entry point into a fundamental paradigm shift for all psychology. Why is a paradigm shift necessary? Most importantly because of the fact that the truths that psychologists reveal only rarely matter to people in a deep and abiding way. They mostly fail to touch people where they live and breathe. Psychology today is in an unhealthy state of imbalance; it's too often preoccupied with researching inconsequential minutiae at the expense of directly engaging the large, powerful issues of life. As a quick, empirical test, try looking through articles drawn from the broad range of psychological journals. Notice what proportion really move you powerfully at your core and center.