What is a psychology of interdependence?

    A psychology of interdependence is based upon the postmodern realization that all phenomena are interconnected and interrelated. Beginning with this premise this psychological orientation focuses attention upon the multi-systemic dynamics that range across a continuum of system levels extending from the intrapsychic level (within the individual), through the interpersonal and on into the communal, cultural and global levels. An underlying assumption of this orientation is that the health and well-being of one system level is dependent upon the health and well-being of the other system levels. Thus a psychology of interdependence attempts to understand the isomorphic processes that operate multisytemically and to treat them simultaneously. Our primary mode for identifying and addressing these multisystemic dynamics is through a form of "sociotherapy" which occurs in a "learning community." (For a more comprehensive description of a psychology of interdependence).

How does your organization define interdependence?

    AFI defines interdependence as a dependence upon the emergent qualities (or synergy) that arises when two or more entities interact. This definition differs somewhat from the common definition of interdependence which places emphasis upon "needing and depending upon each other." This has made interdependence suspect in a culture that places such an emphasis upon individuality and self-sufficiency. From our point of view placing the emphasis upon depending upon one another obscures the real value of interdependence. Our definition of interdependence differs by focusing upon the prefix "inter" which refers to what exists "between" discrete entities, that is, the quality of interconnectedness. From this perspective interdependence is a mutual dependence upon the emergent qualities, or synergy that arises through our interactions.

What is a learning community?

    The term learning community refers to any group that has convened for an educational purpose. The term was derived from the field of organizational development where it was applied to groups that were especially convened to increase organizational learning and coherence. We have adapted the social learning methodology that informs the learning community model to serve as a sociotherapuetic process.

    For the purposes of a psychology of interdependence a learning community is a large group that has convened for the following purposes; 1) to increase awareness, understanding and direct experience of the interrelatedness and interconnectedness of all phenomena, 2) to create a "practice field" where individuals can practice developing skillfulness as community creatures and where the group as a whole can develop a sustainable form of collective consciousness, 3) to develop the capacity to employ collective consciousness for personal and cultural inquiry, 4) develop an extended repertoire of personal and collective behaviors that are "mindful' of the interdependent nature of human existence, and 5) to enhance the maturity level and leadership skills of all members of the learning community.

For a more detailed description of an application of our learning community approach see the publication "The Social Koan."

What is transpersonal psychology?

    Transpersonal psychology is an area of scholarship and application based on people's experiences of temporarily transcending usual identification with a limited biological, historical, cultural and personal sense of self and, at the deepest and most profound levels of experience possible, recognizing/being "some-thing" of vast intelligence and compassion that encompasses the entire universe. From this perspective ordinary, "normal" biological, historical, cultural and personal self is seen as an important, but partial expression of this much greater "something."

    Transpersonal experiences generally have a profoundly transforming effect on the lives of those who experience them, inspiring them with an understanding of great love, compassion and non-ordinary kinds of intelligence, and also making them more aware of the limitations of their ordinary selves that must be worked with and transformed for full psychological and spiritual maturity.

    Because people ordinarily identify primarily with the personal, which tends to separate us, rather than with the transpersonal, which experientially impresses us with our fundamental unity and oneness with each other and all life, intelligent knowledge of and/or contact with the transpersonal can thus be of great potential value in solving the problems of a world divided against itself.

    Transpersonal psychology focuses upon the psychological factors that either facilitate or inhibit contact with and understanding of this "some-thing" which is larger than an individual self, and which the self is a part. Transpersonal psychology draws knowledge and practices from mainstream psychology, anthropology, history,sociology and other disciplines when helpful and needed, and tries to understand them from the more inclusive transpersonal perspective. For links to transpersonal psychology sites.

What is sociotherapy? How does it differ from psychotherapy?

    The term sociotherapy was derived by British psychoanalyst Patrick de Mare who used the term to describe therapeutic methods that were applied to individuals and social systems simultaneously. de Mare discovered sociotherapuetic methods as he developed his groundbreaking large psychotherapy groups. In these groups, with 16 or more members, de Mare employed "dialogue," a method for conducting shared inquiry into the assumptions that underlie human interactions and behavior to help group members create a larger more complex form of consciousness. Employing this larger field of awareness group members became aware of the relationship between individual thoughts and actions and the larger dynamics of culture. This awareness precipitated new understanding and experimentation with new behaviors.

    For the purposes of a psychology of interdependence the term sociotherapy is employed to refer to a deliberate attempt to awaken awareness of the interrelatedness of personal behavior with social, cultural and ecological dynamics. The large group process (learning community) is seen as a "microcosm" of the larger human culture. It thus serves as a social laboratory where individuals and the group-as-a-whole can begin to observe how personal choices feed social dynamics and how cultural processes shape personal reality and limit the range of personal choice. In this way awareness extends further into both personal and collective consciousness. The large group context also provides an arena where, in response to their newfound awareness, members can experiment with new behaviors and discover their impact upon personal and collective well-being.

    Sociotherapy is primarily distinguished from psychotherapy because of psychotherapy's emphasis upon the individual psyche. Psychotherapy concerns itself with the inner life of the individual and the quality of that individual's interpersonal relations. Sociotherapy extends this concern to include a concern with the reciprocating relationship between the individual's inner life and interpersonal relations with the quality of communal, cultural and global life in which the individual is embedded. For the purposes of making a distinction, psychotherapy can be described as concerned with the "psychology of the one" whilst sociotherapy can be described as concerned with the "psychology of the many."

How does AFI define community?

    AFI defines community as a state of consciousness that has been aroused by an experiential apprehension of interrelatedness and interconnectedness. This definition of community extends beyond the traditional definition of community which referred to a geographical place where like-minded individuals shared a common worldview and lived by a set of practices and norms of behavior that were consistent with that worldview. Community as AFI defines it is both more complex and more dynamically integrative. As we see it "a felt sense of community" arises when a social system achieves a state of consciousness that employs the differentiated viewpoints of its members (diversity) to provide a more accurate and objective realization of social reality and the existential vulnerability that is common to all of human existence. When this form of community arises it generates an experience of human kindness, that is, a sense of the commonality of our experience as human organisms and a compassionate regard for the preciousness and fragility of the existence of all life. Links to community oriented sites.

    What is differentiation, and what does it have to do with interdependence?A psychology of interdependence is informed by differentiation theory. This theory draws upon the sciences of biology, natural evolution and living systems. In essence differentiation theory is derived from the awareness that evolution, be it of organisms, ecosystems or social systems, is driven by two evolutionary forces, the drive for togetherness or belonging and the drive for individuation or autonomy. Individuals, couples, families and social organizations successfully evolve when they are able to balance these two drives. The ability to balance these two forces is based upon differentiation.

    Differentiation refers to a capacity to tolerate the dynamic tensions inherent in the conflict between the desire to belong (to be integrated) and the desire to be fully one's self (to be autonomous) while remaining connected as a part of something larger than oneself. Differentiation enables the individual (organization or culture) to maintain it's integrity while remaining a part of a larger organism. This ability to maintain individual integrity is what insures that the integrity of the larger organism the individual (organization or culture) is embedded within.

    The process of increasing differentiation is identical to the process which increases functional interdependence. Interdependence (as we define it) refers to an increasing dependence upon the qualities that emerge when two or more different entities meet and interact. Instead of merely depending upon each other, what these entities are depending upon is the synergy they create when they interact. To create a positive synergic interaction the entities must be capable of balancing their need to belong with their need to remain autonomous. Individuals (organizations or cultures) with too great a need to belong attempt to merge and thus lose identity and contribute less originality to the whole. Individuals (organizations or cultures) with too great a need for autonomy fail to sufficiently connect and thus lose the ability to contribute and to enjoy the benefits of connection.