A bid for freedom: the actualizing tendency updated. (2nd October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bazzano, Manu
• Is Part Of: Person-centered & experiential psychotherapies. Volume 16:Number 4(2017)
• Page Start: 303
• Page End: 315
• Publication Date: 2017-10-02
• Subjects: Actualizing tendency -- emergent phenomenon -- human-animal continuum -- process philosophy -- person-centered therapy; Psychotherapy -- Periodicals; Experiential psychotherapy -- Periodicals; Client-centered psychotherapy -- Periodicals; 616.8914
• DOI: 10.1080/14779757.2017.1361860
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1477-9757

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper aims to reformulate the actualizing tendency as 'a bid for freedom' – the expression used by Alfred North Whitehead to describe life itself. It redefines the actualizing tendency as a naturalistic rather than onto-theological notion that puts embodied experience at the center of person-centered therapy and includes the animal-human continuum implicit in the life of the organism. It critiques the idea of 'self-actualization' in the light of notions such as the 'emergent phenomenon' and 'subjectivities without subjects'. Corroborated by sketches of clinical work, this paper points toward a re-naturalization of human experience.