Daryl, thank you for this post. I much appreciate you raising the topic of character & its intimate connection to ethics, morality & excellence. This is so important in our development as sound humans, which is essential to our development as excellent therapists, supervisors & coaches. It would be wonderful if character development & ethics training were more central in the training & supervision of therapists.
My Stoic teacher, Massimo Pigliucci, has thought much about character development & written about it in "Five insights about character" (https://figsinwinter.substack.com/p/five-insights-about-character) which summarises the key points in his book "The Quest for Character"(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60021170-the-quest-for-character). He argues that character (ethics, morality & excellence as you say) can & must be trained & underpins the development of any craft. I think what he says in the following quote applies equally to therapists: “According to the Greco-Romans, virtue understood as human excellence is a skill (techne) and therefore can be taught, just like any other skill. Imagine you wished to learn a musical instrument, or maybe a new language. How do you go about it? You will learn some basic musical theory or grammar; you will get a good teacher who can guide you; and then you’ll practice, practice, practice. The same goes for virtue: you become a better person by learning a bit about ethics, by following a good teacher like Socrates, and by doing a lot of practice.” Sounds pretty much like Deliberate Practice to me & much like your writing.
You may be aware that the Stoics, one of three lineages inspired by Socrates, influenced the founding fathers of Christianity & were reciprocally influenced by the major world religions & philosophies due to trade in the Mediterranean basin. Perhaps it is the lack of education & guidance in developing a clear, individual philosophy of life which contributes to the ills in our world today - clients, therapists, supervisors, educators & coaches included? That’s why coach John Wooden was such an inspiring role model.
Daryl, thank you for this post. I much appreciate you raising the topic of character & its intimate connection to ethics, morality & excellence. This is so important in our development as sound humans, which is essential to our development as excellent therapists, supervisors & coaches. It would be wonderful if character development & ethics training were more central in the training & supervision of therapists.
My Stoic teacher, Massimo Pigliucci, has thought much about character development & written about it in "Five insights about character" (https://figsinwinter.substack.com/p/five-insights-about-character) which summarises the key points in his book "The Quest for Character"(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60021170-the-quest-for-character). He argues that character (ethics, morality & excellence as you say) can & must be trained & underpins the development of any craft. I think what he says in the following quote applies equally to therapists: “According to the Greco-Romans, virtue understood as human excellence is a skill (techne) and therefore can be taught, just like any other skill. Imagine you wished to learn a musical instrument, or maybe a new language. How do you go about it? You will learn some basic musical theory or grammar; you will get a good teacher who can guide you; and then you’ll practice, practice, practice. The same goes for virtue: you become a better person by learning a bit about ethics, by following a good teacher like Socrates, and by doing a lot of practice.” Sounds pretty much like Deliberate Practice to me & much like your writing.
You may be aware that the Stoics, one of three lineages inspired by Socrates, influenced the founding fathers of Christianity & were reciprocally influenced by the major world religions & philosophies due to trade in the Mediterranean basin. Perhaps it is the lack of education & guidance in developing a clear, individual philosophy of life which contributes to the ills in our world today - clients, therapists, supervisors, educators & coaches included? That’s why coach John Wooden was such an inspiring role model.
thanks Vivian. much to be said about an inflation of "values" and less about "virtues" in current climate.
Conlan, really appreciate this. I hadn't made the connections to Alan Schore's work.
i resonate w your mentor's words
>"you can’t look for inspiration on the peaks of your own field.”
btw, love to hear more about what's your thesis is about.