A book by David Goff, Ph.D.

A Synopsis

    As the Universe expands, becoming more alive, conscious and complex, our lives are upset. This is the good and bad news of this book. Relationship is — for better, or worse — we are connected! We are supported as we are challenged, involved in a co-creative, interdependent, process that offers us dignity and support as it asks us to go beyond ourselves. Toward that end, we have been given lives. They are not ours alone. They also belong to the expansive creativity of the Universe. This is not the world traditional psychology prepared us for, but it is the world we occupy. A psychology of interdependence looks again and argues for updated assumptions.

    Evolution has proceeded, because two, or more, things have combined into something, unseen before, of a higher order. This is a cosmological fact. The Universe, the evolution of living systems, all depend on relationship for their creativity, their profusion.  Synergetic relationships have been the modus operandi of Creation, from the very beginning. As a part of our natural inheritance, a defining characteristic of who we are, we must relate to fulfill our role in Creation.

    The image of the holon, a whole unto itself and a part of a larger something, best captures who we are, we are participants in a long relational dance. More than the isolated individuals we have thought ourselves to be, we are also intimately connected, coupled with each other, and our cultural and environmental surrounds.

    With the realization that human nature is always connected, comes a new psychological take on our challenges. We are born into relationships, family systems, cultures, and developmental expectations. These relationships define us, unless we develop the capacity to define ourselves. Once it was believed that the apogee of human development was to be independent, now we see a new human emerging, one who maximizes connection, without losing his or her self, for the benefit of the whole. A psychology of interdependence views this developmental potential as critical to individuals and social and ecological systems alike, and provides much needed supports for achieving this kind of development.

    This new psychology offers a different vision of the human project. The Universe has prepared us to be adaptable, so this approach emphasizes how we respond. Who we are, our capacity to relate, to co-create with others, and with evolution, all depend on the call of Life and our response to it. When Life challenges us nothing is wrong. This approach is non-pathological and strength and relationship based, it views Life as a partner. It sees Life challenging us on all levels; individual, family, community, and as a species, to provoke an embrace, a closer alignment between evolution and human existence.

Table of Contents

Introduction