30 Quotes from the Giants of Psychology
The more psychology in the modern era becomes infected with politics, the less effective it becomes and the more its reputation suffers. That doesn't mean there isn't any value to be found in it. It means that a 35-year-old liberal white woman projecting her own mental illness on her clients probably isn't going to be the one to deliver a lot of that value.
Flawed though some of them were, the giants of psychology were brilliant people whose work helped an enormous number of people in the past and can help many more in the future. A good starting point for fixing psychology today would be to go back to the roots and take in the lessons of the masters. Today, you can do that by reading these quotes from what many people consider to be some of the greatest minds in psychology.
1) "Exaggerated sensitiveness is an expression of the feeling of inferiority." -- Alfred Adler (1856 - 1939)
2) "No experience is a cause of success or failure. We do not suffer from the shock of our experiences, so-called trauma - but we make out of them just what suits our purposes." -- Alfred Adler (1856 - 1939)
3) "The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well." -- Alfred Adler (1856 - 1939)
4) "We must never neglect the patient's own use of his symptoms." -- Alfred Adler (1856 - 1939)
5) "We cannot say that if a child is badly nourished he will become a criminal. We must see what conclusion the child has drawn." -- Alfred Adler (1856 - 1939)
6) "The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions." -- Alfred Adler (1856 - 1939)
7) "What is easiest to see is often overlooked." -- Milton Erickson (1901 - 1980)
8) "You can’t learn to swim on a piano bench." -- Milton Erickson (1901 - 1980)
9) "Emphasis should be placed more on what the patient does in the present and will do in the future than on a mere understanding of why some long-past event occurred." -- Milton Erickson (1901 - 1980)
10) "Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility." -- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
11) "Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock." -- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
12) "We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love." -- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
13) "It is impossible to overlook the extent to which civilization is built upon a renunciation of instinct." -- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
14) "Neurotics complain of their illness, but they make the most of it, and when it comes to taking it away from them they will defend it like a lioness her young." -- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
15) "If youth knew; if age could." -- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
16) "If you want a quality, act as if you already had it." -- William James (1842 - 1910)
17) "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." -- William James (1842 - 1910)
18) "Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state." -- William James (1842 - 1910)
19) "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." -- William James (1842 - 1910)
20) "The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it." -- William James (1842 - 1910)
21) "The word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
22) "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
23) "The healthy man does not torture others - generally, it is the tortured who turn into torturers." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
24) "Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
25) "The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
26) "The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
27) "Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health." -- Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
28) "If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life." -- Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970)
29) "The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short." -- Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970)
30) "If I were dropped out of a plane into the ocean and told the nearest land was a thousand miles away, I'd still swim. And I'd despise the one who gave up." -- Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970)
When I was in high school, about 50 years ago, I learned about these giants of psychology in my biology class. Back then, psychology was in the realm of science.
Since then, psychology has been moved to the realm of social science. There is very little science in the social sciences. It is more like philosophy, what's in vogue today will be out tomorrow because the academics have decided to toss out the old and come up something new so they can continue publishing to keep their jobs.
When I sought out psychiatric help 30 years ago, I knew my life was not working and I had to make changes. My psychiatrist made it clear, I had to change my thinking and that would not be easy. He also sent me to a therapist who believed the same. She made me realize I had to change my thinking and stop trying to get those around me to adapt to my insecurities and trauma. The childhood trauma that I had experienced is over and I am in control of my life know.
This was not easy but I followed through. I was trained as a biologist with graduate degrees so it was easy for me to approach this from a science viewpoint.
Since that time, the general view has changed. Now, those who went through some past trauma and are dealing with the affects of PTSD are told you think they way you do because you are a victim. Society has to change to become more sensitive to your behavior and needs. So many more stay in victim mode hiding from any situation that causes feelings of being uncomfortable.
When I started to experience panic attacks, my psychiatrist did not advise me to find a safe place. I had to learn to deal with the panic attacks and eventually they would stop. It took about 5 years or so to reach the point when I stopped having them. I started with small exposures to things that triggered panic attacks and then I practiced the coping mechanism I was given to deal with it. After I learned to use one comping mechanism, I learned another, practiced it, mastered it and moved on to the next.
It was not fun. Eventually though the panic attacks stopped because I learned to recognize them for what they, unfounded fears, and continue with my life.
I have a high stress job; a high school teacher. I no longer stress over situations that come up in my job. I do my job because I know I am capable. I know I will make mistakes, but I look at each one as a learning opportunity so I will not repeat it. I have also learned to ignore advice from sources that I know are unreliable and I seek out help and advice from those that I admire because they are successful..
My favorite quote is from Freud, that made number 10 of your list. Society is where it is at today because people want freedom without the responsibilities. It is always someone else's fault
From my perspective, Jordan Peterson is today’s most relevant psychologist, pound for pound.