In colleges, “Communication” replaces “Psychology”
Article from a work in progress, Stories of Restoration for SpaceShip Earth; or, Thank God We Got Rid of the Men
#100 of a series of pieces from a text in progress. Collaborator and publisher inquiries welcome.
The most radical think women did was, wherever possible, to get rid of the word “Psychology.” As much as possible they replaced it with the words, communication: connection, cooperation and collaboration. This is what SpaceShip Earth needed t focus on — “psychology” as men had sequestered it in ivory towers, was mostly useless.
Even before 2030, women understood how men preserved their imagined cultural superiority by dismissing as inconsequential all advances in fair, equal communication, rhetoric and argument.
One of the ways men did this was to lump everything worth knowing about “care and feeding of mental and interpersonal wellness” under a meaningless abstraction: “psychology.”
Originally defined as “the study of mental-emotional pathology,” no later than 1972 “psychology” outgrew this definition. Since 1972 “psychology” connoted and denoted, “Best Practices in mental-emotional wellness.” The self-help book, TV and live training boom, of the 1970s-1990s confirms this interpretation.
The women saw no reason to continue “psychology” as the name of this field. They also knew high school and college courses in “Communication” were deadly boring affairs DISCOURAGING learners from the excitements and pleasures of learning, growth and interpersonal competency. “Communication courses” were some kind of obscure textbook publishing scam, not like a course learners would be interested in or find worth their time.
What was missing from both male-psychology courses and male-communication courses, was the juice of live, social interaction to learn more from our own experience and from each other.
THIS IS WHY WE LEARN TO THINK FOR OURSELVES — so we can do this — not so we can learn more from talking heads lecturing about abstractions and how males will continue to dominate everyone and everything.
“Communication” courses had to be HANDS-ON PRACTICE in Best Practices in interpersonal competency. Much urgency was felt about this aim.
Susan Campbell 10 Truth Skills
The re-making of college Psychology course content and delivery required considering many new ideas, innovations which male college leadership was disinterested in, neglected or had explicitly rejected and discarded.
Women wished to interrupt the male pattern of very useful, very practical Psych wisdom, monopolized by a few in grad school students; and then, monopolized by a few counselors and therapists. They wanted the public more widely exposed to ideas of psychological wellness; and, this awareness more widely dispersed.
With all the newness needed in New Psych courses, it was significant for the conferencing re-makers to find common ground, consensus and touchstones, wherever they could.
All the re-makers agreed on one thing, relationship coach, Dr. Susan Campbell, was a touchstone for much of what was now age-appropriate for Freshmen and Sophmores. “Good relationships — especially those with friends, family, lovers — are founded upon good communication. Therein lies the challenge. “It’s a challenge because most communication problems stem from attempts to control the end result “ https://www.susancampbell.com
College Junior and Seniors are exposed to Dr. Susan Campbell’s insights. In the SF Bay area, in the early 2000s, Susan hosted Honesty Salons Honesty Circles. This is a “small group experience in which the same 6–12 people meet regularly to practice present-centered communication using the 10 truth skills. It’s another wonderful way to meet people and get to know how others see you.”
10 Truth Skills ~ In thumbnail form:
1. Experiencing what is
2. Being transparent
3. Noticing your intent
4. Giving and asking for feedback
5. Asserting what you want and don’t want
6. Taking back projections
7. Revising an earlier statement
8. Holding differences or embracing multiple perspectives
9. Sharing mixed emotions
10. Embracing silence.
Online many places including here https://innerself.com/content/personal/relationships/communication/5976-ten-truth-skills-by-susan-campbell-phd.html
These practices were direct antidotes for the violent communication of fake president Donald Duck, Mitch Mc Connell, Brett Kavanaugh and the rest of the poster boys for failed-collapsed male leadership.
The 10 Truth Skills were used in virtually every conference gathering as ideal ground rules and guidelines.
Women felt strongly, “This is what young adults should be and can be learning in the first two years in all colleges.”
INDENT
Good relationships — especially those with friends, family, lovers — are founded on good communication. Effective, workable communication is a challenge because most communication problems stem from attempts to control the end result. Attempts to unconsciously control, show up as various language patterns and defense mechanisms. If not transformed, they cause communication breakdown and possibly a break-up.
Effective, workable interpersonal communication depends on understanding our own authentic feelings; and then, clearly expressing them, which few of us have skills for and practice at.
dg-Susan Campbell Seven Keys
END INDENT
Naturally Susan’s work was also applicable to young adults thinking about marriage. Susan’s material was thought to be the right degree of insight without forcing learners to enter deep therapy waters.
