Videos by Mike Sosteric
So you think you know what money is?
179 views
The Peace Table by Mike Sosteric
This essay reinterprets Abraham Maslow not only as a founder of Humanistic and Transpersonal Psyc... more This essay reinterprets Abraham Maslow not only as a founder of Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology but as an architect of a third project—an explicitly eupsychian psychology oriented to designing the “good society.” Anchored in Maslow’s pivotal “peace table” vision during World War II, the piece traces how his needs theory and late work (on the “farthest reaches” of human nature) were intended to scaffold a comprehensive framework for human flourishing. It then frames the subsequent marginalization of humanistic/transpersonal currents, what Elkins terms the “loss of power and influence,” as institutional “murder” rather than suicide, and situates it within broader political-economic dynamics that favoured behaviourist, cognitivist, and later positive-psychology paradigms, largely because they are non threatening to the capitalist status quo. Against the backdrop of today’s polycrisis, the essay argues that a Psychology of the Peace Table remains urgently necessary: a collaborative, empirically grounded, and spiritually literate endeavor capable of informing economics, education, health, and civic life. It concludes with a practical call to establish an ongoing Peace Table, initially online, as a working forum where scholars and practitioners can elaborate eupsychian theory, integrate empirical and “mystical” insights, and prototype institutions oriented to connection, autonomy, and species-level flourishing.
The Peace Table, 2025
This article examines Abraham Maslow's post‑Pearl Harbor vision for a “Psychology of the Peace Ta... more This article examines Abraham Maslow's post‑Pearl Harbor vision for a “Psychology of the Peace Table” and the subsequent failure of humanistic psychology to inaugurate Eupsychia—the good society realized through the fulfillment of human potential. While Maslow and his colleagues succeeded in constructing a tripartite theoretical foundation (Humanistic, Transpersonal, and nascent Eupsychian Psychology), the movement was systematically ignored by corporate media, resisted within the academy, and ultimately marginalized and defunded. A critical but under‑examined factor was the absence of advanced Knowledge Technology: constrained by typewriters and snail mail, theoretical development was slow, choppy, and incapable of real‑time collaboration or systematic updating. The author argues that contemporary generative AI, semantic‑linking tools, and collaborative platforms such as MediaWiki now enable the rapid reconstruction and extension of Eupsychian Theory across psychology, sociology, education, and care. With coordinated expert input and rigorous quality control, a revitalized, open‑access knowledge system could complete Maslow’s mission within years, offering an urgently needed framework for navigating the present planetary polycrisis.
The Peace Table, 2025
This paper examines the shifting paradigm in the science of consciousness, where traditional brai... more This paper examines the shifting paradigm in the science of consciousness, where traditional brain-bound materialist explanations are increasingly challenged by quantum-based and field-theoretical models. Using Paul C. Mocombe’s Consciousness Field Theory (CFT) as a case study, the discussion situates CFT within the broader context of Orch-OR and cemi field models while highlighting its distinctive claim that consciousness is a fifth force of nature composed of quantum “psychions.” While such theories expand the scientific imagination and attempt to account for anomalous data such as near-death experiences and terminal lucidity, they also raise critical questions of testability, intellectual honesty, and ideological function. In particular, this analysis argues that CFT reasserts human exceptionalism and hierarchy by privileging human consciousness as uniquely individuated, while denying subjectivity (I/We) to non-human forms of life. Thus, what appears as scientific innovation often functions as ideological repackaging, embedding class-bound narratives of unequal worth within the language of physics. The conclusion calls for a fearless but rigorous openness in consciousness studies—willing to test bold hypotheses while remaining alert to the ideological work such theories perform.
Existential narratives on the planet, narratives which answer big questions like “Who am I?” or “... more Existential narratives on the planet, narratives which answer big questions like “Who am I?” or “Why am I here?” are limited and simple. In general, there are only two mainstream narratives, a religious one and a scientific one. The narratives are built up from answers to our basic big questions, like “who am I” or “why am I here.” For example, in answering the question "Who am I?" one can offer the church answer, which is that you are a fallen angel/reject from the garden here to redeem yourself, learn lessons and pay karma. This answer forms the basis of a larger narrative which we might call the Fool’s Narrative. On the other hand, one can offer the science answer, which is that you are an evolving primate here to struggle and survive. This answer forms the basis of the Evolving Primate Narrative). Finally, a third answer, offered by mystics, is also reviewed.
What did Einstein really say about religion? It's probably not what you think.
The Lightning Strike, 2019
A look at the nature of "alpha" behaviour in wolves, and the importance of healthy and natural en... more A look at the nature of "alpha" behaviour in wolves, and the importance of healthy and natural environments.
Eupsychian Theory by Mike Sosteric
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, May 17, 2022
INTRODUCTION: Bowlby's attachment theory (AT) remains a popular way to understand infant, child, ... more INTRODUCTION: Bowlby's attachment theory (AT) remains a popular way to understand infant, child, adolescent, and even adult and family dysfunction. However, attachment theory, which has not changed significantly since its inception, is a reductive theory that ignores a wider range of human needs and has caused significant hardship and trauma. The limitations of this model, particularly when applied outside the Eurocentric and ethnocentric frames of mainstream psychology, are well known. APPROACH: In this article, we suggest it is time to replace the reductive theory of needs that underpins AT with a comprehensive theory, one that could help us develop a less ideological, healthier, and more empirically informed approach to socialisation and social care; one that might help us answer Abraham Maslow's eupsychian question which is how to build a society capable of actuating the full potential of all its citizens. CONCLUSIONS: The answer is simply this: the only way to actualise full human potential is to move the locus of human health and full development away from a single female, or even a single nuclear family, to a village, a community, and a society that understands humanity's complex constellation of needs and that is consequently and exclusively geared towards meeting those needs.
Traditionally, scientists understand the genetics and evolution as a Darwinian affair that spans ... more Traditionally, scientists understand the genetics and evolution as a Darwinian affair that spans hundreds of generations and thousands of millenia. We are who we are, as humans, because of our ancient, simian past. More recent research, however, is uncovering epigenetic mechanisms of evolution that alter genetic expressions in as little as one generation, therefore caling into question many Darwinian and Social-Darwinian assumptions about human nature and human evolution. As awareness of these new Lamarckian mechanisms spread, it will force a rethinking of key positions on evolution, on eugenics, on capitalism, and on how to extricate ourselves from the unfolding planetary debacle.
Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (AT) remains a popular way to understand infant, child, adolescent, an... more Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (AT) remains a popular way to understand infant, child, adolescent, and even adult and family dysfunction. However, attachment theory, which has not changed significantly since its inception, is a reductive theory that ignores a wider range of human needs and has caused significant hardship and trauma. The limitations of this model, particularly when applied outside the Eurocentric and ethnocentric frames of mainstream psychology, are well known. In this article, we suggest it is time to replace the reductive theory of needs that underpins AT with a comprehensive theory, one that could help us develop a less ideological, healthier, and more empirically informed approach to socialization and social care; one that might help us answer Abraham Maslow’s Eupsychian question which is how to build a society capable of actuating the full potential of all its citizens. The answer is simply this: the only way to actualize full human potential is to move the locus of human health and full development away from a single female, or even a single nuclear family, to a village, a community, and a society that understands humanity’s complex constellation of needs and that is consequently and exclusively geared towards meeting those needs.
In 1943, Abraham Maslow presented a now widely accepted theory of human motivation. This theory w... more In 1943, Abraham Maslow presented a now widely accepted theory of human motivation. This theory was shortly represented by a now iconic Pyramid of Needs. Building upon the work of Abraham Maslow, this article rejects the pyramid of needs as an ideologically rooted, sanitized, and stripped-down version of Maslow’s nascent Eupsychian Theory. Instead, the article proposes a Circle of Seven Essential needs as the core of a sophisticated and integrative humanistic/transpersonal Euspychian theory of human development and human potential, a theory that Maslow was in the process of developing before his untimely death. As argued in the article, the Circle of Seven Essential Needs encourages us to develop a broad, holistic, and integrative view of human nature, human development and the role of human society more in line with Maslow’s thinking on human development and human potential.
The Conversation by Mike Sosteric
The Conversation, 2019
An analysis of the political consequences of dismissing authentic spirituality.
A journalistic piece that examines the archetypal/ideological roots of our growing global crises.... more A journalistic piece that examines the archetypal/ideological roots of our growing global crises. Originally Published in The Conversation.
A journalistic piece that examines the global cyberwar now underway. Originally Published in The ... more A journalistic piece that examines the global cyberwar now underway. Originally Published in The Conversation.
A journalistic piece “outing” the Big Brother’s Facebook machine. Published in The Conversation.
A journalistic piece that discusses the psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual destruc... more A journalistic piece that discusses the psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual destruction wrought by a toxic socialization process.
A journalistic piece that challenges the myths and ideology of the so-called " alpha " dog. Publi... more A journalistic piece that challenges the myths and ideology of the so-called " alpha " dog. Published in The Conversation.
The Conversation, 2019
The end of the world as we've known it is here. The only question is, what's next?
Creator's Corner by Mike Sosteric
Lightning Path, 2025
A brief introduction to Foucault, Discourse, Technologies of the Self, and social control
Rocket Guides by Mike Sosteric
What is money? What is an economy? Why is money so addictive? What is accumulation? What is capi... more What is money? What is an economy? Why is money so addictive? What is accumulation? What is capitalism? What are the problems caused by capitalist accumulation. These are all question examined in this introductory overview of money, the economy, and the global financial system.
This work is suitable for introductory and even advanced courses where clarity and precision vis a vis the economic realities of this planet are a pedagogical goal.
For best effect, use the accompanying video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opwUrGVc8dA
Version 1.11
Added materials on money addiction,
Converted document to LibreOffice,
Cleaned up citations.
Formatted 8.5 by 11 to facilitate printing
To support the author, https://amzn.to/2U2qPbG
Female Spiritualities by Mike Sosteric
Lightning Path, 2025
This article examines Aradia, the revolutionary female messiah figure from Charles
Leland's Arad... more This article examines Aradia, the revolutionary female messiah figure from Charles
Leland's Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches (1899), as a powerful counter-archetype to
institutionalized Christianity that systematically inverts Christian messaging by replacing
passive acceptance with active resistance, otherworldly promises with this-world
empowerment, and individual salvation with collective liberation. Drawing from Italian folk traditions, Aradia emerges as the daughter of Diana and Lucifer, sent to Earth to teach witchcraft to the oppressed peasantry as practical technologies of resistance against feudal and religious authority, functioning as an "Authentic Archetype" that emerges from the grass-roots below rather than being imposed from above by elite institutions. Whether viewed as authentic folk tradition or 19th-century construction, the Aradia text demonstrates how marginalized communities can reclaim stigmatized identities, invert dominant symbols, and create alternative spiritual frameworks that serve liberation rather than submission, positioning feminine divine authority as supreme and celebrating embodied, nature-based practices over abstract theological doctrine
Uploads
Videos by Mike Sosteric
The Peace Table by Mike Sosteric
Eupsychian Theory by Mike Sosteric
The Conversation by Mike Sosteric
Creator's Corner by Mike Sosteric
Rocket Guides by Mike Sosteric
This work is suitable for introductory and even advanced courses where clarity and precision vis a vis the economic realities of this planet are a pedagogical goal.
For best effect, use the accompanying video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opwUrGVc8dA
Version 1.11
Added materials on money addiction,
Converted document to LibreOffice,
Cleaned up citations.
Formatted 8.5 by 11 to facilitate printing
To support the author, https://amzn.to/2U2qPbG
Female Spiritualities by Mike Sosteric
Leland's Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches (1899), as a powerful counter-archetype to
institutionalized Christianity that systematically inverts Christian messaging by replacing
passive acceptance with active resistance, otherworldly promises with this-world
empowerment, and individual salvation with collective liberation. Drawing from Italian folk traditions, Aradia emerges as the daughter of Diana and Lucifer, sent to Earth to teach witchcraft to the oppressed peasantry as practical technologies of resistance against feudal and religious authority, functioning as an "Authentic Archetype" that emerges from the grass-roots below rather than being imposed from above by elite institutions. Whether viewed as authentic folk tradition or 19th-century construction, the Aradia text demonstrates how marginalized communities can reclaim stigmatized identities, invert dominant symbols, and create alternative spiritual frameworks that serve liberation rather than submission, positioning feminine divine authority as supreme and celebrating embodied, nature-based practices over abstract theological doctrine