Protodynamic

George Walford: From Psychology to Society

In IC24 appeared an article, by John Rowan and George Walford, entitled COUNSELLING RESEARCH; AN IDEOLOGICAL STUDY. It related the principal trends in psychotherapy to the major ideologies, saying, among other things, that what s.i. would call protodynamic psychotherapy: “entails the conception of society being reformed to comply with the developing individual; successful counselling produces reformers.”… read more »

George Walford: Ideologic

In IC12 we presented a table of the patterns of thinking – which is to say the logics – used by the different ideologies. With revisions it goes like this: Protostatic: X and non-X are not logically differentiated. Epistatic: X and non-X are in principle distinct. Parastatic: X is X and not non-X. Protodynamic: X… read more »

George Walford: Ideology of a Psychologist

The mystics have long insisted on the need for recognition of the dark side, and one achievement of the past century has been to link this intuition with the methods of science, producing rational studies of the irrational. One example appears in Aldous Huxley’s studies of consciousness-changing drugs (mainly, in those innocent days, peyoti) but… read more »

Shane Roberts: Superficially Interesting

Dear Editor, I found the Outline Sketch of Systematic Ideology to be, superficially at least, quite an interesting pamphlet. However, closer investigation revealed that behind the words there was little of substance. Also, the reasoning contains several flaws. On page 29 appears: A purely eidodynamic society could not do so [i.e. survive]. Every society, if… read more »

George Walford: The Gentle Killers

In IC16, under the title “What Shall We Call It?,” we pointed out that the conception of the East as gentle and mystical, against the aggressive, grimly practical hardness of the West, is a projection of the protodynamic ideology. Among the Eastern countries most highly respected, by the left-wing intelligentsia, for their gentleness, was Ceylon,… read more »

George Walford: Freenetwork

Andre Spies, of Belgium, sent us a package “Introducing the Freenetwork.” It started off: The Freenetwork is being organized as a world-wide means for Freepersons to establish contact with one another, so they can develop effective ways (including enjoyable and profitable ways) of promoting individual freedom. The motto of the Freenetwork is: FREEDOM IN ACTION…. read more »

George Walford: Talking About Talking About Talking

We recently attended a one-day Conference held by the English Language Society, on the theme Language and the State. Most of the speakers and participants were academics, some of them experienced talkers on radio and television who used their skills to hold the audience’s attention. The occasion might well be termed a fact-fest. The facts… read more »

Adrian Williams: Disability, Psychology and Ideology

In the December 1981 issue of The Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, p.456, Merryl J. Cross, who describes herself as disabled and a psychologist, makes an attack on the orthodox approach used by psychologists in helping the disabled to adjust to their surroundings. The disabled are deemed to be well adjusted according to how… read more »

Reconciliation Quarterly: Review of Ideologies and Their Function

This review of Ideologies and Their Functions appeared in Reconciliation Quarterly. Ideologies and Their Functions. George Walford, 1979. Obtainable from The Bookshop, [address] Price: £3.95 HB; £1.95 PB. An interesting book. One cannot help liking a book which begins by pointing out that “I am mad about my flat” means “I am delighted with my… read more »

Sheila Blanchard: Review of Ideologies and Their Functions

Systematic Ideology is a field of study originating in, and developing from, the work of the late Harold Walsby, whose book The Domain of Ideologies was published in 1947. Ideologies and their Functions describes the development of Walbsy’s theory, interest in which has been maintained by his friends and followers, and the relevance of that… read more »

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