Abstract
The late Donna Rockwell had an outsize influence on the Society for Humanistic Psychology. In addition to recounting two important interactions that reflected the personal impact she had, several powerful quotes from Donna are shared to convey her commitment to the principles and practices of humanistic psychology.
Although we were already acquainted, it was not until 2014 that I had the honor of truly getting to know Donna Rockwell. It was at the end of the Global Summit on Diagnostic Alternatives in Washington, DC, just prior to the American Psychological Association (APA) convention that began the next day. I do not remember why we were standing outside the hotel where the summit was held, but there we were, on the sidewalk down the street, having a lengthy and intimate conversation about—of all things—marriage and relationships. I do not generally open up about such topics unless I know someone well, but Donna had a way of putting others at ease and getting them to talk. She was brilliant at adopting a stance that invited people to share and be vulnerable, but it was always a two-way street: She shared and was vulnerable, too. Donna confided about her own life’s challenges as much as she encouraged me to share and process mine. That streetside conversation launched a lasting friendship, one in which I felt supported by and connected to Donna. Whenever we saw each other—typically at APA conventions—we talked openly with one another about our careers, our children, and our relationships.
Donna’s stance toward people epitomized what personal construct psychology calls the credulous approach—a posture of openness, curiosity, and acceptance that helps one comprehend other people’s experience (Kelly, 1955). Donna always approached me credulously, listening with rapt attention to my experience. That is who she was. Donna’s radical openness was her superpower. It explains her outsize influence on Division 32, the Society for Humanistic Psychology. Her candid honesty and care for others were in evidence not only interpersonally but also in her writings. Below, I highlight six memorable quotations through which Donna’s openness and humanism shine.
On Loving Humanistic Psychology
From the first moment I was introduced to humanistic psychology in graduate school, I fell in love with the idea that love really mattered, for my own personal growth as a mental health professional, and as a critical learning edge in psychotherapy, itself guiding the client toward love for and appreciation of himself or herself. (Rockwell, 2019c, p. 335).
On Conducting Qualitative Research
So many lived-worlds sit on the skirt of the round ottoman waiting patiently for my touch to come to life. Slowly, I reach out my hand, landing like a benediction on pile number one. I feel its story rumble beneath my palm, a quivering breath of life, transmitted from teller to listener, an essence, touching the very stuff of life, itself—a question, a struggle, a view, an experience, the craving for resolution, a human story. (Rockwell, 2013, p. 91)
On Resisting Overmedicalization
We need to be careful not to unintentionally lobotomize the human race through the overprescription of unneeded and downright dangerous medications, through financially driven trends in diagnosing and prescribing. Only through a person-centered, humanistic approach can the being-based or ontological realities of the person-in-therapy, as well as the therapist, enter the room as valuable stepping-stones to well-being. (Rockwell, 2012, p. 210)
On Mindful Living
Rather than solely focusing on thoughts and the content of thoughts, the this and the that of our experience, the him and the her, the we and the they, the materiality and daily grind of cause and effect, we can remember to explore the space around thoughts, the space between them. What is found in the gap between the out-breath and the in-breath? Where is mind then? Who are you in those spaces? Who are you in those gaps? (Rockwell, 2014, p. 116)
On Self-Love
I believe it is time for something more akin to a radical self-love movement and an appreciation of an evidence-based science of love. Loving the self as the first step in a ‘One Love’ philosophy is not self-indulgent but rather is permission to dance our own dance, to be true to our own nature and embrace our particularized self-actualizing path. Self-love is self-knowing, a humble conscientiousness that frees us from an ego that thinks everything is about “me,” pointing instead to the part we play in the larger production—a capacity to connect to community, to touch and be touched emotionally, to be a part of both local and global healing, to be cocreators of a more expansive and inclusive ‘we.’ (Rockwell, 2019b, p. 340)
On the Future of Humanistic Psychology
Life is often like a pendulum, swinging between extremes. So, with roots many decades old, humanistic psychology would be best served by staying true to our person-centered and holistic foundation, while at the same time fluidly engaging in heuristic explorations of what it means to be alive in the here and now, moving organically, just as the pendulum seeks its own balance. As a movement, we can search for fresh and innovative ways to describe our philosophical outlook, using words that our peers, the general public, and upcoming generations can make sense of. People are eager to escape mental suffering and fulfill Maslowian needs, including awareness of our self-actualizing potential and the self-transcendent nature of generativity. The world is in need of tenderness and care and, as the pendulum swings, is resonating with our message of humanistic understanding, mutuality, engagement, compassion, inclusivity, healing, and love. (Rockwell, 2019a, p. 333)
“This is Your Time”
These quotes convey Donna’s kindness, caring, and commitment to humanistic principles. I conclude with another personal recollection about Donna’s impact on me. In October of 2018, I received an email from Donna asking if I had time for a phone call. She was a past president of Division 32 at the time and had the difficult charge of recruiting candidates to run for the board. I suspected that Donna wanted to ask if I would run for president, and this was a conversation I had been dreading. I had turned down invitations to run several times before. The job seemed too big, too intimidating. Nonetheless, out of respect for Donna, I agreed to speak with her. She empathically listened to my doubts about serving, and then made her pitch. She spoke about the importance of nurturing humanistic psychology, taking care of the division, and continuing the division’s work on diagnostic alternatives. She believed I had the experience and skills necessary to make a valuable contribution. I was flattered but still hesitant. Donna ended the conversation with a phrase she repeated to me throughout the next several years: “This is your time.” I do not know what it was about that phrase, but it resonated with me. Maybe it was the earnestness with which Donna said it or the fact that, despite my misgivings about its veracity, she genuinely seemed to believe it. Whatever the reason, that phrase stuck with me throughout my presidency (yes, Donna’s patience, kindness, and gentle encouragement persuaded me to run). However, “This is your time” reverberated well beyond that for me. I recently started a new administrative position at my university. When asked to do it, I was flattered but—as with considering the presidency of Division 32—I was once again anxious and full of doubt. Taking on a new position was new and different, an unknown. What should I do? “This is your time,” Donna would have said. I took the job.
Donna, thank you for being a good colleague, mentor, and friend. Like so many others, I miss you. You may no longer be with us, but your words and deeds live on.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
