Not Without My Daughter: A Movie Analysis

Starring

Sally Field – Betty                   Alfred Molina – Moody        Sheila Rosenthal – Mathob

            Moody’s family go to Iran for a planned two weeks vacation. This is to visit his family who he really missedso much. He convinced his wife, Betty that they will be safe by swearing to the Qu’ran. When they got to Iran, Betty observed the difference of the Iranian culture to American culture. Eventually she found out that Moody has been fired with the hospital he’s been working with and has no plans at all to go back to the states. Since then, Betty noticed the changes in the behavior of her husband.

            Moody became violent, such as, he now beat and hit his wife, he locked her in the room and providing only food for her to eat, he took her passport and credit cards, he shouts at her, he keeps an eye on her all the time, and tried to take away their daughter from her.

            I believe that these changes may be attributable to some factors. Like during those times, the Islamic Republic was all over Iran (it started during 1979). During the Islamic regime, laws became harsher. Moody’s family is also a very conservative family and lives in a province. It was mentioned that families who live in the provinces are more devoted and observed Islamic behavior more strictly. Such Islamic behavior is the way men treat their wives, they treat them as a second class citizen and as their possession. Women on the other hand must be obedient to their husband and not to embarrass or insult their husband. They are to give the custody her child to the father when they had divorce. The clothing style is also strict and women should always wear “chador”. The behavior displayed by Moody is accepted in the Islamic Culture/norms. It was noted also in the movie, that in the States, their Iranian husbands are not violent, but when they are in Iran, they become one. It was said that it was “Islamic way”.

            My reaction to this is that, people have different beliefs and norms they observe. It depends as well to the environment which they belong. Their behavior is greatly influenced by the society they are interacting with. Like in the movie, the behavior displayed by Moody is accepted in the Islamic Republic. Some of us might not understand or may not fathom this kind of attitude at all because we are not accustomed to this type of norms. We might be as well become “culture shocked” with these, but for them, it is like following a very basic rule. If we can not go on with the type of culture they have, we might at least, render respect so it will not cause any conflict to the other party.

posted by Eloi Casis

           

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The Soul Keeper: A Movie Analysis

The Soul Keeper

Directed by: Roberto Faenza

Characters:

Sabina Spielrein – Emilia Fox

Carl Gustav Jung - Lain Glen

Summary of the Film:

The story revolves around a young Swiss Psychiatrist, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, who took care of a 19 yr old Russian girl, Sabina Spielrein, suffering from a severe hysteria.           Sabina was admitted into a psychiatric hospital in Zurich, in 1904.

Jung took care of Sabina under his care and for the first time conducted experiments with psychoanalysis method of his teacher, Sigmund Freud. It was also mentioned that Sabina had corresponded with Freud regarding her therapy with Carl Jung.

Carl Jung’s approach to therapy and counseling is more of the humanistic approach in which he shown importance and care to the patient. Because of his approach, Sabina felt she was special. This made her pour out her feelings, thoughts, and repressed memories of her childhood years from her unconscious mind to the young doctor. Some of the repressed memories are like those of the beatings made to her by her father. She grown fond of Jung and later become attached to her physician. Sabina developed emotional and sexual relationship with Carl Jung.

The treatment is successful, but their affair displeases Jung’s wife. Sabina moves to Soviet Union and became psychoanalysts herself founding the famous White School. Sabina Spielrein died in 1942, a victim of Nazi violence.

The film was outlined from the modern-day scholar investigation to what happened to Sabina after her move. The two modern researchers are Marie, a young French scholar, and Fraser, a historian from Glasgow. The investigation leads to the discovery of the missing portions of the original correspondence between Jung and Spielrein.

Important Facts about Sabina Spielrein and Carl Gustav Jung:

-          Sabina was born in 1885 into a family of Jewish doctors in Rostov, Russia. Her mother was a dentist and her father is a physician.

-          She became of the first female psychoanalysts

-          She was married to Pavel Scheftel, a Russian Jewish descent physician; her daughters are Renate (1912) and Eva (1924)

-          She was admitted in August 1904. Her symptoms include regular visits from German speaking angel who often directed her actions.

-          She established a deep emotional and sexual relationship w/ a young doctor, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, who later became her medical dissertation advisor.

-          She graduated in 1911; her dissertation was about Schizophrenia and was later elected a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic society.

-          Her conception of the sexual drive as containing both an instinct of destruction and an instinct of transformation, presented to the society in 1912, in fact anticipates both Freud’s “death wish” and Jung’s view on “transformation” (Bettleheim 1983)

-          She established a kindergarten in Moscow “The White School”. The institution was committed bringing up children as free persons as easily as possible. Later, it was closed due to false accusation of practicing sexual perversions on the children.

-          Her letters, journals, and copies of hospital records were revealed and published, as was her correspondence with Jung and Freud.

-          Spielrein, however, kept a of Jung’s letters to her along with carbon copies of everything she wrote him, and stored all of the letters in a trunk and she kept with her for the most of her life. This was accidentally unearthed less than 30 yrs ago in the basement of a palace in Geneva that once housed the City’s psychology institute of letters.

-          Dr. Carl Gustav Jung was dismissed by Bleuler from Burgholzli due to breach of professional ethics as a result of his affair with his patient, Sabina.

Is Carl Jung an Effective Therapist?

Objectively and technically, he was an effective therapist because he was able to practice psychoanalysis to the patient and the result was successful to get expected results, which is to retrieve repressed emotions, thoughts, and feelings from the unconscious mind of the patient. However, he wasn’t able to display professionalism and ethics as a therapist. He was not able to draw thin line between personal and professional relationship with his patient. He should have kept a psychological distance to his patient. He did things right, like mastering the psychoanalysis to cure patients, however, he was not able to do things in the right way, thus making him an effective therapist but not an efficient one. Righteousness and ethics are very important in counseling in able for you to become effective and efficient therapist.

What are the Things to be avoided in counseling?

      Ethics and professionalism are deemed important in counseling. In the Philippines, the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association proposed a code of ethics for counselors and the counseling profession.

      The proposed code of ethics includes some of the things to be avoided in counseling. The following cited are some of the highlights

Ethical Behavior – In this section, counselors are expected to act as professionals during their counseling sessions and also in dealing with their fellow professionals. So they should avoid unprofessional acts.

Sensitivity to Diversity and Equal Opportunity – Counselors should avoid discrimination; therefore they are expected to be sensitive to diversity of the client and should respect it. This diversity is in terms of religion, race, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, education, and socio economic status. They should provide equal opportunity to everyone to avail counseling services in various setting regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, civil status, religion, culture, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation.

Confidentiality – The counselors are expected to maintain integrity as an individual who keeps respects confidentiality. They should protect and safeguard information retrieve from clients unless it will endanger the client or as per legal requirement.

Dual Relationships - Counselors avoid personal, familial, social and/or business relationships except those already existing prior to the establishment of the counseling relationships.

References:

       Perry Seibert,  “All Movie Guide:  My Name Is Sabina Spielrein, Prendimi L'Anima

       Harmony Gold USA, Inc.

      

        Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

   

       Martha Fischer, “Review: My Name Was Sabina Spielrein” , r Dec 31st 2006

       CODE OF ETHICS FOR COUNSELORS AND THE COUNSELING PROFESSION

              PHILIPPINE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING ASSOCIATION, INC.
              Accredited Professional Organization (APO)
              by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)

              PROPOSED CODE OF ETHICS
              (REVISED as of December 21, 2006 @ Dr. Villar’s Residence)

reported by Eloi Casis

Jan 2010

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Anger Management: A Movie Analysis

Title of the Movie:                                Anger Management

Starring:                                 Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson

Summary of the Film:

The story started as the young Dave Buznik (Sandler) was about to receive his first kiss from his childhood crush. Suddenly, a bunch of young bullies humiliates him by pulling his pants down. Young Dave becomes a laughing stock of the entire neighborhood.

After some years, Dave becomes this overworked and undervalued executive assistant of an advertising company for pet clothing, who’s almost a loser. He's got a boss who just as well steps on him, as acknowledge the fact that Dave does all the work but the boss gets the credit. He’s turned into a pacifist who avoids conflict whenever possible. Although, it is evident that Dave is already angry and is only suppressing his emotions so as not to explode. His understanding and loving girlfriend, Linda is also bothered by his behavior. She feels awkward also whenever Dave tries to shake her hands instead of kissing her. Dave doesn’t kiss her in public.

During a flight, Dave had a misunderstanding with a stewardess. This caused him to be ordered by Judge Daniels to undergo anger management therapy under the odd and unconventional specialist Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson).

Dave was convinced that he does not belong with this group for his anger management session.

There, he met lots of eccentric patients of Dr. Rydell. To his disappointment, he was even paired to Chuck, a violent patient, to be his mutual support.

Dave’s therapy became more intense as he was again allegedly accused of assaulting a waitress and a blind man at a restaurant, where Chuck picks up a fight. Due to this, Judge Daniels ordered him to continue his anger management therapy or else suffer in jail. Dr. Rydell decides to move in with Dave to monitor him closely. He explained to Dave that there are two kinds of anger:

                Dr. Buddy Rydell: Dave, there are two kinds of angry people in this world: explosive and Implosive.            Explosive, which is the most common, is the type of individual you see screaming at a grocery store        cashier for not taking his coupon. Implosive, the least common, is the cashier at the store who remains quiet               at his job day after day until he then finally loses it and just shoots everyone in the store. You're the cashier.
               

                Dave Buznik: No, no, no. I'm the guy in the frozen food section dialling 911. I swear.

Living with Buddy Rydell and their continuous therapy upset Dave further. His unbearable behavior includes throwing all Dave’s CDs, sleeping in nude and sharing bed with Dave, farting, throwing food when he doesn’t want it, flirting with Dave’s girlfriend, and pissing off his boss. One time, he orders Dave to stop the car on the way to work, because he insists that Dave is angry. They end up singing together to the tune of “I feel pretty” from the Westside story, to ease his anger, while causing traffic.

Along the road, Dr .Rydell takes Dave to a street corner and pays a transvestite prostitute to get in the back seat with Dave. Dave panicked, and finally starts yelling and demanding that the gay get away from him. Dr. Rydell seems to become happy and explains to Dave that he had successfully passed the first lap of their therapy, which is to distinguish righteous anger.

Dr Rydell’s mom in Boston is sick and so he carried Dave along with him. A lot of incidents happened with this trip. First is in a bar, where Buddy Rydell asked Dave to hit a hot girl with a crude line. Dave refused but when Buddy bribed him to be released in the program if he succeeds, Dave tried to obey. To his surprise, the lady buys his line. The girl takes him home and tries to seduce him, but Dave refuse, till the lady becomes violent, started to throw things to him, and shouts him throughout the rain. When they went back home, they detoured in a monastery where Dave faced his arch enemy Arnie Shankman, the bully boy who humiliated him when he was little. Dr Rydell provoked Dave to have revenge to redeem himself.

After their trip, Dave tries to propose to Linda but he was not able to do so. Dr Rydell suggests that it will benefit them if they will separate for a while. Dave was distressed when he learns that Linda was going out with a date with another guy. He followed her in the restaurant carrying along his two hot co-patients from Buddy Rydell’s group therapy. However, he was surprised when he found out that Linda’s date was Buddy Rydell. They end up fighting and in court again with Judge Daniels. This time Judge Daniels wants him to be in jail.

Dave becomes more frustrated when he finds out that Buddy is taking Linda to the baseball game. He thought that he might steal his idea of proposing to Linda in front of the entire baseball crowd. He gathers his strength and overcomes his nerves to plead to Linda in the center of the stadium to marry him. He admitted that he is an angry man and it is wrong that people always steps on him. Linda was convinced but her consequence is that Dave has to kiss her in front of the entire crowd.

                “I want to have children with you! Children! With your eyes and my... last name! That's all I want. “                                  – Dave to Linda

At the end, Linda told Dave that all the mishaps were planted and part of the therapy starting from the airplane haywire. She admitted that she was the one who contacted Dr Rydell to help Dave. Dave graduated successfully from Dr. Rydell’s anger management program. The film ended with the cast singing, “I Feel Pretty”.

Famous Lines in the Film.

• “Temper's the one thing you can't get rid of, by losing it. “ – Dr. Rydell
• “Sarcasm is anger's ugly cousin” – Dr. Rydell
• “Flirting is the second cousin of Cheating” – Dave Buznik

Reaction to the Film

                Generally speaking, the film was extremely funny but sensible. The characters are portrayed by the artists with justice. When I first watched the film, I thought Dave was the explosive case and I haven’t paid attention with the 2 kinds of angry people. Now watching it the second time, I was enlightened with its important message. 

Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler): The Implosive Angry man

                Obviously, Dave has a behavioral problem; otherwise, his girlfriend Linda would not be interested to contact Dr. Rydell. I believe that his behavior was affected by the humiliation he had during his childhood years. He grew up wanting to please others so as not able to laugh at him again. He is kind of seeking approval from other people, that’s why even though he knows he’s right and others are stepping on him, he does not fight back. He is angry but he doesn’t show it. It is good that the film also highlights some of Dave’s gestures as symptoms that he is angry (e.g tapping of fingers, stomping his foot, etc). He is a very good patient for me. Because he doesn’t want to do these at first but he was able to cooperate at the end. His relationship with Dr. Rydell is wacky but at the end, the result is successful. He was able to graduate from Dr Rydell’s anger management program. I think that it is good that you keep your patient aware of what the therapy procedures can do to them. Because in this film, the entire therapeutic process was enveloped in a conspiracy. Anyway, a bit of exaggeration creates artistry and every film is craft of art.

Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson): The Eccentric Therapist

                In general, Dr. Rydell is still an effective therapist because he was able to fix the behavioral problem of Dave. He is still professional and ethical, though in the film, he appears to be an odd and crazy doctor, at the end; he still proves that he can serve his purpose, to cure Dave Buznik. I admire his creativity and style in treating his patient. Actually, I’m so indulged with the film that I wasn’t able to identify what kind of theory (if the script writer is serious in including a theory in this film). But I think, Dr Rydell’s technique is more of the client centered approach. Because in the movie, it was Dave who realized that he was an angry man and it was wrong that people treats him that way.

Linda: Dave’s girlfriend

                Linda’s determination to help Dave is very courageous and admirable. She really wants Dave to change his views and attitude. She is also willing to sacrifice her time and she did the extra miles to save not only their relationship but Dave as well.

Anger management is good film to watch, it gives the audience an impact that being in therapy can also means having fun..

reported by Eloi Casis

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In the Beginning: A Movie Analysis in relation to the Development of Psychological Thought

 

“ In the Beginning”

Directed by: Kevin Connor

analysis by Eloi Casis

Summary of the Film:

The story begins with Abraham travelling with his wife, Sara, Lot his nephew, and his followers and flocks to Canaan (God’s promise land). Sometime in their dwelling, their herd increase until strife arouse between herdsmen. Some of the people are losing faith and are questioning Abraham’s loyalty to God. Abraham refreshed the views of his people with regards to God’s greatness by telling them the story of creation, of Adam and Eve.

In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth. And at the 6^th day, He created the man from the dust and blowing life into his nostrils, he was named Adam. When Adam tried to find a help-mate, none of the animals are satisfactory. And so God put Adam to sleep, and creates a woman from his rib. The woman was named, Eve.  A serpent tempted the woman to eat from the tree of knowledge, telling her that it will not lead to death: she succumbs, and gives the fruit to the man, who eats also. The two became aware of their nakedness; they hid from bushes and cover their bodies with fig leaves, and hide from the sight of God. God cursed the snake then cursed Adam and Eve with hard labor and with pain of child birth, and banishes them from the garden.

Eve gave birth to 2 sons, Cain and Abel. When the two grow up, Abel’s offering to God was more acceptable. Cain became envious of his brother and leads him in killing Abel. God cursed Cain to become a vagabond upon the face of the earth for the rest of earth. God blessed Adam and Eve with another son, Seth. From then on the descendants of Seth were called Children of God.

Abraham’s story continued. Sarah being barren, offered her handmaiden, Hagar to Abraham. Hagar gave birth to a son, Ishmael, but was also blessed by God. Sarah grew jealous of this and treats Hagar harshly. God appears to Hagar, telling her to return, but promised her son shall also be the father of a “multitude”.

The Lord God had a covenant with Abraham. He told him that Abraham will become the father of a great nation and will bless him. However, Abraham was old and Sarah is barren. But when Abraham is 99 yrs old, the lord again appears to him and affirms his promise. And Sarrah give birth to a son who is called “Isaac”.

When Isaac grows older, God commanded Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. The two travelled 3 days until they reach the mountain God instructed. Along the way, Isaac repeatedly asked his father where the sacrificial animal to be burned is. Abraham had said that the Lord will provide one.   He puts Isaac to sleep. His heart cannot bear this task, to kill his son, but his faith to God prevails. Just as he is about to struck Isaac, an angel prevented him, and gave a ram in place of Isaac to be sacrificed. God speak to him that he was being tested. As a reward for his obedience and faith he received another promise of numerous seed and abundant prosperity. Some time passed and Isaac married the wife his father brought him home. Soon Sarah and Abraham died. The nation wept hard for the death of Abraham.

Isaac married Rebecca, who gave birth to twin boys, Esau and Jacob. Isaac favoured Esau and Rebecca favoured Jacob. Rebecca was uncomfortable during her double pregnancy and went to inquire God why she was suffering so. She received the prophecy that the twins were fighting in her womb and would continue to fight at their lives. The prophecy also said that the older would serve the younger. Traditionally, Rebecca did not share this prophecy to his husband.

When Rebecca gave birth, the first to come out emerged red and hairy all over with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out. The first born was named Esau, who became a hunter, and Jacob, who was a simple man, a dweller of the tents.

One day, when Esau returned from the fields, he begged Jacob to give him some of a lentil stew. Jacob offered to give Esau a bowl of stew in exchange of his birth right (the right to be the recognized as first born) and Esau agrees.

When Isaac was in his death bed and was already blind, he decided to bestow the blessing of the first born upon Esau. He sent Esau out of the fields to trap and cook a piece of savory game for him, so that he could eat and bless Esau. Rebecca heard this and realized that Isaac’s blessings would not go to Jacob. She therefore ordered Jacob to bring her 2 goats from the flock, which she cooked in the way Isaac loved and had him bring them to his father in place of Esau. Jacob protested and told his mother that Isaac will curse him when he finds out this deception as soon as Isaac felt him. Rebecca answered that the curse will be upon her if Jacob will not obey. Before she sent him to his father, Rebecca dressed him in Esau’s garments and laid goat skins on his arms and neck to stimulate hairy skin. Their disguise succeeded as Isaac believed that Jacob was Esau, and blessed him. Upon Esau’s return, he realized that he was deceived and it surprised Isaac. But he didn’t take back his blessings to Jacob. Esau was heartbroken and filled with hatred towards Jacob. He vowed to kill Jacob as soon as Isaac died. Rebecca heard about this and ordered Jacob to travel to her brother in Harran until Esau’s anger subsided. She convinced Isaac to send Jacob away by telling him that she despaired for Isaac to a timed life.

Jacob fell in love with Rachel, his uncle’s younger daughter. Laban agrees for Jacob to marry Rachel, only after serving for 7 yrs. However, he was deceived by Laban with presenting Lea, his older daughter as the veiled bride. They said its tradition that the older daughter should marry first. He married Rachel after he offered another 7 yrs of service. Jacob was blessed with 12 sons.

Jacob favoured his son Joseph and gave him a coat of many color, indicating that Joseph would assume family leadership, as a gift. Because of this, his brothers become envious. They grew angrier when Joseph told them about his dream in which all his brothers will bow down to him. His brothers plotted to kill him, but Reuben interposed and suggested them to instead throw Joseph in a well and planned to secretly rescue him later. However, the other brothers planned to sell him to a company of Ishmalite merchants. They dragged him and sold for 20 pcs of silver. His brothers dip his coat in goat blood and showed them to their father, saying he had been torn apart by wild beasts.

He was sold as a slave to Potiphar, pharaohs butcher. He resisted the advances of his master’s wife for a long time until she accused him of trying to rape her. This caused him to be thrown in the prison for 12 years. One time, the Pharaoh had troubled dreams he known world, Joseph sold and Joseph was referred by the buttler. He was called from prison and interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream, in which seven lean cows which rose out of the river and devoured seven fat cows. Joseph interpreted that for seven years Egypt will be abundant then will follow seven years of famine. The Pharaoh was impressed that he made Joseph viceroy over Egypt and managers of Egypt’s grain stores due to the prophecy of famine.

Jacob’s family experienced the famine that he sends his 10 sons to Egypt, excluding Benjamin, to procure grain for their starving families. Joseph recognized them immediately but did not reveal himself. He wanted to see his full brother, Benjamin, Joseph accused them of being spies and imprisoned them, having Simeon as a hostage, and demanded Benjamin be produced to prove their claims. This brought distraught to Jacob. However, Judah pledged that he would protect Benjamin from harm, and Jacob sent the brothers again. On meeting them, Joseph threatened to imprison Benjamin but Judah offered himself in Benjamin’s place. It was interpreted before that Joseph was testing his brothers with his threat and Judah passed the test. Overcome with emotion, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and provided them to move Jacob’s entire family to Egypt. Joseph forgave his brothers and waves all the hatred he had felt for them for selling him.

Moses story begins when Egypt’s population was getting bigger. The Pharaoh ordered that all new born baby boy be killed by drowning in the Nile river. Moses’ mother was afraid that she placed moses in a basket and let him float in the nile. His older sister Miriam oversees him, until the basket floated and reached the daughter of the Pharaoh who was then bathing in the Nile. Miriam approached the princess and asked if she wanted the baby to be nursed by a Hebrew woman, her own mother. The princess agrees and when moses was a boy, he was sent back to the palace to be the adopted son of the Pharaoh’s princess.

He grows up in the royal family of Egypt and once should be next in line for the thrown. However, he noticed the cruelty of the Egyptians to the Hebrew slaves. One time, he could not bear the beatings of the Egyptian and tried to help the slave, this lead Moses in killing the Egyptian. Moses soon discovered from a higher source that the affair was known, and that Pharaoh was likely to put him to death for it; he therefore made his escape over the Sinai Peninsula. In Midian he stopped at a well, where he protected seven shepherdesses from a band of rude shepherds. The shepherdesses' father Hobab (also known as Raguel and Jethro, a priest of Midian was immensely grateful for this assistance Moses had given his daughters, and adopted him as his son, gave his daughter Zipporah to him in marriage, and made him the superintendent of his herds. There he sojourned forty years, following the occupation of a shepherd. While tending the flocks of Jethro at Mount Horeb, he saw a burning bush that would not be consumed. When he turned aside to look more closely at the marvel, God spoke to him from the bush, revealing his name to Moses.

God ordered him to take His people, the Hebrews, out of the cruelty and slavery in Egypt. With his staff, he and Aaron tried to convince and bargain with the pharaoh to release the hebrews. But the pharaoh and his magician mocked moses and the staff given to him by God. It was then that Egypt was sent with 10 plagues by God that the Pharaoh allowed the hebrews to go.

Moses led his people until the Egyptian catch up on them. It was the Moses’ faith and God’s help that made them escape through the parting of the red sea using his staff. The hebrews escaped. And sometime in their dwelling, Moses travelled for days in the mountain and receive the stone tablets bearing the 10 commandments from God. Moses was upset when he returned and saw that the hebrews had created idols and image Gods as they lose their faith to lord God. He then threw the stone tablets to them.

Moses continued to travel until he died, he never reached Canaan, but this sojourn was continued by Joshua, the successor of Moses to lead the people.

   Characters of the Story and their Behavior

1.       Abraham

                Abraham was a great leader. He has an authority and a strong disposition to lead his people. He was loved and respected by his people as seen, when he died, the people wept over him. He was a good husband to Sara and a good father to Isaac. His faith is unquestionable before the sight of God that’s why he was chosen and God makes a covenant with him and his descendants after him. Twice, he shown his faith to God; first is when God made the covenant with him, that he will be the father of a nation, despite of his old age and his wife being barren. Sara, his wife laughed at this covenant and did not take this seriously. It is understandable that Sara would not believe this, knowing she can’t bear a child and her husband, aging 99 yrs old. However, Abraham sticks with his faith to God and as promised, Sara gave birth to their son, Isaac.

                Abraham’s faith was admirable. I think that no parent can surpass his courage in sacrificing his own son. In modern times, one parent will do everything to save the life of his own child. The natural reaction would be, “Why do I have to obey Your orders, if You are the God of all the goodness, why do You have to take the life of my son?” However, Abraham defies this norm. His unwavering faith in God prevails

2.       Isaac, Rebecca, and Jacob

                The story of Isaac and Jacob caught my attention. I am trying to recall all my childhood bible story telling times, and I could not recall the story that was of Jacob deceiving his brother with his mother as co-conspirator to get the blessing of Isaac. Personally, I think that this part of the story is quite sensitive for children, they would not understand this too much. Anyhow, in all fairness to Rebecca, she did this just as so the prophecy can be fulfilled not just because she favored Jacob than Esau.

        Jacob’s reaction was also understandable. He was afraid that Isaac might curse him when he may find out that they had deceived him. Jacob is a just person and an obedient son and a follower of God.

3.       Esau

                The deception of Jacob to be blessed by Isaac made Esau heartbroken. His right to be blessed by his father was taken from him unfairly. I was trying to analyze the behavior of Esau during those times. Does he really deserve to suffer over his brother, with the prophecy as the only basis? Although, we cannot question God’s prophecy, what I see in this story is that, Esau does not really deserve the blessing of Isaac (birthright blessing for the first born during this times is a blessing from God). It is because of his behavior and attitude. There was a time when he chooses a plate of lentil stew over his birthright. He was asked by Jacob if he wanted to trade his birthright to him over this food, he did not force Esau, but Esau chose the food. The interpretation to this act is that Esau values material things rather than blessings from God. With this kind of attitude, I believe that he cannot be appropriate for the benefits that come along with that right.

4.       Joseph

        Joseph’s character was my favorite in the story. He was favored by Jacob, his father, which is understandable, because his mother was Jacob’s true love. He was also blessed with a talent to interpret dreams. His brothers, of course, will grow envious of him. He suffered a lot, being sold to traders, being a prisoner for 12 years, until he was assigned as the viceroy of Egypt. Joseph has a pure heart and was overcome with his joy and emotions when he saw his brothers after how many years. At first he was angry at them, but then he forgive them and even mentioned that it is God’s will that he was sold until he becomes the viceroy of Egypt, in able for him to help his family out of famine.

5.       Moses

        Moses is a man of faith as well. I admire his humility when he learned that he was born Hebrew, he chooses to leave the privilege of being an Egyptian royalty. He was called by God to move the Hebrew slaves out of the cruel Egypt. He shown courage and vast of faith as the task of persuading or asking the Pharaoh to free the slaves is very difficult. The times when they were mocked by the Pharaoh were hard for them as well. Until God send the 10 plagues that they convinced the Egyptians to free the people. It was also difficult for him to encourage the Hebrews to have faith in God as they cross the red sea. From the beginning up to the crossing of the red sea, when he received the 10 commandments from God up to his death bed, Moses remained righteous follower of God.

As a Psychologist during this times

                I would like to consider that in these times, all that matters would be one’s faith in God and his will and right to choose. God created us with free will. He gave us rules to obey and it’s up to the people whether they will choose what is right and what is wrong. People in these times, although, they were privileged, because they get the message of God through angels and messengers, were also prone in committing evil. It’s a natural reaction to anger, hatred, and jealousy. However, a true follower of God is someone who will choose what is right and will surrender his fate to the His mercy. Faith really matters because those who are faithful are being rewarded by God not only in material things (like abundance and prosperity in their living) but also in spiritual aspects.

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The Tree of Development of Psychological Thought

written report by Eloi Casis

1. Roots : Stone Age and Oriental Psychology

–        the beginning happened in the east; the earliest civilization

–        Stone Age: Trephination – this process of opening the skull to release the spirit that disturbs the patient was performed during the stone age;

–        The oldest evidence that human behavior problem was attributable to supernatural cases such as possession of spirits that causes disturbance to the patient

–        Mesopotamian Psychology(3300 BC) – beliefs of people were based on the wills of the Gods and goddesses; Shamans/Priests  are considered the earliest Psychologists, for they are the ones who were being consulted when someone is mentally ill and they can interpret the wills of the Gods; Code of Hammurabi contains rules on how people should behave and live life.

–        Egyptian Psychology (2900 BC) – Mummification - Egyptians are known for this process, because they believe that the corpse after purification by prayer and magic formula can be transformed into an incorruptible and glorified body, the sahu. The Ka was regarded as the life-force or soul. Popular philosophers and thinkers was reported to study in Egypt.

–        Hebrew Psychology  – the concept of immortal soul was introduced. It is said that after the body died, the spirit can still be called by witchcraft to appear.

–        Hindu Psychology (2500 BC) –

-          the 4 Vedas; the belief in reincarnation and the cycle of time; the four main Castes, Karma – one’s good or bad actions

- Buddhism

                  - The 4 noble truths: Dukha (suffering),  Samudaya (arising of suffering: e.g.        craving), Nirodha or nibbana (Cessation of suffering), Magga (path leading to cessation of        suffering)

                  - The 8 fold path: Buddhist psychology recognizes a subconscious life distinct     from waking consciousness; dream analysis which later becomes basis of psychoanalytic        theories.

- Chinese Psychology

                   - Zodiac signs which tells corresponding personalities, the five elements: fire,                             wood, metal, water, earth.

                  - Yin-Yang - balance of nature

                  - Confucius – the golden rule: “What you do not want done to you, do not do to                            others”

2. Trunk: Greek Psychology and Medieval Psychology

–        Pre-Socratic Philosophers

-          Thales – predicted the eclipse; measured heights of pyramids

-          Anaximander – his theory preceded the evolution theory of Darwin; all life comes from the sea

-          Anaximenes – all things come from air

-          Phytagoras – mathematical relationships; relationship between the harmonies of music and the harmony of a person’s interior life; Music is highly therapeutic for certain nervous disorders.

-          Heraclitus- all things are in flux; the process of change is not a haphazard movement but the product of God’s universal reason (logos)

-          Parmenides – founder of formal logic; truth could be reached through abstract thought alone

-          Democritus- knowledge is derived from sense perception; all things consisted of atoms and their combinations accounted for all change in nature.

            - The Sophists (Intellectuals)

                         - Protagoras – man is the measure of all things

                        - Gorgias – denied that there is truth at all for all the ff reasons: 1. nothing exists,                           2. is anything exists it is incomprehensible,3. That even if it is comprehensible,                                     symbols or signs and no symbol can ever be the same as the thing it symbolizes

                        - Thrasymachus –might is right; what is “right’ is the same everywhere; the                                   interest of the stronger party

                        - Socrates – he created the conception of Soul, the psyche – the capacity for                                intelligence and character; it is a person’s conscious personality; the structure of                                 personality

                        - Hippocrates - mental disorders had natural causes and required treatments like                            other diseases; importance of heredity and disposition; dreams are important in                          understanding a patient’s personality

                        - Plato – Father of cognitive Psychology? ; Truth resides in the world of ideas or                            forms, not in the world made known through the senses; human behavior flows                                     from 3 main sources: desire, emotion, knowledge

                        - Aristotle – Father of empirical Psychology? ; his collection of writings titled Peri                           psyches are particularly significant to psychology because it is here that Aristotle                                 laid the foundation for the empirical study of psychology by future generations.

                        - Pyrrho – founder of Skepticism, also known as Pyrrhonism; Skepticism is not a                           denial of the possibility of finding truth nor it is denial of the basic facts of human                                  experience.

            - Medieval Psychology

                        - St. Agustine – first great Christian philosopher; humans are made in such a way                          that when the aye of one’s body sees an object, the mind can form an image of it                              provided the object is bathed in light. (Illumination)

                        - Avicenna – the three ventricles of the brain performed five distinct cognitive                                 processes. Front ventricles – puts together and stores sensory information w/o                                   interpretation. Middle ventricle – were responsible for some of the abstraction of           

                        meaning from the stored images. Rear ventricle - contained the single faculty of                             memory

                        - St. Thomas Aquinas – he “Christianized” the philosophy of Aristotle; conception                           of God existence; proof of God’s existence: 1. proof from motion 2. proof from                              efficient cause 3. proof from necessary vs possible being 4. proof from the                              degrees of perfection 5. proof from the order of the universe

                       

3. Branches: Rationalism in Europe; British Empiricism; Realism, Idealism and Association; Rise of Experimental Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Neo-Scholastic Psychology

- Rationalism in Europe

                        - Dualism by Rene Descartes  (father of modern philosophy) – “I think therefore I                           am”; all he could know with certainty was the fact of his existence, and even that                              he knew only because he experienced not his body, but his mind. He deduced                                 God’s existence;Psycho neuromuscular Theory – Pineal gland represents the                                 point of interaction.

-          Monism by Benedictus Spinoza – mind and matter are not two separate substances but as two aspects of one and the same substance which in itself was neutral; the ultimate reality is composed of a single substance, God

-          Psychophysical Parallelism  - for every mental change there is a corresponding physical one, and vice versa.

-          Monadism by Gottfried W. Leibniz – suggested that the universe consists of the hierarchy of monads; Monad – was a point of force, an element of all being; which was indestructible and immutable. His influence to the modern psychology : the degree of consciousness or awareness that the monads contained; the idea of the unconscious was not Freud’s but Leibniz’; Parallelism

            - British Empiricism

                        - John Locke: A Metaphysical Agnostic – “Tabula rasa” – There is nothing in the                            minds which was not previously in the senses; the mind at birth is a blank sheet.;                                 this idea was later adopted by Skinner.

                        - George Berkely: Metaphysical Idealist – “To be, is to be perceived”; has been                              accused of Solipsism, the belief that I alone exist and the world is a figment of my                              subjective imagination.

                        - David Hume: A Metaphysical Skeptic -  all knowledge originates from                                         impressions, experience; Cause and effect relation ship -  argues that these two                                 doest not exist by necessity; every effect is a distinct event form its cause.

            -Realism, Idealism and Association

                        - Scottish Faculty Psychology by Thomas Reid  - he endeavored to counteract the                                     phenomenalism to which the sensationalist theories were tending by developing a                          “new realism founded on the common sense of mankind”

                        - the Rise of German Psychology by Immanuel Kant – distinguished the                                        “transcendental ego” from the “empirical or phenomenal self”, relegated empirical                            psychology to a branch of anthropology; concluded that since all science is                                   essentially mathematical and since mathematical methods could not be applied to                             the study of mind, psychology could never become a genuine science.

                        - Associationism by James Mill- described sensations and ideas as the two                                   primary state of consciousness; these were mechanically linked by association,                                    now reduced to single principle – “order of occurrence”.; Hedonistic theory of                                  Jeremy Benthan – human actions are motivated solely by pleasure and pain.

            - Rise of Experimental Psychology

                        - F. J. Gall – localize the various faculties of the mind in specific parts of the brain

                        - M. Flourens – series of experimental studies of the brain in which by extirpating                           different parts that each had an action commune as well as an action proper

                        - Alexander Bain – “the time had come when the new discoveries of the                                        physiologists should find an appropriate place in the Science of the Mind.

                        - Experimental study of sensation:  - Galileo’s discovery of the dependence of                               audible pitch on the frequency of the vibrations and Newton’s discovery of the laws                   of color mixture marked the beginnings of a realization that sensory experience is                              systematically related to the physical characteristics of the stimulus.

                        - H. L. F. von Helmholtz – he made the most important factual contributions to                              experimental psychology and the first to make experiments on reaction times and                                  determine the rated of conduction in nerves.

                        - W. Wundt – Psychology shows how experience can be analyzed into specific                              elements and how by a process of “creative synthesis” they can be combined into                            “psychic resultants” and what are the laws of combination

            Evolutionary Psychology

-          Herbert Spencer – set out to depict evolution as the key to both inorganic, and organic nature in his “synthetic Philosophy” ; for him, Biology as the science of life, applies these principles to the general development of living organisms, and psychology, as the science of mental life, applies them to mind, thus becoming itself a branch of biology rather than a mere branch of philosophy or physiology.

-          Charles Robert Darwin – “natural selection”; he proved that not only physical attributes of a man but also his intellectual, emotional, and moral faculties, have evolved from those of lower animals and obey same laws of variation and heredity.

-          Sir Francis Galton – founder of Individual Psychology; introduced variety of techniques, such as mental tests, psychological questionnaires, statistical analysis, correlational procedures.

Neoscholastic Psychology

-          F. Brentano – revived the scholastic doctrines of “intention” ad “inexistence”.

-          A. Meinong – theory of consciousness has 3 terms: “act”, “content”, and “object”

            Functional Psychology (William James and James Ward)

-          the associationists had approached psychology from an intellectualist standpoint and were chiefly concerned with analyzing the mind into sensory elements and describing its structure.

-          The theory of evolution led naturally to a study of mind from a more practical standpoint, emphasizing function rather than structure and preaching a dynamic rather than a merely analytics psychology

D.           Leaves:  20^th Century Psychology: Behaviorism, Gestalt Psychology, and Psychoanalysis

Behaviorism

            From early psychology in the 19th century, the behaviorist school of thought ran    concurrently and shared commonalities with the psychoanalytic and Gestalt movements in             psychology into the 20th century; but also differed from the mental philosophy of the            Gestalt psychologists in critical ways.^{[citation needed]} Its main influences were Ivan Pavlov, who      investigated classical conditioning, Edward Lee Thorndike, John B. Watson who rejected   introspective methods and sought to restrict psychology to experimental methods, and B.F.   Skinner who conducted research on operant conditioning.^[3]

      ^{3^ a b} Fraley, LF (2001). "Strategic interdisciplinary relations between a natural science                 community and a    psychology community" (pdf). The Behavior Analyst Today Behaviorism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

            Gestalt Psychology
             Early 20th century theorists, such as Kurt Koffka, Max Wertheimer, and Wolfgang Köhler (students of Carl Stumpf) saw objects as perceived within an environment according to all   of their elements taken together as a global construct. This 'gestalt' or 'whole form'   approach sought to define principles of perception -- seemingly innate mental laws which    determined the way in which objects were perceived.  Gestalt Psychology  Wikipedia, the free                 ncyclopedia
                  Psychoanalysis (or Freudian psychology)

            is a body of ideas developed by Austrian             physician Sigmund Freud and     continued by      others. It is primarily devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and        behavior, although it can also be applied to societies. Psychoanalysis has three           applications: 1. a method of investigation of the mind and the way one thinks; 2. a             systematized set of theories about human behavior; 3. a method of treatment of    psychological or emotional illness.^[1]  ^ Moore BE, Fine BD (1968), A Glossary of Psychoanalytic                terms and Concepts, Amer Psychoanalytic Assn, p. 78, ISBN 978-0318131252 

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