Psychology for activists working in contact with the public

Giuliano J P Silva, psychologist, musician and activist: giupubis@gmail.com

Psychology could contribute to the work of activists VEDDAS?

I hope with this text enable a reflection on how the activist puts people in touch with their actions during, so that contact is most possible constructive, for both the activist and for people affected. I will use the knowledge of humanistic psychology, the person-centered approach, and my personal experience as an activist and as a psychologist in this task.

Although we are subject to external values ​​we impose ways of being that distance us from what we really are, we all have at our core a natural ability to self dirigirmos. Unlike the fairly widespread mentality that the human being is a being irrational and that their impulses, when uncontrolled, lead to the destruction of self and others, humanistic psychology believes that humans naturally live in a constant search for inner harmony, and consequently in a quest for greater harmony with their environment. Therefore, the best way to encourage a person to evolve is to believe in its natural condition to think, feel, seek and be directed in the way of their own needs, to, from this belief, facilitating conditions for the person contact with itself and the world you live in to find their own answers and your unique way of being. The best way of activist, Educator, psychotherapist, Friend's help is creating ideal conditions to facilitate that person may seek in itself your way.

These conditions are created from three basic assumptions in accordance with the Person Centred Approach. They are: congruence, empathy and unconditional positive acceptance.

Congruence

Congruency means the ability to accept their feelings without disguise, fight or deny whatever it is feeling or thinking. You recognize yourself as someone who is upgrading to better living. Even when Experiment a feeling that I do not like, must first accept that feeling as my, able to look at it and have peace of mind to transform it.

There is no hiding seek a feeling or thought during a conversation without it somehow appears to the caller or to an audience. Even if the other person does not know what goes on inside of me, I issue the message is affected by the noise of my internal struggle. Once accepted what I feel, recognizing that however dangerous or objectionable to be my feeling is that I am now, not need to commit energy to repress, hide or deny it.

If during a conversation your feelings and inner thoughts begin to undermine what you're trying to say or affect their willingness to listen and understand the other, a way to handle it is to communicate in a careful, however, true what you are feeling, is the feeling for the person with whom you are talking, referring to the audience before or you are referring to yourself. Generally, the simple fact of saying how you're feeling, now makes this feeling stop bothering. For example: Once, to direct me to a large audience and staffed by people with more experience in managing people than I, I began to feel anxious. Early on in my speech, I noticed that my breathing was getting hard and my thoughts were a bit confused, punctuated by the concern of my image being impaired. My initial reaction was to address that anxiety, because I sensed that this could harm my presentation. But the more I tried not to feel anxious, I was more anxious. Until I remembered the principle of congruence and interrupted my speech telling the audience that I was feeling anxious to talk to as many experienced people and that was a little short of breath because of that. Many people laughed as if I had said that to make a joke. I heard some people saying that it was next regular. The fact is that, after expressing how I felt, be anxious no longer a problem for me. Not to be left totally anxious, mas stopped lutar against anxiety. Being anxious was no longer a problem that I needed to worry, so I felt more relaxed and was able to access the best ideas I wanted to convey.

Empathy

Often the way I believe to be the best, is the best for me. But each one progresses from the stage where it is and from what is. Therefore it is best to me may be different from each other better. With empathy you can better understand and respect the reasons why an individual chooses a different path I choose.

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's forever, because in this way we have more able to understand and accept each other in their motives, their fears and feelings and thus better able to judge not, interfere with or direct the person in a way that we believe to be the best.

Unconditional Positive Acceptance

Is to accept others in a positive way, always understood that the person, its form, is looking at the bottom feel good and meet.

Accept no means agree. When we believe in the natural tendency of people to look and feel good meet, we find it easier to accept the other, even not understanding or not agreeing.

When we accept and welcome the other trend is that people feel more comfortable being who is. Once the person is not committed to defend the judgment of another, but rather, finds acceptance, You can look for yourself and decide if you are prepared to change and judge which is the best for you.

Thus, the meaning of the work of the activist is to provide resources, information and knowledge available, facilitating the conditions for the other to be what is, so that he can make the changes in behavior that you want.

 

REFERENCES

FADIMAN, James & Frager, Robert (1986). Theories of Personality. Sao Paulo: Harbra.

PEDRASSOLI, A, – What is Psychology (to lay) – Página na Web: http://www.buscadorerrante.with/wp/2008/the–that–and–psychology–to–Lay/3/

PINTO, Mark A.S. Course Introduction to Person Centred Approach – www.encontroacp.psc.br/

ROGERS, Carl R. (1994). Encontro Groups. Sao Paulo: Martins Fontes.

ROGERS, Carl R. (1991). New Ways of Love: Marriage and Alternatives. Rio de Janeiro: José Olympio.

ROGERS, Carl R. (1997). Psychotherapy and Psychological Counselling. Sao Paulo: Martins Fontes.

ROGERS, Carl R. (1985). Become a Person. Sao Paulo: Martins Fontes.