Return of authoritarian culture LO11077

DavidCLT@aol.com
Wed, 20 Nov 1996 11:28:56 -0500

Replying to LO11070 --

In a message dated 96-11-20 00:15:18 EST, 76234.3636@CompuServe.COM (Rol
Fessenden) writes:

" Authority rarely aver comes with accountability. That is a myth from the
early days of industrialization. The sooner that myth is understood, the
better you will feel about being accountable. No one actually has
authority to make specific things happen, because, as we all know, the
system is not really in anyone's control."

Dear Group: But there are principles to respond to, and I have a favorite
set of them that nicely fits with the concept of the Learning
Organization.

I believe there are three basic human goals of life (significance,
belonging, and usefulness) which are accomplished by three tasks of life
(self, relationship, and work). I assume these goals/tasks are derived
from our situation that exists as we find ourselves on the planet earth in
the vast universe. 1) We are born as unique individuals and therefore,
have an innate desire to be significant among others. 2) We are born as
infants and therefore, immediately need others to survive. The "social
feeling" and relationships with others are the first experiences of
security for the infant. Therefore, we are social beings, socially
embedded and we have a need to belong in the context of relationships.
Because of the reality of death, we must replicate ourselves by conceiving
and birthing children in the context of sex, love, family and community
relationships. 3) We exist on the thin and muddy crust of a planet that
does not essentially provide food and shelter. Therefore, we must group
together, connect, cooperate and contribute to providing shelter and food
to survive as a species. In short, we must work and be useful with others
to continue our own existence and perpetuate the human race. Beyond this,
we work to create an enhanced quality of life.

While these concepts are primarily based in Adlerian Psychology, we
cannot ignore the great philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), credited by
Kant as having created the Copernican revolution from the philosophy of
Aristotle.

Hume suggested that a "mixed kind of life" was well suited for humans as
he observed that humans are 1) rational beings, 2) social beings, and 3)
active beings. It is not an unreasonable stretch to conceptualize this in
the form of work, relationship, and self, which is the basis for
synergistic psychology.

These concepts lead us further to the principle that "Equality is the
iron-clad logic of social living" (Alfred Adler, MD) and all of the
individual and interpersonal sub-principles that are derived from that.
If this principle were understood and accepted completely, we would
currently have no Army sexist nor a Texaco racial problem. Just my two
cents worth.

David L. Hanson, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Synergistic Psychology Associates, P.A.
Suite 204 301 South McDowell Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28204-2622
DavidCLT@aol.com
Author of the GEMA-Leadership Development 360 degree instrument
"Contribution Beyond Self-interest"

-- 

DavidCLT@aol.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>