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= Human_Potential_Movement =
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Introduction
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The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the counterculture of
the 1960s and formed around the concept of an extraordinary potential
that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The
movement takes as its premise the belief that the development of their
"human potential" can contribute to a life of increased happiness,
creativity, and fulfillment, and as a result such people will be more
likely to direct their actions within society toward assisting others
to release their potential. Adherents believe that the collective
effect of individuals cultivating their own potential will be positive
change in society at large.
Roots
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The HPM has much in common with humanistic psychology in that Abraham
Maslow's theory of self-actualization strongly influenced its
development. The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential,
founded in 1955 by Glenn Doman and Carl Delacato, was an early
precursor to and influence on the Human Potential Movement, as is
exemplified in Doman's assertion that "Every child born has, at the
moment of birth, a greater potential intelligence than Leonardo da
Vinci ever used."
In the middle of the 1960s, George Leonard did research across the
United States on the subject of human potential for the magazine
'Look'. In his research, he interviewed 37 psychiatrists, brain
researchers, and philosophers on the subject of human potential. He
found that "Not one of them said we were using more than 10% of our
capacity", a common misconception which has since been proven false.
During the course of his research, Leonard met Michael Murphy, a
co-founder of the nascent Esalen Institute (established in 1962) that
at the time was running educational programs for adults on the topic
of "human potentialities". Leonard and Murphy became close friends and
together "put forth the idea that there should be a human potential
movement".
Social influence
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HPM was regarded by some as being related to psychedelic culture such
as hippies and the Summer of Love. According to author Andrew Grant
Jackson, George Harrison's adoption of Hindu philosophy and Indian
instrumentation in his songs with the Beatles in the mid 1960s,
together with the band's highly publicised study of Transcendental
Meditation, "truly kick-started" the Human Potential Movement.
As Elizabeth Puttick writes in the 'Encyclopedia of New Religions':
The human potential movement (HPM) originated in the 1960s as a
counter-cultural rebellion against mainstream psychology and organised
religion. It is not in itself a religion, new or otherwise, but a
psychological philosophy and framework, including a set of values that
have made it one of the most significant and influential forces in
modern Western society.
Authors and essayists
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Aristotle used the principles of potentiality and actuality to analyze
causality, motion, biology, physiology, human psychology and ethics
in his tractates on 'Physics', 'Metaphysics', 'Nicomachean Ethics',
and 'De Anima'.
Abraham Maslow published his concept of a hierarchy of needs in a
paper in 1943. He argued that as people's basic survival needs are
met, so their desire to grow in mental and emotional dimensions
increases. He also coined the term "metamotivation" to describe the
motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and
strive for constant betterment.
Michael Murphy and Dick Price founded the Esalen Institute in 1962,
primarily as a center for the study and development of human
potential, and some people continue to regard Esalen as the
geographical center of the movement .
Aldous Huxley gave lectures on the "Human Potential" at Esalen in the
early 1960s. His writings and lectures on the mystical dimensions of
psychedelics and on what he called "the perennial philosophy" were
foundational. Moreover, his call for an institution that could teach
the "nonverbal humanities" and the development of the "human
potentialities" functioned as the working mission statement of early
Esalen.
Christopher Lasch notes the impact of the human potential movement via
the therapeutic sector: "The new therapies spawned by the human
potential movement, according to Peter Marin, teach that "the
individual will is all powerful and totally determines one's fate";
thus they intensify the "isolation of the self".
George Leonard, a magazine writer and editor who conducted research
for an article on human potential, became an important early influence
on Esalen. Leonard claims that he coined the phrase "Human Potential
Movement" during a brainstorming session with Michael Murphy, and
popularized it in his 1972 book 'The Transformation: A Guide to the
Inevitable Changes in Humankind'. Leonard worked closely with the
Esalen Institute afterwards, and in 2005 served as its president.
Martin Seligman emphasized positive psychology during his term as
president of the APA beginning in 1998. Positive psychology focuses
on cultivation of eudaimonia, an Ancient Greek term for "the good
life" and the concept for reflection on the factors that contribute
the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life, often using the terms
subjective well-being and happiness interchangeably.
In Europe
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Interest in Human Potential concepts is growing in Europe thanks to
training courses aimed at managers, graduate students, and the
unemployed, mainly funded by the European Union in public development
courses in the 1980s and 90s. In these courses, modules such as
communication skills, marketing, leadership and others in the "soft
skills" area were embedded in the programs, and enabled the
familiarization of most of the Human Potential concepts. A key role
was played by "EU Strategic objective 3, 4, and 5" that explicitly
included transversal key competences, such as learning to learn, a
sense of initiative, entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness".
These training programs, lasting as much as 900 to 1200 hours aimed at
enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, and
contained at all levels of education and training Human Potential
concepts. One of the core concepts, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a
theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human
needs, became popular in Europe in the 80s mainly as a support to
understanding consumer's needs, and only after its use as a key
marketing concept. Philip Kotler's book "Marketing Management" was
particularly influential in the 80s in popularizing several human
potential concepts that were "embedded" in the book and entered in the
working and management community.
Specifically targeted books on Human Potential have emerged in Europe
and can be found in the works of specific authors. For the "Anglo"
cultural area, the work of John Whitmore
contains a harsh critique of mainstream approaches to human potential
as fast cures for self-improvement: "Contrary to the appealing claims
of The One Minute Manager, there are no quick fixes in business".
For the "Latin" cultural area, an early approach to Human Potential
can be found in the work of Maria Montessori. Montessori's theory and
philosophy of education were influenced by the work of Jean Marc
Gaspard Itard, Édouard Séguin, Friedrich Fröbel, Johann Heinrich
Pestalozzi. Her model emphasized autonomous learning, sensory
exploration and training children in physical activities, empowering
their senses and thoughts by exposure to sights, smells, and tactile
experiences, and later included, problem solving.
Notable proponents
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* William James (1842-1910), an early proponent
* Gerald Heard (1889-1971)
* Fritz Perls (1893-1970)
* Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
* Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
* Moshé Feldenkrais (1904-1984)
* Viktor Frankl (1905-1997)
* Viola Spolin (1906-1994)
* Joshua L. Liebman (1907-1948)
* Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
* Alan Watts (1915-1973)
* Harvey Jackins (1916-1999)
* Alexander Everett (1921-2005)
* Gerda Boyesen (1922-2005)
* George Leonard (1923-2010)
* William Schutz (1925-2002)
* Stan Dale (1929-2007)
* Michael Murphy (b. 1930)
* Harold C. Lyon Jr. (1935-2019)
* Werner Erhard (b. 1935)
* John Heider (1936-2010)
* Jean Houston (b. 1937)
* Chungliang Al Huang (b. 1937)
* Marilyn Ferguson (1938-2008)
* Fernando Flores (b. 1943)
* Anthony Robbins (b. 1960)
* Michaela Brohm-Badry (b. 1962)
Notable programs
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* Leadership Dynamics
* Silva Method
* Mind Dynamics
* Erhard Seminars Training (EST)
See also
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* Drug culture
* Humanistic psychology
* Personal development
* Organizations
** Erhard Seminars Training (San Francisco based "est", 1971-1984)
followed by "The Forum" and Landmark Worldwide (from 1991)
** Lifespring (founded 1974 in southern California)
* Ten percent of the brain myth
Further reading
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* Bendeck Sotillos, Samuel "Prometheus and Narcissus in the Shadows of
the Human Potential Movement" 'AHP Perspective', December 2012/January
2013, pp. 6-12.
* Enablers, T.C., 2014. [
http://www.laceweb.org.au/rhp.htm 'Realising
Human Potential']. Internet Source cited Jan, 2015.
* Enablers, T.C., 2014. [
http://www.laceweb.org.au/fgn.htm 'The
Fastest Growing New Social Movement on the Planet'] Internet Source
cited Nov. 2014.
External links
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*New religious movement, 'Wikiquote'
*
License
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Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Potential_Movement
