G.A.”BOB” YOUNG/THIRD FORCE PSYCHOLOGY/

SOCIALVIBES. NET

Decades ago, I was at the end of my rope. I have spent two years with a right wing psychiatrist who was Freudian and gave me Compazine for nausea and depression.

It didn’t work and I finally went to a hospital named Richard Young. It was a bit out of the way of the medical community that was located further east.

In group therapy, a Dr. Bob Young created the outlet for me to escape the life that I had been leading. He was not only interesting but inspirational.

I discovered through him that I could avoid a shit job with a large corporation, tract house, and two kids.

At the time, his THIRD FORCE PSYCHOLOGY was not behaviorism nor Freudian. I was so pleased. What I would like to do is in my own words and from memory explain what he was saying . Thus, this is an imperfect recollection. Young tried to write, but found that his ability was as a psychotherapist rather than a social science (behavorial methodologies) writer.

Except  for a brilliant and encouraging sociologist Dr. George Helling, most of my surport came from Young. I can see now where he was wrong, but the theory of his was beyond the material presented in academia and popular culture at the time.

Sp let’s begin.

1) Humans are selfish with a small dynamo of energy wasted on hating self and others. Most can be enlightened. They can recognize their own internal pathology and create social skills to deal with others in their presence.

2) Once this is recognized, growth can begin. The popular stimulus-response model was placed aside for a Stimulus within one self and the stimulus outside of an individual. Thus, the first consideration when one “slips on the ice” is within the individual. It starts with the stimulus in your own choices and values. You chose to walk on the ice. The second is the external stimuli of the “icy sidewalk.”

3)Humans are active creatures not reactive ones. “You made me do this” is imperfect. I made myself do it, in your presence. You made me love you is an incomplete assessment. I chose the feelings in your presence.

4) Freud’s defense mechanisms (actually authored by his daughter) was useful, but not all the defenses were of equal weight. In particular PROJECTION  was probably the most important. One aspect is that fear or anxiety within one’s self was also projected on to those others around oneself. Whatever the emotion within, is seen as an outside force or problem outside.

5) One wants to hide these feelings so that s/he can appear to be comfortably “normal.” Thus one would seek indirect self acceptance. When whole groups do this, one has a troubled society. More of this would come later in the 70’s.

6) Later research would add portions of mental health exude from certain “mood” chemicals. Thus, pharmaceuticals flourish in these troubled societies.

7)Nature and nurture are both necessary to study as indicated in  BIOCHEMICAL SOCIOLOGY and SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE articles popularized by others.

8)Acting more natural as one feels rather artificially creating an ongoing persona that is phony and not nurturing to one self or others creates a normal neurosis.

9) The art of living varies from the art of making a living. One should not confuse the two.

10) Hate and anger at another is a counter attitude to one’s own feelings. An ardent  condervate with psycho therapy can recognize that they too have progressive and social democratic attitudes. Thus, they are the same conservative but much mellower. An example of a Right-Left explanation is similar. Hating is another form of self loathing.

11) One may want to read one’s own non-verbals when discussing a subject. A relaxed body with warm hands can indicate that you can enjoy living with one’s self and others.

12) For recurring anti-social feelings, don’t feed it and don’t fight it. Allow it to recede on it’s own.

13) in some ways, you become your own psychiatrist. What is your counter-attitude? Do you really want what you want or what you think others want.

14) Nature is here and there. What do you do with it?Do you really want to play God? Go for yourself in helping others. Don’t manipulate or counter manipulate. Self enlightened interest is much less selfish than strict individualism or commutarianism. Everything in moderation including virture.

15) The key is paradoxing. Don’t try to be happy. Allow it to happen.

This was 60 years ago and since then cognitive-behavorialism probably borrows most from his insights.