The tyranny of hope and the transformative tendency

Abstract

Despite its adherence to organismic experiencing, person-centered therapy is the receptacle of second-hand metaphysics. These are evident in the notion of the formative tendency. The latter, ‘observed in stellar space and in human beings’, is a teleological model of organic development: it assumes an order directing development towards an end. It is a shadow of God, the powerful other that will come to our rescue. This is the foundation for hope, manifesting via human-centered attribution of a purpose to existence. With the rise of populism, bigotry and the far-right in many parts of the world, hope provides a beautiful daydream we can indulge in instead of being involved in the urgency of now.Other evolutionary theories are presented that speak of active and reactive natural forces. Reactive forces are adaptive. Active forces affirm expenditure. PCT can be revitalized by greater alignment with active rather than reactive forces. The theoretical framework for this is the transformative tendency, and the example is the butterfly, an organism whose natural cycles of growth rather than being motivated by self-preservation ultimately place it at risk.

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