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Web Institute of Higher Psychology Expand borders of psychology |
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Assessment of the Status of
Spiritual Development |
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Development of Society through
Personal Development of its Members |
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What is Higher Psychology?
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Phenomenology of
Higher
Psyche States of
mind differ
one from
other by
informative complexity
that is
by quantity
of elements
of the
world and
relationships between
them, which are
reflected in this state. Thus, we may speak about the lower, simpler
states of mind and about the higher, more complex ones. In particular, the
states of mind, which exist a long times – say, years as
a long
activities like self-education, are more
complex than the
states, which exist a short time, as moods, cognitive operations
etc. Historically, the psychology
has dealt
with simple, lower states. They are
more researchable "scientifically" in the framework of Cartesian
paradigm. However, at the same time, study of these "blocks" although is necessary but does not allow seeing all
"building" as a whole. Psychology of personality chooses as its
subject more complex "mental things", but was forced to sacrifice
in significant degree the academic demands to scientific research, to become
practically useful. However, even the subject of the psychology of
personality, i.e. style features of behaviour, personal traits, unconscious
psycho-energetic, psychodynamic elements of psyche, self-consciousness etc,
only rare lift to what constitutes the highest level of psyche – to most
informatively complex, informatively rich mental phenomena. These phenomena
constitute the subject of "most high", higher psychology. Among these are for example an
inspiration and a highest creativity, an intuition and a conscience (in the
meaning of the ability to receive irrational knowledge about what is right
without appealing to moral norms; this ability is called in Russian
"sovest' "), highest aesthetic and religious feelings, highest
forms of altruistic or "platonic" love, a wisdom (or
"super-rational intellect"), a feeling of fate. |
Besides, these phenomena
include the
collective content
of psyche: common views, common attitudes, common activities
(including common production of culture) of the different groups the
individual belongs to. Among
the last
the common activity
in Internet plays important role. To understand
the phenomena
of higher
psychology we
must revise
the ontological
views constituting the base of modern
science. The understanding of the world as self-organized system of material
particles, which produces the ideal essences while becoming more complex,
does not allow understanding the phenomena of higher psychology. Subject and Tasks The central
topic of
higher psychology
is the late phases of spiritual development. I use the concept
"spiritual" in two meanings: 1) as a characteristic of highest
state of consciousness, and 2) as deliberate striving for higher states.
Since any mental development increases complexity of mental states, any
mental development is a spiritual development. The subject of higher psychology is
the development of the highest mental states and the highest mental
processes. In this relation higher psychology differs
from developmental psychology aiming study and form "simple" mental
states usually in the first years of life. Higher psychology is the
psychology of late stages of mental development, which are typical in general
for the mature individuals. |
The study
of development
of higher
psyche and
devising methods, which
stimulate and
facilitate forming both individual higher phenomena and
collective ones, is one
part of
the subject of higher psychology. The three
classes of the tasks of higher psychology are following: 1) How development of
higher psyche does come naturally? 2) How this natural
development may be accelerated?
3) How higher psyche may be
created artificially? Methods The methodology of higher
psychology is not elaborated yet. It is clear
that the "laboratory" methods
have very limited applicability in
the research of higher psyche. The WIHP aims among others to create the
methodology of higher psychology. This methodology includes, in particular: 1)
Observation and self-observation, 2) Analysis of
large sets
of sociological
data, which were
collected with
exploiting the
advanced methodology
of psychological
assessment (e.g. repertory grids) and
were analysed
to find
implicit invariants
which are
responsible for
intergroup (inter-societal) differences. 3) Psychotechnical
constructing.
4)
Special
analysis of
culture and
firs of
all analysis
of literature
in different
genres. |
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School
of Higher
Psychology Institute has 3 levels
of programs: masters, doctoral and
postdoctoral
(habilitation) in 9 directions (Departments) of Higher Psychology. WIHP unites strategically-thinking ambitious psychologists who
are looking not for step-by-step academic carrier, but
for a big personal contribution in psychology, for those who want not only
earn living by profession and/or be greeted "Professor", but to
write his name in the book of history of psychology next to the names Freund,
Jung, Perls, Frankl, Rodgers, Assagioli, Levin, Wundt... Educational process
in WIHP
is distance learning in the form of
research projects. In
big projects
a team
of researchers
work together. Here
more experienced
researchers lead
younger colleagues. At the present we have no lectures and seminars. The
central form of education is a dialog with tutor who is a leader of project. What Institute gives the
students and what not WIHP gives: 1) Possibility to
research the
most innovative, most
important, revolutionary directions
of the
development of
psychology. 2) Highest
level of excellence of research projects, scientific assistance and
supervision. 3) Informal and in the highest degree attentive and cooperative
attitude of the supervisor to researchers. 4)
Some promotion of projects. WHIP does NOT give (at least at the
present): Financial and organizational support.
Researchers
have to
resolve these
problems themselves. Admission Admission bases on interview. Tuition fees to be determined in each case individually. . |
If
you have
own idea
in Higher psychology, WIHP
may help to realize it. As a first step email us the annotation with a brief
description of the goals of project. In case the project will be approved you
have to be ready to provide more detailed proposal including plan, budget and
sources of funding, roles etc. Working languages Working languages of WIHP are English and
Russian Centre for Applied
Higher Psychology Assessment of state and trajectory of spiritиal development. КWhat
is your
way, what
is your
karma, what is your equipment for
spiritual alpinism and in what height you already lifted – the special
methods of assessment and self-assessment help you to answer these questions. Work with spiritual crises. The crises
of meaningless, absence
of love, loss
of creativity, inability
to understand
life, leaving by God and so on
and so on are unavoidable in the course of spiritual development. Sometimes to
overcome them
without external assistance may be difficult. The Centre may help. Spiritual education and spiritual
consulting. Here you
can get the answer on your questions about new emerging philosophy, new
anthropology, new psychology, new theology, new sociology, new historiosophy
etc. Assessment and development.WIHP analyses the state
of organization and devises the programs of further development of
organizations. Like
human beings, organization live own life. Sometimes this life stops and asks
for a new impulse to develop. Sometimes organizations become ill and need
special treatment. Centre possesses the special tools to assess state of the
organization and to devise together with the clients the ways of further
development. |
Systems supporting decision-making.If
your organization
collected the
big array of data, WIHP
may devise for you the expert system that allows
classifying new objects basing on knowledge of known precedents. This may
be priceless for hospitals (differential diagnostics), banks (the problem
creditors), insurance companies (problem drivers) etc. Help Society (Social Programs) WIHP elaborate
social programs
together with
governmental agencies
and social, non-commercial
organizations. The aim
of such
program is
to increase
the level
of society's self-awareness, i.e. to assist society as a whole
and its particular groups to understand themselves better and hence to act
more effectively. Healing collective psychotraumas.The main
principle of
such treatment
is to
assist as
much members
of society
as possible to become aware of traumatic situation as
completely as possible. This
demands repeating and sometimes multiple re-experiencing this situation (of
course without the destructive effect the original traumatic event had). The central
methodology here
is art-therapy: creating
pieces of
art, which reproduce
the traumatic
event and
allow observing
it with
reduced identification. The
goal here
is to
fill the
cultural space
of society
with such
models of
traumatic event. The collaboration
of many artists and authors is necessary here. WIHP devises recommendations
on the content of pieces of writing and arts
which possess healing effect. Development of society through development of awareness of its members.When society is in crisis and cannot resolve the difficult
tasks, which demand total mobilization of all its abilities, collective
self-awareness needs to be activated. "Who we are?", "What is
our place in the world?", "What must we do?" – WIHP devises
the methodology of collective search for answers on these questions. Organizing society.To overcome
crisis society
must be
well-organized. WIHP devises the methodology of building such
types of organizations. Here the methodology of
assessment of status of
spiritual development is very important since
this status determines the position of man in societal organization and in
society as a whole. |
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Dr. Alexander Zelitchenko,
the founder. Psychologist, philosopher, historian, theologian, sociologist. Author of
"Psychology of
dukhovnost (of spiritual life)" (in Russian; 2 volumes: vol.1
Dukhovnost and Psychology, vol.2 The work with spiritual crises), "The
scientist's conversation with the Teacher. Science and Esoterics"
(translation from Russian into English), "Light
of Life. History of
humankind in the psychosphere of Earth, or
History and Developmental Psychology of Nations", (in
Russian; 3 volumes: vol.1 Fundamentals and beginnings, vol.2 Our era, vol.3
Search for the sun in the cloudy sky), "Psychology-XXI. Or XXII?.." (in
English), "Comments
to Gospel of Matthew. Scriptures from the point of view of psychotheology" (in
Russian). Dr. Zelitchenko's major contributions belong to
five fields:
Dr. Zelitchenko elaborated the dynamic model of united multilayer
World, where different layers not simply interact, but turn one into others.
All layers are material, but each of them is formed by material of own subtlety.
This model eliminates contradictions between scientific and religious
worldviews as well as one between idealism and materialism. |
One phase of the World Process ("Cycle of the World"), where
subtle worlds "give birth" to the coarse ones proves idealistic
views, while another phase of the Cycle of World where the coarse "is
sublimated" into the subtle proves materialistic views. The Cycle of World consists of infinite multitude of smaller cycles,
which creates World Hierarchy. Each cycle realizes its own idea, which is
embodied in the first phase of cycle and transformed into the meaning of its
embodiment in the second phase. The model discloses that what we perceive as things, or beings, or
ideas in reality is triads "thing-being-idea", which we ''interpret''
either as thing, or as being, or as idea depending on our point of view and
the cultural tradition of interpretation for the particular triad. Such views open door for new understanding of religious realities (and
religious beings) and in significant extent removes cover of mystery from
them. For example God becomes the World as a whole, which we see as a being,
angels become smaller unrealized yet ideas, which we interpret also as beings
etc. One more Dr. Zelitchenko's contribution in the field of epistemology
is emphasizing two-component composition of knowledge. In contrast to the
views on knowledge originated in information theory, which consider knowledge
as a text or a structure, the important role of personal experience in all
types of knowledge (not only "empirical knowledge") is disclosed.
Dr. Zelitchenko introduced the "bipolar model" of human
being, in which a human being bridges the material world and some subtle
ones. Correspondingly, a human being possesses the different bodies for
operating with these worlds, from which the body working with the most subtle
world until now is not recognized by academic science. |
The systematization of the phenomena, in which higher bodies manifest
themselves, resulted in elaboration the program for new scope of psychology –
Higher Psychology, or Psychopneumatology, or Psychology of Dukhovnost
(Russian word, which is close to and often mistranslated as 'spirituality', but
does have not the same meaning at all) with its own subject of study and,
what is even more important, with own applied tasks, which are often
correlated with the applied tasks of classical psychology, but see the lasts
from the quite different point of view.
Tracing the development of awareness of spiritual body allows to
observe the field of complex forces acting on the human being and in
significant extent predetermining his fate and, what is even more important,
the line of his development. Analysis of the composition of human's mental bodies discloses the
"parts", which are common for all members of society and which may
be considered as a collective psyche. Some of these parts are unconscious
(for the average level of development of consciousness) and may be related to
Jung's archetypes. Among these archetypes, there are constitutional traits of
collective psyche as well as program of development of the society. These
discoveries open the new research field - sociopsychology with the almost
completely new subject of study - "collective psyche". Dr. Zelitchenko introduced both the concept "brightness of
mental-spiritual state" and the scale of brightness, which measures
"spiritual height" (level of spiritual development) of individuals,
of society as a whole, and the things created by man. This tool provides the
principally new opportunities for studying the history and especially the
history of culture.
Studies of Scriptures of various religious traditions from the point
of view of spiritual development of human being allow Dr. Zelitchenko to
disclose the latent meanings of different Scriptures, which are turned out to
be significantly same for different traditions. Thus, for example, all
Gospels tell about the goal, principles and method of the spiritual
development. |
Dr. Zelitchenko elaborated the methodology of empirical study of the
spiritual height of both existing societies and the societies, which existed
in the history a long ago. The theoretical basis of this methodology is the
fact of transfer of the brightness of spiritual state of creator on his
creation. Thus, we have possibility to reconstruct the brightness of people
living many centuries ago through the brightness of things they made. Exploring this methodology in near 30 expeditions around almost all
significant regions of the Cultural History, Dr. Zelitchenko reconstructed
the picture of History as a history of human spiritual development. Extremely important role in this picture play "Flashes" -
relatively short periods repeated periodically approximately once in 500
years, which activate extraordinary the peoples and result in revolutionary
rise of creativity and birth of new culture (Dr. Zelitchenko uses term
"metacultures"). A metaculture goes through the different stages of
its life, which lasts about 2000 years. Such reconstruction continues the line of historiosophic (or
metahistorical) thought started in the works of Oswald Spengler, Lev Gumilev
and Daniil Andreev. In accordance with Dr. Zelitchenko, today we are living at the eve of
new Flash.
The analysis of brightness of different cultures and religions
discloses their different roles in the history: each of them develops the
peoples of different spiritual height lifting the humankind to the next level
of spiritual development. This allows introducing the concept "rank of
culture (religion)" and seeing the overall History as a Pyramid, where
the lowest level is occupied by many cultures (and religions) of lower rank,
and the higher level of Pyramid the less cultures (religions, or
quasi-religions) belong to this level. |
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To
contact WIHP email: |
The departments
and the research topics
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1) Department of Higher Psychopneumatology. Psychopneumatology is the emerging part of psychology dealing with the human's spiritual experience – the mystic experience, which is studied by transpersonal psychology, and more "everyday" phenomena of love, inspiration, aesthetic feelings, conscience, search for meaning etc. Higher psychopneumatology studies the higher (upper part) of spiritual experience – its most informational rich and subjectively bright parts – their nature, their genesis, and methodology of influencing them. The Department deals with: a) the language of higher psychopneumatology; b) its models of psyche; c) the broader models of the world, which are necessary for higher psychopneumatology to describe its subject; and d) the relationships between these models and conceptual systems, on the one hand, and more traditional for academic psychology ones, on the other. The models of both psyche and the world in the base of psychopneumatology are quite different from ones accepted in traditional psychology because they include such concepts as a spirit and a spiritual world. Moreover, to distinguish the low spiritual states from high ones, the conceptual systems of psychopneumatology includes the foreign for English-language culture concepts like Russian "dukh", "dukhovnost", "sovest", which cannot be translated into English without deforming their meanings. The principal innovation in our views on psyche is that unconscious part of psyche now is considered consisting of two separate parts – subconscious psyche and super-conscious psyche, which consist of very different by their nature content. |
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Masters Duration of projects is
up to 1 year; 1 researcher; the volume of dissertation is 80,000-200,000
characters |
Doctors Duration of project is up
to 3 years; 1 researcher; possible supervision of up to 3 Master-level
projects, the volume of dissertation
is 300,000-400,000 characters |
Postdoctoral
(Habilitations) Duration of project is up
to 7 years; up to 10 researchers; possible supervision of up to 3 doctoral
level research and/or up to 7 Master-level researches, the volume of
dissertation is 500,000-700,000 characters |
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1-1-1 Explanatory potential of the
unipole model of psyche (environment – individual) and the bipole model (environment
- individual –God) in respect of phenomena of inspiration and conscience? Goal: Comparison of the explanatory potential of the classical model of psyche (psyche is the essence which determines behaviour on organism, surrounded by environment) with one of bipole model (psyche bridges the physical environment with the spiritual world) in respect of phenomena inspiration and conscience. Method: Analysis of explanatory potential of the existing psychological theories of both phenomena above – what they fail to explain. Applying bipole model to these phenomena and constructing corresponding theories. Devising the plan of further verifying these theories including their applications in the profession. 1-1-2
Spiritual crises vs. Transpersonal
crises of spiritual emergency Goal: Comparing two types of crises in spiritual life to outlining the model that allows considering both in the one theoretical framework. Method: Analysis psychological and non-professional literature, describing both types of crises, theoretical reflexion and modelling. 1-1-3
Work with own spiritual crises and assistance to other person to
overcome his spiritual crises Goal: Collecting, systemizing and comparing different methods of self-help and of helping others in overcoming such crises as lack of love, inability to create (“creative impotence”), dissatisfaction with yourself, meaningless, inability to answer the important questions of own inner development etc. Method: Reflecting, recording, and systemizing own experience of spiritual crises and own inner work dealing with them. Describing OWN work helping other person to overcome his spiritual crises. Analysis of professional literature, fictions and memories describing spiritual crises and the ways of overcoming them. Systemizing the phenomena. Constructing the model that allows considering both types of psychotechnical work in the same theoretical framework. 1-1-4
Concept of “essence” of Gurdjeff - Ouspensky and modern theories
of personality Goal: Establishing the connections between Gurdjeff-Ouspensky's concept “essence” and the conceptual system of the academic psychology of personality. Method: The analysis of what P Ouspensky wrote about the “essence” as an antonym of “personality” in “In Search of the Miraculous” and the search in the professional literature (for example, works of Assagioli) for close or related concepts. Devising the methods of assessment of "essence". 1-1-5 of Russian concept “dukhovnost” vs. English “spirituality”. Comparing
the meanings Goal: Devising integral semantic model of two groups phenomena: 1) phenomena described by English word “Spirituality” (for example, spiritual emergence or austral trip), and 2) phenomena described by Russian word “dukhovnost” (духовность), as a love, a creativity, spiritual development, search for meaning etc . Method: Systemizing phenomena and formalizing the meanings of both concepts. Devising more general conceptual system allowing to consider both group of phenomena in the same conceptual framework, basing on the philosophical conceptual systems, on the theological one, and on theory of information. 1-1-6
The place of the concept “Higher Self” in the “dramatic” models of personality
(Assagioli’s psychosynthesis, the model of multiple selves of
Gurdjeff-Ouspensky, partly classical psychoanalysis, Berne’s transactional
analysis and others) Goal: To embed the concept “Higher Self” in theories of personality and theories of self-consciousness. Method: Comparative analysis of professional knowledge of
sub-personalities, ego, Self and Selves. Systematization of this knowledge.
Analysis of non-professional (theological, esoteric etc) literature on
“Higher Self”. Comparing phenomenon of Higher Self with other phenomena of
Self and Selves in the general conceptual system that has to be preliminary
designed. |
1-2-1 The structure of unconscious: subconscious and superconscious Goal: Systemizing phenomena of both types of unconscious, development of
the system of concepts describing these phenomena, devising methodology for
study of these phenomena and empirical approbation of this methodology. The
central aims in the study of superconscious are: idea of individual, idea of
collective entities individual belongs to like nations, confession etc,
individual and collective karmas, trajectory of life and fate, talents,
conscience, aesthetic feelings, inspiration etc. Method: Collecting data from diverse sources. Determining the significant traits
of the phenomena which allow to classify them and to distinguish them from
other phenomena. Determining the system of observable manifestations of the
phenomena in study. Devising scales, standards of descriptions etc.
Elaborating the standardized procedures of assessment. 1-2-2 Psychotherapy, counselling, couching and spiritual psychotechnics Goal: Distinguishing methods of spiritual psychotechnics from other form of
professional psychotechnics; systemizing known methods of spiritual
psychotechnics; determining the general principles of constructing new
methods; and testing these principles.
Method: Comparative analysis of general methodology
and specific methods of
different approaches. Analyzing non-psychological literature, first of all,
religious practices (Christian ascetics, Sufi, Zen Buddhists and others).
Generalization of finding. Constructing/probing new methods of spiritual
psychotechnics. Evaluating their effectiveness. |
1-3-1 General principles of adaptation by psychology
phenomena, concepts and ideas from "foreign" sources (religious
texts, fictions, and other types of literature) Goal: Professional psychology is relatively young – 150 years. But
humankind collect psychological knowledge thousands years: in philosophical
literature, in religious ones, in fictions etc. How this knowledge may be
adapted by professional psychology? Method: Devising methodology for mining psychological knowledge from non-psychological texts: extracting phenomena and methods, formalizing descriptions of phenomena, determining traits allowing classification of phenomena, forming new concepts, generalizing methods and so on. Probing devised methodology on 2-3 large collections of text (for example, texts of Christian Fathers, texts of sufis etc). 1-3-2 Embedding concept "karma" in psychology Goal: The concepts "karma" and "reincarnation"
(rebirth) are extremely important, since without them we cannot understand
nether the in-born differences between people, nor the character of the mental
development in one lifetime. From the very early months of life we see the
very different peoples. And their late fates also cannot be explained
naturally without realizing that they come in human existence with different
"baggage". However both concepts are rather foreign for the naively
materialistic psychology. How may they be adapted? Method: Analysis of the philosophical foundations of psychology. Systemizing
of Western reflections of karma including one of psychologists (Jung, Karl Potter, Harold Coward, Christopher
Chapple among others).
Differential psychological analysis of first months-years of life – the first
manifestations of abilities and personal traits as a spring, which motives
individual life. Analysis of life experience, from which a sense was
extracted, as an end of karmic knot. Analysis of unfinished actions as
psychological manifestations of karma – begin of karmic knots. 1-3-3 From psychology to psychosophy Goal: Determining the difference between knowledge and wisdom and study of
development of knowledge into wisdom on the example of psychological
knowledge. Method: Analysis of both the structure (elements of knowledge and
relationships between elements) and the complexity of different types of
psychological knowledge. Developing the methodology for raising complexity of
different types of knowledge and for artificial forming wisdom. This
methodology has to include in particular the methods of assessment of
complexity of knowledge. |
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2)
Department of Psychology of Spiritual Development. The main topics of
psychopneumatology are a spiritual development and methodology of influencing
it. The main problems Department deals with are: a) spiritual development and mental development,
b) laws of spiritual development, c) methodology of help and self-help in
spiritual development. |
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2-1-1
The methods of development of self-awareness Goal: Devising methods of stimulating self-awareness Method: Psychotechnical constructing of at least 3 methods and testing them on sample of at least 3 persons. 2-1-2
Normal and pathological personal development Goal: Introducing in the developmental psychology the concept “pathological personal development” in the meaning of A. Lazursky’s “Classification of personalities” Method: The theoretical reflexion of phenomena of pathological personal development in comparison with normal personal development in both pathopsychological (psychiatrical) perspective and in social one. Devising hypotheses about the reason of abnormality of personal development (social conditions, heredity, karma etc) and planning further research. 2-1-3
Obstacles for spiritual growth (negative karma) and methods of
work with them Goal: Analysis of the causes why the spiritual development stopped and devising the methodology and the specific methods of assistance in resuming spiritual development Method: Systematizing phenomena of interruption of spiritual growth basing on analysis of professional literature, memories, fictions etc. Analysis of the causes of interruption, including one in the term "negative karma". Devising and probing methods of activating spiritual works (not less than 2 methods and not less than 2 clients). 2-1-4
Overcoming opinions as a middle phase of spiritual growth Goal: Investigation of the phase of spiritual development, which is connected with the active thinking and revising own opinions: what are its prerequisites, what are the characteristics of the process of revision, what factors affect it, and what phase of spiritual growth replaces it. Method: Self-reflexion, Interviewing, "natural experiment". Not less than 5 respondents. 2-1-5
Personal traits as steps of spiritual development Goal: Investigation of the personal traits (stylistic specific
characteristics of mental life), which is changed in the course of spiritual
development Method: Interview and questionnaires, including the "retrospective"
mode of administration – "Imagine that you are 5 years younger than you
are now. How did you answer these questions?" Not less than 5 respondents of the complex
multiscale investigation. |
2-2-1 Methodology for assessing spiritual development Goal: Devising standard methods of assessment of the state of spiritual
development. Method: Devising the technical language for description of states of
spiritual development. Determining the system of empiric indicators for
assessing the descriptors of state of spiritual development. Devising the
scales and psychometric testing of them. 2-2-2 Trajectories of spiritual development: way of aesthete, way of mystic, way of thinker, way of creator, way of practician Goal: Some ways of spiritual development are described in the esoteric
literature, for example by P. Ouspensky. Some others are known from everyday
observations. What inner "variables" determines the way a person
moves? Method: In depth research of personal situation and personal status of
spiritual seekers. Not less than 20 respondents. Constructing the model that
allows describing the collected material 2-2-3 Development of sensitiveness of moral hearing – recognition of the voice of
conscience ("sovest") Goal: Adaptation in the system of psychology the Russian concept
"sovest". This concept is close to English "conscience",
but the one meaning of Russian "sovest" has a very important
difference: this is almost mystical inner voice that has nothing in common
with interiorized moral norms of society. Thus, sometimes sovest dictates
behavior against moral norms of society, but nevertheless an individual has a
firm feeling that he behaves correctly not only at the moment of action but
and later. On the other hand, the complexes of guilty are not formed at all
as it happens in other cases of immoral behavior and in cases of moral
behavior against voice of sovest. Method: Collecting and in depth investigation (interview, longitude, complex
analysis of individual psychological status etc) of the phenomena where behavior is
immoral, but nevertheless is right in terms of pragmatic and psychological
consequences. 2-2-4 Controlled
inspiration Goal: Devising methodology for control of inspiration: how to experience
inspiration by an author's desire. Method: Collecting the sample of creative people (poets, composers
etc). Interviewing with the aim to describe the mental states where
inspiration arises and the states when a creative person wants inspiration
but fails to experience this. Devising the natural experiment to produce inspiration deliberately. 2-2-5 Causes and functions of spiritual degradation. Degradation as a phase of spiritual development Goal: Introducing in the developmental psychology the concept
"spiritual degradation", determining the function of degradation in
development and the reasons which lead to spiritual degradation. Method: Systematizing phenomena of degradation. Determining relationships of
concept "degradation" with concept "development".
Interviewing the people with the experience of overcoming visual degradation
and transforming it into development. Psychotechnical work with the people
which are in the different phases of degradation with a goal to facilitate
their inner work and to help them overcoming degradation more efficiently. |
2-3-1 Professional control of spiritual development Goal: Devising methodology of intentional spiritual development. Method: Devising the system of
indicators describing the level of spiritual development. Devising
methodology for assessment of these indicators as a state of spiritual
development as a whole. Devising the methodology for intervention in the
process of spiritual development in the different phases of the process:
education, activating self-cognition, development of self awareness etc.. 2-3-2 Karma as a
factor determining trajectory of mental development Goal: Acquisition of new experience, including new skills, new knowledge
etc, and extracting meaning from existing experience are 2 main lines of
mental development. Bringing new life tasks, karma stimulate mental
development. The main goal of this research program is devising methodology
for describing the life way in general and the trajectory of mental
development in particular and describing the factors, which determine this
trajectory. . Method: Devising methodology for assessment of individual karma (including
abilities, motives, personal traits, unfinished actions, living plans and so
on). Devising methodology for assessment of personal life situation
(including external factors affecting individual behavior). Devising the
methodology for assessment of the set of features, which describe the state of mental
development (individual model of world: personal experience, views, values
etc; mental skills; individual mental style etc). Systemizing the processes
of transforming mental states (development of views, replacing one view by
other, forming new skills, reflection and meaning-extracting, birth of new
ideas, resolving cognitive dissonances etc.) Study of the process of birth
new life task. 2-3-3 Methodology of
lifting upper border of consciousness in the different stages of spiritual
development Goal: Devising methodologies for deliberate self-cognition in making
conscious what were in super-conscious. Method: Constructing procedures of
raising the complexity (information capacity) of consciousness. These
procedures may include for example sequential raise of complexity problems
one is able to resolve, informing about content of superconscious ("Idea
of Self") and stimulating interest to discovery of this content,
teaching more and more complex professional knowledge, etc. |
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3)
Department of Sociopsychology and Omadopsychology. Sociopsychology is a science of group psyche, i.e. the system of mental structures,
which are common for all members of group (including big groups like nations). Group psyche in general and in particular
psyche of nation constitute the part of individual psyche of each member of
group. It is easy to see 3 layer of group psyche: 1) group subconscious
constituted first of all by traces of collective psychotraumas; 2) group
consciousness – common knowledge, views, attitudes, feelings, style of
behavior, which distinguish members of group from strangers, and 3) group
superconscious – idea (fate) of group that becomes gradually recognized by
the group's members. Sociopsychology studies composition
of collective psyche, the character of its components, their relationships
with other mental structures, their functions, their life and development,
the differences between psyches of different nations (differential sociopsychology)
and so on. Discovery of group psyche change crucially the paradigm of social
psychology: instead of a set of separate individuals, we see a group now as
tree-like (or even "octopus-like") organism, where individuals are
united by common soul and in some sense rise from common soul. This lead us
to introducing one more concept – psyche
of group, complex essence that include both group psyche (collective
soul) and individual "parts" of psyches of group's members. The
science studying psyche of group is omadopsychology
(from Greek ομάδα – group). Classical social psychology deals with the part of subject of
omadopsychology. This is why omadopsychology may be considered as
generalization of social psychology. |
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3-1-1
Russian and American styles of thinking Goal: Comparison of 2 styles of thinking. What problems are they trying to solve? What methods of solutions do they use? What basic "axioms" do exist in these two cultures? What logics (logical rules) do people of 2 cultures use? Method: Comparative semantic analysis of Russian and English texts
dealing with the same problem (newspapers' articles, blogs, comments in
social networks). Artificial provocation of discussions between
representatives of 2 cultures and semantic analysis of 2 logics. 3-1-2
Quantitative and qualitative differences in differential
sociopsychology Goal: Determining the group of characteristics, which distinguish quantitatively one cultures (e.g. "more kind", or "more ironical" etc), and the group of the qualitative differences between cultures, i.e. the traits, which present in one culture but is absent in others. Method: The lexicographic analysis of the thesauruses of personal traits in minimum 2 different cultures (languages) and detecting the concepts, which cannot be translated in other languages without significant deformation of their meanings (e.g. "dukhovnyy" or "obschitelnyy" in Russian). |
3-2-1 Methodology of
research of archetypes, which are responsible for uniqueness of nations'
psyches ("ideas of nation", historical
cultural functions of nations) Goal: Developing
the language
for description of superconscious mental structures, which are responsible
for cross-national mental differences, operationalizing these hidden
structures and devising the methods of revealing them. Method: A posteriori historical, cultural, literature analysis of the
products of culture of Ancient civilization, Islam civilization, modern
Western civilization, Chinese civilization, Russian culture etc (2-3 by
choice of researcher) with the aim to determine the differences between them.
Constructing hypotheses about the nature of these differences. Devising
methods, which allow assessing such archetypes in individual mind. Testing
these methods. 3-2-2 Transpsychosemantics
of big groups Goal: Search for trans-semantic structures of collective mind which are
responsible for the ways of searching (extracting) meaning specific for these
big groups (nations etc). Method: Research for what in meaning-making processes is specific for big
group but is common for big group's members. Operationally, the search for
latent invariants in the matrices of relationships between the objects, the
meaning of which respondents are seeking for (e.g. search of latent
invariants in Kelly's repertory grids).
3-2-3 Language for describing psyche of group
and its development Goal: Devising language for formal describing state of psyche of group. Description of state of psyche of the group has to include descriptions of all individual psyches constituting psyche of group. Each individual description has to include data of status of development of individual and of character of this development, about his own personal trajectory of development. Thus, the language must allow describing dynamics of development of each member of group. Method: Modelling development of group as a system of individual developments.
Elaborating the system of parameters
describing status of development. Devising and
testing methodology for evaluating state of group. |
3-3-1 Differential sociopsychology – language of descriptions of differences between psyches of different nations Goal: Devising the vocabulary and the principles of syntax for the language
of differential sociopsychology. Method: Devising the typology of psychical differences between different
nations – what different nations do differently. Systemizing the differences
between the 3-5 nations, chosen by researcher as exemplary. Linguistic
analysis of languages with the goal of determining the group of concepts
which cannot be translated into other languages without significant
deformation of sense. Determining "markers" – words describing the
key components of nation's idea. Trans-psychosemantic analysis of latent
meaning-making mental tools used by different nations. Analysis of finding in
cross-cultural differences of values made by Schwarz and colleagues with the
goal of search latent cross-cultural differences, which are responsible for
observable differences between the nations. 3-3-2 Methodology for research of collective super-consciousness of big groups Goal: Devising methodology for research of the latent mental essences,
which are shared by all members of big group (nation, confession etc). Most
obvious such essences are common motives of common activities and common ways
of meaning-making in interpretation of events. Less known essence is a
program of common life of big group, including the terminal goal of group and
the sequence of group actions. This program may be also called "a
group's destiny". Method: Operationalizing the central concepts of the topic through the
concepts "common values", "common goals", "structure
of values (goals)", "meanings of structure (system) of values
(goals)". Meta-linguistic analysis with the aim of revealing semantic
structures which are specific for this nation or for this group of nations
(super-nation, or civilization). Devising socio-psychological methods and
their testing in field work. |
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4)
Department of Sociopsychotechnics and Sociopsychotherapy. The methodology
of influencing group psyche forms a special field of sociopsychology.
Group psyche develops like individual psyche does, but of course big groups
like nations, classes, confessions develop much slowly. And as it is in
development of individual psyche, there are "mental things",
collective psychotraumas which hinder the development of group psyche, on the
one hand, but at the same time they serve as a fuel for its development, on
the other. The special methodology is needed to assist development of group
psyche, to activate it, to remove the obstacles and so on. Elaborating such
methodology is a main task of sociopsychotechnics. Important place here is occupied by
sociopsychotherapy - the methodology of healing
collective psychotraumas through expanding collective self-awareness of big
groups. |
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4-1-1
Methods of psychotechnical influence on collective psyche Goal: Systematization of artificial methods of influencing a collective psyche (common views, common moods, common attitudes etc) as, for example, art and propaganda. Method: Investigation of the precedents when the individual or collective
actions resulted in the change of the collective soul's state. Not less than
10 precedents. |
4-2-1 Psychotechnical work with society, which bases on the principle of chain reaction Goal: Devising "chain reaction" methodology, when everybody who
was taught to something starts himself to teach other people to this
"something". Method: Devising methodology of invention in didactic materials the elements
of self-propagating knowledge, i.e. ones which content motive to teach and
teaching skills. This methodology has to transform "pure" knowledge
into knowledge-motive and "pure" way of action into "way of
action"-motive correspondingly. |
4-3-1 Art sociopsychotherapy
Goal: Devising methodology for creating artistic tools allowing big group
with common psycho-trauma to experience repeatedly the traumatic event
several times becoming more and more aware of traumatic event. Method: The central place in this methodology is occupied by the methods of
creating special works of art, which model the traumatic event and which
allow seeing it from the different perspectives including the point of view of enemies if the
traumatic event is war, genocide etc. The methods include collecting the
sample of works of art (including fictions) which possess therapeutic effect
and the analysis of these works with the aim of discovery of what in them are
responsible for therapeutic effect. Elaborating the methodology for
assessment of therapeutic effect of work of art in short-term perspective and
in long-term one. Constructing artistic technology that allows creating
therapeutic works of art by artists with different personal traits for
several types of arts. Testing methodology. 4-3-2 Chain sociopsychotherapy Goal: Devising methodology for exponential growth of the circle of people
who is healed from collective psychotrauma: "one who is healed, heal
others". Method: Devising the methodology for psychotherapy of both individuals and
small groups dealing with collective psychotraumas, which is not only
effectively heals traumas but also forces the former clients to become
therapists themselves and to propagate the methods, which helped them, for
the people. This methodology combines the features of psychotherapy,
education and forming motivation to help others. The core of methods consists
of deliberate repeating re-experiencing of traumatic event aiming growth of self-awareness.
This combines with the reflection of what is happened in course of
therapeutic work and with forming deep understanding of negative effect of
collective psychotrauma and of how trauma works. Such understanding results
in wish to help others. The significant part of methodology is connected with
forming the therapeutic skills and individual therapeutic styles of
clients-students as well as with pedagogical scills of transfering newly
acquired knowledge to other people. 4-3-3 Methodology of
activating collective mental life (collective creativity, collective
cognition etc) Goal: Internet creates the new ways of co-working. We need the methodology how collaborate and how to involve in this collaboration new members. Method: Research the structure of individual creative activity and
constructing the structure of collective creative activity. Systemizing the
roles in creative activity: inventor of idea, elaborators of idea, critics,
organizers of realization, organizers of dissemination etc. Research of
motivation factors to participate in collective works and the factors
preventing participations. Devising methodology removing/weakening preventing
factors and facilitating positive factors. Elaborating the demands to
software of social networks for collective work. |
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5)
Department of
Psychology of Historical Development and History of Psychosphere of Earth. Historical development of humankind creates new and new civilizations and correspondingly new and new types of
mentality with new abilities, new ways of perceptions of the world and the
new ways of behaviour. Oswald Spengler was among the firsts who noted this
dynamics. Psychology of Historical Development studies this dynamics for all
13 metacultures (civilizations), which are known to History of Psychosphere of Earth, the part
of historiosophy dealing with spiritual development
of humankind in the course of its historical development. |
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5-1-1
Comparative psychological analysis of Christian confesses Goal: What features of psyche (including ones of unconscious psyche) are responsible for the differences between European Catholics, European Protestants, Russian Orthodox, and Greek Orthodox? (Alteration of the list of confessions is possible). Method: Analysis of religion literature, interview, ideally – devising special scales and objectivising the findings. |
5-2-1 Stages of
development of collective psyche: the mental specifics of peoples of Islam civilization
comparing with people of Catholic civilization and people of
Humanistic-pragmatic (Modern Western) civilization Goal: Research of new cultural-determined content (new processes, styles,
way of perceptions, values, motives etc), which is present in psyche of the
people of younger civilizations but is absent in the psyche of peoples of
older ones. Method: Analysis of literature (fictions, religious etc) of these 3
civilizations aiming revealing the traits, which are specific for these 3
civilizations. |
5-3-1 General
Principles of Civilization Analysis of the content of individual psyche Goal: Methodology for revealing the layers of cultural determined part of
individual psyche, which were created by the civilizations existing now,
which were created by the civilizations of the past, and ones which are
creating now by the future civilizations, which are only preparing to come
into existence. Method: Elaborating the principles of cultural psychological analysis of literature
and works of art of different civilizations with the aim of revealing the
differences between civilizations. Methodology of Interviewing experts.
Generalized semantic differential – poles of scales are the works created in
frameworks of different civilizations, e.g. John of Damascus's ''An Exact Exposition of the
Orthodox Faith" vs
Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" and
"Metaphysics", or
Thomas Aquinas's "Summa Theologica", or Hegel's "The Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences". The poles may be also not texts, but
works of other art like sculpture (e.g. David vs Apollo Belvedere or vs.
Venus de Milo) or architecture (Parthenon vs. Pantheon, or vs. Notre-Dame de
Paris). Forming concepts of differential sociopsychology, analysis of their
inner structure, interconnections and connections with the system of known
psychological concepts. Institualization of the introduced concepts. |
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6)
Department of Psychotheology. Psychotheology is a border field between psychology and theology (Christian ones but not
only). Since every religion directs spiritual development of its adepts in its cultural
frameworks, the core of each religion is determined by its specific form of
psychology of spiritual development. Psychotheology studies how the religions
develop spiritually their adepts. |
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6-1-1
Psychology of hesychasm Goal: Systematizing psychotechnical practices of hesychasm and devising professional psychological language for describing the results of practices of hesychasm. Method: Analysis of literature; interview with (together with other forms of assessment of) people practicing hesychasm; systematizing the psychological concepts, which are more or less close to what is changed in the course of hesychasm practice, introducing the concepts, which will fill the semantic gaps. 6-1-2
Potential of Orthodox psychotherapy Goal: Determining the problems orthodox psychotherapy deals with. Method: Analysis the literature on the Orthodox psychotherapy (Hierotheos Vlahos and others), systematizing of problem Orthodox psychotherapists deal with, devising hypotheses about the mechanisms of Orthodox psychotherapy. |
6-2-1 Alchemy as a
higher psychotechnics Goal: Alchemy, which is almost meaningless from the chemical point of view,
consist a rich symbolism as a psychotechnics of development of the highest
mental states ("gold", "philosophical stone" etc). The
goal of this project is to disclose and to systemize this psychotechnical
potential. Method: Analysis of alchemical literature. "Translation" the
alchemical text in the language of psychology. Devising, standardizing and testing psychotechnical methodology
basing on alchemy. |
6-3-1 Psychotechnical potential of Christian Fathers and its adaptation by psychology Goal: Formalization of self-psychotechnics of Christian monks. Method: The analysis of the large corpus of Christian literature that deals
with the spiritual growth of monks. Extracting and cataloging the key
concepts of this literature – constructing its vocabulary. Transforming the
vocabulary into thesaurus that is disclosing the psychological meaning of the
items of vocabulary. Where this will be impossible to do because of absence
of necessary concept in academic psychology, the new concepts must be
introduced. These "neologisms" have to be clearly determined and
their relationships with known concepts have to be established. 6-3-2 Models of psyche and of mental development in Kabbalah Goal: Systemizing psychological and psychopneumatological knowledge
containing in the corpus of cabbalistic texts. Method: Constructing psychological thesaurus of the concepts of Kabbalah.
Formalizing the models of psyche in Kabbalah: the structure, functions, modus
operandi (forms of life) etc. Comparing the goal of development in Kabbalah
with ones of other esoteric teachings. 6-3-3 Higher
psychotechnics in esoteric Buddhism (Tantra and Dzogchen) Goal: "Translations" the esoteric Buddhism into the language of
psychology and expanding the language of psychology that is necessary to make
this translation possible. Method: Lexicographical analysis of the key modern texts on Dzogchen and
Tantra (ones of Namkhai Norbu, Elias Capriles and others). Constructing the
models allowing to adopts the views and psychotechnical methods of esoteric Buddhism.
6-3-4 Aurobindo's psychotechnical discoveries in "Integral Yoga" Goal: Psychopneumatological institualization of the system the higher
states, processes and psychotechnical actions, which Aurobindo described in
"Integral Yoga". Method: Thematic structuring of Aurobindo's texts: detecting both the phenomena and the actions described and systemizing both types of descriptions. This work demands devising the model which allows considering all these phenomena/actions from the single point of view. Generalizing the actions described. Determining the mental states when these actions may be realized and ones when they result in the development in desirable direction. Experimental validations of Aurobindo's methodology when this is possible. |
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7)
Department of Constructive Psychology. Term was introduced by E.Golovakha and A.
Kronik. Constructive psychology is an "engineering" science of how psychology
creates new cultural phenomena, which become new mental phenomena. In this
meaning, Constructive psychology does not study psyche, but creates it. |
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7-1-1
Cultural innovation in EU and USA (post-modern society) Goal: What new in the psyche of Europeans and Americans has aroused in last 25 years? Method: The lexicographical analysis of neologisms, the analysis of both the cultural innovations and their reflexions in psyche. The analysis has to be made in the several mental levels – starting from the changes in personal dictionaries and up to personal changes and possibly to even upper levels of psyche. (Not less than 20 respondents.) Using social networks for search the respondents and for interviewing is highly appreciated. 7-1-2
The contribution of psychoanalysis in the culture Goal: What changes in the culture were brought by the works of Freund and his followers? Method: Analysis of the fate of psychoanalytic concepts ("complex", "defence mechanism", "repression", "archetype" and so on) in the culture and in psyche. 7-1-3
The potential of concept "reincarnation" in the A. Kronik's theory of
psychological age Goal: What modifications in the Kronik's theory of psychological age are introduced by the theory of personal life does not start at birth and does not finish in death? Method: The analysis of event structure of human's life in different time ranges and in different roles (analysis of life and of age of subpersonalities). |
7-2-1 The stages of transformation of
professional psychological concepts into concepts of general culture Goal: What are trajectories and stages of invention of psychological
concepts into general culture? What are the social needs, which motive
implementation of psychological concepts? Method: Historical analysis of intervention of psychological concepts into
culture (on examples of Freudianism and Jungian psychology). Analysis of the
questions the inventions helped to resolve (basing on the analysis of
corresponding literature). Devising methodology for assessment of social
needs which may be fulfilled by the psychology. 7-2-2 How cognitive psychology does artificial intelligence Goal: How cognitive psychological theories and models were used in the
course of the development of artificial intelligence. Method: Historical analysis of the relationships between the cognitive
psychology and artificial intelligence as well as their mutual influence. |
7-3-1 How psychology
changed the culture during the last 150 years Goal: Describing the main influences the development of professional
psychology on general culture. Method: Systemizing the new cultural phenomena inspired by psychology in
different parts of culture: common thinking, art, industry, services etc.
Determining the main factors determining success of psychology's
intervention, like society's needs, "taboo topics", the needs of
other sciences/technologies in psychological finding etc. 7-3-2 Methods of psychological constructing Goal: Reflection of general principles of constructing psychological
models/methods which form the means of perception, meaning-making and actions
of society. Method: Analysis of most influential psychology's impacts like Freudianism,
Jungian psychology, cognitive psychology etc. from the point of view – what
psychological knowledge society needs more. Constructing as a bridge between
society's needs and psychological modeling. Needs-lead modeling. |
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8)
Department of Constructive Cognitive
Omadopsychology. The totality of individual minds and their
interconnections may be called "World
Brain". Internet changed the World Brain principally putting the new
research task – to teach new World Brain to think. As result on the border
between computer science and cognitive psychology the new field was formed –
engineering of collective knowledge, i.e. devising methodology for group
thinking. Invention of Internet made the task of deliberate forming cognitive sphere of psyche of group (including such group as
humankind)
very practical. This task forms main problem of Department of Constructive Cognitive Omadopsychology. |
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8-1-1 Sociological models in cognitive psychology and
potential of Internet Goal: How dialogical and "polilogical" theories of intellect may be applied to common intellectual activity of big group of people? Method: Analysis of "sociological" models of intellect and devising their application to collective intellectual activity. |
8-2-1 The factors preventing one's participation in collective cognitive activity Goal: Research of what prevent an individual's participation in collective
thinking. Method: Experiment with inventing some collective projects and interviewing people
which accept the suggestion to participate and those who reject. 8-2-2
The phases of life of idea when it is elaborated by the group Goal: Investigation of the structure of process of group realizing idea. Method: Case studies – investigation of the history of some idea(s), which
were realized by the groups. All sources of information – from the documents
of working group to the interview with the group's members – have to be used.
8-2-3 How does collective cognition change state of psyche of
group? Goal: Collective cognition does not remove the differences between the participants, but moves each of them along his personal trajectory of development. The goal of this project is is study of effect of collective cognition on the state of psyche of group in general and on the state of mind of each participant, in particular. Method: Devising and testing methodology for evaluating state of group before and after collective cognitive activity. |
8-3-1 Models of collective cognition Goal: Elaborating the models of collective work in social networks aiming
disclosing unknown knowledge or devising new knowledge. Method: Transition of principles of cognitive psychology and especially
"social-psychological" cognitive models on the collective cognitive
psychology. Determining the roles and interrelationships in the process of
cognition. Constructing models and testing them experimentally in the
specialized networks. |
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9)
Department of Agaposophy. Agaposophy is the system of knowledge of love
in all its level: from biochemical to philosophical. |
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9-1-1
The levels of phenomena of love in psyche Goal: Systemising phenomena of love with different duration – from seconds to decades. Method: Collecting phenomena and devising formal language (language of
traits) for describing phenomena of love. |
9-2-1 From art of
love to technology of love Goal: Devising the methodology for developing ability to love. Method: Analysis psychological conditions which prevent a person to love
(like egoism). Systematizing these conditions. Devising the methods of
assessment these conditions. Devising methodology for removing these inner
barriers. |
9-3-1 Agapology and Agaposophy: Love in psyche and love in World Goal: Systemizing mental phenomena, which are called by word "a
love" – feelings, attitudes, motives, states, types of behavior, and so
on. Systemizing the relationships of different "loves" with other
psychological "units", e.g. influence of different loves on
personality traits, on mood, on cognitive style, on the composition of
unconscious psyche and so on. Expanding consideration of love from
psychological perspective only on the social, international and metaphysical
perspectives: consideration of human love as a particular case of gravitation
if we consider it as motive and particular case of care about one's wellbeing
if we consider this interpersonally, socially, internationally or even
theologically. Method: Systemizing the meanings of
word "a love". Systemizing the mental phenomena, which are
connected with love. Systemizing psychological researches of love. Devising
multiscale inventories for assessment of "loveness" of person – the
state of a person's love. Development of methodology for teaching to love on
both individual level and group's one. Empiric research of benefits love
brings to individuals and to groups in term of respond attitudes to them, the
positive image of them in others' eyes, trust, willing to cooperate with them
etc. |
©
WIHP, Alexander Zelitchenko, 2014