The Authenticity Project
by Mary K. Radpour
Overview
The Authenticity Project is a collaborative research endeavor spanning
several years among a group of psychologists, social workers and philsophers
from the U.S. Canada and Russia, interested in the integration of the
science of psychology with the spiritual dimension of human growth.
The initial conceptual framework of the Project was drawn from the book
titled Love, Power, and Justice by the philosopher and logician William
Hatcher, Ph.D. and the Moral Education Project sponsored by the World
Centre in Russia. Since 1998 when the project began, it has field-tested
training materials at Bahá’í institutes in Russia and the U.S. (at Louhelen
and Greenacre) and found them extremely effective in assisting individuals
to engage in systematic and focused personal transformation. The Authenticity
Project proposes a model for understanding spiritual and psychological
health, suggesting that these follow the same developmental path. It
proposes that personal development engages the spiritual capacities
of mind, heart, and will in an authentic and autonomous relationship
with reality, and it offers a six step process entitled the Virtuous
Cycle as a method for recognizing our present condition and moving closer
to an ideal. The Virtuous Cycle involves examining our thoughts, emotions,
intentions and actions in the light of Divine Revelation to verify their
authenticity and suggests a variety of strategies for independent actions
to realize our spiritual capacities. It proposes that particular attention
to issues of gender and race and to the proper uses of power are the
nexus for personal transformation.
The Authenticity Project is a Bahá’í inspired initiative
which is developing strategies for engaging the non-Bahá’í
public with the implications of its model for social and economic development.
It also plans to develop training materials which may assist Bahá’í
communities. The members of the Authenticity Project are Leslie Asplund,
Sherri Dressler, Carmel Hatcher, William Hatcher, Lonya Osokin, Michael
Penn, and Mary K. Radpour. The participants have written a book about
this model which is currently being edited for publication.
An outline of the workshop presentation and a powerpoint presentation
with the highlights of the talk is found below.
Contact Information: Mary K.
Radpour
E-mail: mradpour@usbnc.org
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The
Authenticity Project
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