Personality and Human Relationships

Listed below are articles selected by PRH Educators from recent PRH newsletters, the popular press, and scholarly journals, along with references to other sources. Covering a variety of themes, these articles are chosen because they show more evidence of the importance of personal growth work or ways to promote growth. Excerpts from our newsletters are shared first, followed by referenced articles, listed alphabetically by title. These articles are updated periodically.

If you would like to suggest an article or reference for inclusion here, send the article or necessary identifying information along with your reason for recommending it to a PRH Educator. The web site committee will make final selections.

From PRH Newsletters

Awesome Uniqueness, by Lisa Wiebe, Portland, Oregon (excerpted from the Western Division, 2008 Issue 2 newsletter)

"Awe. Life fills me as I gaze at a magnificent tree outside the window. In the midst of winter, I am rewarded with a view of the tree without its mass of foliage. Beads of water hang from the delicate lace of branches, creating a thousand points of reflective light that look like crystals. The strength of the trunk gracefully curves upward and outward towards the sky, and I am reminded of the movements of a dancer. I think of the life force within the trunk as I envision the roots plunging deep into the earth, absorbing nutrients that feed new growth that will bud forth in spring. I am reminded of my journey of deep reflection below the surface. The tree and I share a hidden reality..."

(to finish reading this interview, and read similar articles, visit our Newsletter section)

No Ordinary Moments, by Mary Kolb, PRH Educator (excerpted from the Western Division, 2008 Issue 1 newsletter)

"While driving on the floating bridge across Lake Washington on a recent sunny afternoon, I suddenly realized that I was not seeing the windwhipped waters, the bank of low clouds obscuring the top of Mount Rainier, or the evergreen trees crowding the shores. I was hunched tensely over the steering wheel, feeling overwhelmed by the tasks remaining on the day’s “to-do” list. As anxiety washed across me, I had the suffocating sense that there was no possibility of anything new or fresh – I was trapped in the “same-old, same-old.” It was the sensation of flatness, boredom and drudgery that clued me in: these are signs to me that I have “checked out,” that I am not present in the moment...."

(to finish reading this interview, and read similar articles, visit our Newsletter section)

Value of Reflective Writing

American Psychological Association. (2005) New Research Extends Understanding of the Positive Health Effects of Expressive Writing. APA Online, http://www.apa.org/releases/expressiveC05.html

Kalb, Claudia. (1999) Pen, Paper, Power! Newsweek, April 26, 1999, pp. 75 – 76.

Sloan, Denise M. and Brian P. Marx. (2004) Taking Pen to Hand: Evaluating Theories Underlying the Written Disclosure Paradigm. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11:2, 121-137.