Sam Malkemus | California Institute of Integral Studies (original) (raw)
Samuel A. Malkemus, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and John F. Kennedy University. Together with Marina T. Romero he is the founder and director of the Institute of Holistic Transformation in Berkeley, CA. A fifth generation Californian who divides his time between California and Spain, he leads courses and seminars in holistic sexuality and transformative education both internationally and in the San Francisco bay area. With a private practice in holistic counseling he is committed to helping his clients find vibrant health by working with body, heart, mind, and spirit.
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Is instinct a viable concept for contemporary psychology? At the turn of the twentieth century th... more Is instinct a viable concept for contemporary psychology? At the turn of the twentieth century the concept of human instinct was the focus of extensive discussion. Today instinct has been all but forgotten. This paper explores the historical circumstances that led to the rejection of the concept of human instinct. It then turns a critical eye to a number of presuppositions that continue to equate instinct with preprogrammed genetic mechanisms. An expanded and holistic understanding of instinctual life that includes the subjective reality of the organism is then explored. It is suggested that such an expanded account may be a valuable and necessary theoretical tool for broadening our understanding of human psychology as intimately connected to its evolutionary past.
This article explores a holistic vision of human sexuality by contrasting it to the prevailing tr... more This article explores a holistic vision of human sexuality by contrasting it to the prevailing trend of “cognicentrism” in sexological studies. To this end the authors propose that a novel understanding of sexuality as a creative force of life energy can greatly enhance such cognicentric approaches. Such a proposal rests on a holistic approach to human nature that has been developed over many years of educational and clinical application. Within this holistic vision, the role of a human multidimensional cognition that is somatically rooted in bodily nature assists the articulation of sexuality as a transformational life path of embodied spirituality, healing, and growth.
Is instinct a viable concept for contemporary psychology? At the turn of the twentieth century th... more Is instinct a viable concept for contemporary psychology? At the turn of the twentieth century the concept of human instinct was the focus of extensive discussion. Today instinct has been all but forgotten. This paper explores the historical circumstances that led to the rejection of the concept of human instinct. It then turns a critical eye to a number of presuppositions that continue to equate instinct with preprogrammed genetic mechanisms. An expanded and holistic understanding of instinctual life that includes the subjective reality of the organism is then explored. It is suggested that such an expanded account may be a valuable and necessary theoretical tool for broadening our understanding of human psychology as intimately connected to its evolutionary past.
This article explores a holistic vision of human sexuality by contrasting it to the prevailing tr... more This article explores a holistic vision of human sexuality by contrasting it to the prevailing trend of “cognicentrism” in sexological studies. To this end the authors propose that a novel understanding of sexuality as a creative force of life energy can greatly enhance such cognicentric approaches. Such a proposal rests on a holistic approach to human nature that has been developed over many years of educational and clinical application. Within this holistic vision, the role of a human multidimensional cognition that is somatically rooted in bodily nature assists the articulation of sexuality as a transformational life path of embodied spirituality, healing, and growth.