The ubiquity of suffering: Role of dichotomy in psychology’s forces and populations

Abstract

Suffering is arguably the ubiquitous human experience and is potentially related to the tendency toward dichotomy. The field of psychology has evolved across the four forces, which are a variety of zeitgeists from which human behaviour is explored and understood. The common thread across this evolution stems largely from dichotomy, particularly as related to client populations who are highly inherently dichotomous. This research explores the following question: What is the role of dichotomy in the experience of suffering, specifically with respect to highly inherently dichotomous client populations, as viewed across the four forces of Western psychology? Analytic induction (AI) is used to explore this question, and to craft a seminal and comprehensive metatheory. The final hypothesis, amended according to the continual accommodation of exceptional data, demonstrates the manner by which the field of psychology views suffering, dichotomy, and the experiences of clients hailing from highly dichotomous populations.