Three Principles Psychology (TPP), previously known as Health Realization (HR), is a resiliency approach to personal and community psychologyMills, R: Realizing Mental Health: Toward a new Psychology of Resiliency, Sulberger & Graham Publishing, Ltd. 1995. first developed in the 1980s by Roger C. Mills and George Pransky, who were influenced by the teachings of philosopher and author Sydney Banks.Pransky, J: Prevention from the Inside-Out, p. 109. Authorhouse, 2003 The approach first gained recognition for its application in economically and socially marginalized communities experiencing high levels of stress.
The foundational concepts of TPP are the three principles of mind, consciousness, and thought, which were originally articulated by Sydney Banks in the early 1970s. TPP teaches that an individual's psychological experience is shaped by their thought processes. TPP teaches that by recognizing the role of thought in shaping one's experience, individuals can transform their responses to situations by accessing what TPP refers to as "innate health" and "inner wisdom." TPP is also known by other names, including Psychology of Mind, Neo-cognitive Psychology, Innate Health, the Inside-Out Understanding and colloquially, the 3Ps.
Model In Three Principles Psychology, all psychological phenomena—from severe disorders to optimal mental health—are understood as manifestations of three operative "principles"Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Wisdom Within, p. 11, 40-49. Lone Pine Publishing. 2001. first articulated by Sydney Banks as the basis of human experience and feeling states: mind, consciousness, and thought.Banks, S. The Missing Link: Reflections on Philosophy and Spirit, p. 21-27. Lone Pine Publishing 1998 In the TPP model, "mind" is often compared to the electricity powering a movie projector, while "thought" is likened to the images on the film. "Consciousness" is analogous to the light from the projector that casts the images onto the screen, making them appear real.Mills, R: Realizing Mental Health: Toward a New Psychology of Resiliency, p. 57. Sulberger & Graham Publishing, Ltd. 1995.
According to TPP, individuals experience reality and their circumstances through the continual filter of their thoughts.Pransky, J.: Somebody Should Have Told Us, p. 4-5. Airleaf Publishing 2006. Consciousness gives this filtered reality the appearance of being "the way it really is," leading people to react to it as if it were absolute truth. However, when their thinking changes, their perception of reality shifts, and their reactions change accordingly. Thus, TPP posits that people are constantly creating their own experience of reality through their thoughts.Pransky, J.: Somebody Should Have Told Us, p. 5-7. Airleaf Publishing 2006.
Also according to TPP, people tend to perceive their reality as stressful when they are engaged in insecure or negative thoughts. However, TPP suggests that these thoughts do not need to be taken seriously.Pransky, J. Somebody Should Have Told Us, p. 7. Airleaf Publishing 2006. By choosing to take such thoughts more lightly, the mind can quiet down, allowing positive feelings to emerge naturally.Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Health Realization Primer, p. 27. Lone Pine Publishing. 2003 TPP teaches that everyone has an inherent capacity for health and well-being, referred to as "innate health," which surfaces when troubled thinking subsides.Mills, R. The What is" and "Why" of Self Esteem: Discoveries About the Source and Role of Self Esteem in Everyday Life. Retrieved Oct. 18. 2007. When this occurs, individuals also gain access to common sense and can tap into a universal capacity for creative problem-solving, known as "inner wisdom."Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Health Realization Primer, p. 19-20. Lone Pine Publishing. 2003
Three Principles Psychology as therapy In contrast to psychotherapies that focus on the content of the clients' dysfunctional thinking, TPP focuses on "innate health" and the role of "Mind, Consciousness and Thought" in creating the clients' experience of life.Mills, R: Realizing Mental Health: Toward a new Psychology of Resiliency, p. 57. Sulberger & Graham Publishing, Ltd. 1995.Pransky, J: Prevention from the Inside-Out, p. 243. Authorhouse, 2003
The TPP counselor does not suggest to clients that they attempt to change their thoughts, "think positive", or "reframe" negative thoughts to positive ones.Mills, R: Realizing Mental Health: Toward a new Psychology of Resiliency, p. 106. Sulberger & Graham Publishing, Ltd. 1995. According to TPP, one's ability to control one's thoughts is limited and the effort to do so can itself be a source of stress.Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Wisdom Within, p. 38. Lone Pine Publishing. 2001. Instead, clients are encouraged to consider that their "minds are using thought continuously to determine their subjective, personal reality in each moment."loc. cit.
In the TPP model, feelings and emotions are seen as indicators of the quality of one's thinking.Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Health Realization Primer, p. 25. Lone Pine Publishing. 2003 Unpleasant or stressful emotions, suggest that an individual's thinking is influenced by insecurity, negative beliefs, conditioning, or learned patterns that may be irrelevant to, and thereby distort, the present moment. These emotions also indicate a temporary lapse in recognizing one's role in shaping their own experience. Conversely, pleasant emotions—such as well-being, gratitude, compassion, or peace—indicate that one's thinking is aligned with what TPP considers optimal for the current situation.Pransky, J.: Somebody Should Have Told Us, p. 61. Airleaf Publishing 2006.
TPP holds that the therapeutic "working through" of personal issues from the past to achieve wholeness is unnecessary. According to the TPP model, people are already whole and healthy.Pransky, J: Prevention from the Inside-Out, page x. Authorhouse, 2003Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Wisdom Within, p. 84. Lone Pine Publishing. 2001. The traumas of the past are only important to the extent that the individual lets them influence his or her thoughts in the present.Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Wisdom Within, p. 61-2, 84-5, 123-4. Lone Pine Publishing. 2001. According to TPP, one's "issues" and memories are simply thoughts, and the individual can react to them or not.Pransky, J.: Somebody Should Have Told Us, p. 5. Airleaf Publishing 2006. The more clients recognize that they are creating their own painful feelings through their "power of Thought," the less these feelings tend to bother them. SedgemanSedgeman, J: Principles - The Principles Underlying Life Experience: The Beauty of Simplicity, p. 5. n.d. Retrieved Oct. 18. 2007. compares this to making scary faces in the mirror: because we know it's just us, it's impossible to scare ourselves that way.
Thus TPP addresses personal insecurities and dysfunctional patterns en masse, aiming for an understanding of the "key role of thought",Mills, R: Realizing Mental Health: Toward a New Psychology of Resiliency, p. 61. Sulberger & Graham Publishing, Ltd. 1995. an understanding that ideally allows the individual to step free at once from a large number of different patterns all connected by insecure thinking.Mills, R: Realizing Mental Health: Toward a New Psychology of Resiliency, p. 157-64. Sulberger & Graham Publishing, Ltd. 1995. With this approach, it is rare for the practitioner to delve into specific content When specific thoughts are recognized as limiting or based on insecurity or conditioning, they often come with an uncomfortable feeling. The counselor points out that this understanding activates the body's homeostatic system, which naturally prefers feeling good over feeling bad. As a result, the individual has the capacity to let go of these thoughts if they choose to.
Relationships From the perspective of TPP, relationship problems stem from a low awareness of each partner's role in creating their own experience through thought and consciousness.Pransky, G. and Heath, C: The New Science of the Interpersonal: From The Usual Suspect to the Real Culprit, in A Quiet Mind and a Positive Feeling State, Apr. 10, 2005. Conference proceedings, Track 20. Accessed Oct. 18, 2007 Partners who embrace TPP reportedly stop blaming and recriminating, leading to a different way of interacting. TPP counselors encourage couples to recognize that their feelings are not determined by their partner, and that most issues that previously disrupted their relationship were based on insecure, negative, and conditioned thinking.
Counselors also emphasize that everyone experiences emotional ups and downs, and that thinking during a "down" mood is likely to be distorted. TPP teaches that it is generally counterproductive to "talk through" relationship problems when partners are in a bad mood. Instead, TPP suggests waiting until both have calmed down and can discuss things from a place of inner comfort and security.Pransky, G: The Relationship Handbook, Pransky and Associates, 2001Mills, R. and Spittle, E.: The Wisdom Within, p. 147-62. Lone Pine Publishing. 2001.
Chemical dependency and addiction TPP views chemical dependency and related behaviors as a response to a lack of self-efficacy,Pransky, J: Prevention from the Inside-Out, p. 64. Authorhouse, 2003 rather than the result of disease. According to TPP, individuals who are "unaware" of their own "innate health" and their role in creating stress through their thoughts may turn to alcohol, drugs, or other compulsive behaviors in an attempt to quell their stressful feelings and regain a temporary sense of control.
TPP seeks to provide deeper relief by demonstrating that negative and stressful feelings are self-generated and can be self-quieted, offering a pathway to well-being that does not rely on external circumstances or substances.Bailey, J: The Serenity Principle: Finding Inner Peace in Recovery, HarperSanFrancisco, 1990.
Application Over the past forty years, Sydney Banks' "insight" has been applied in a wide range of settings, including hospitals, correctional institutions, social services, individual and couples therapy, community housing, drug and alcohol prevention and treatment programmes, schools and multi-national corporations.Kelley, T: "Preventing Youth Violence through Health Realization", Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, p. 378-80, Vol. 1(4) Oct. 2003.Pransky, J: Prevention from the Inside-Out, p. 125-32. Authorhouse, 2003
Community applications The Three Principles Psychology (TPP) model has been applied in a variety of challenging settings. An early project, which garnered national publicity under the leadership of Roger Mills, introduced TPP (then known as Health Realization (HR) to residents of two low-income housing developments in Miami known as Modello and Homestead Gardens. After three years, there were major documented reductions in crime, illegal drug trade, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, child neglect, school absenteeism, unemployment, and families on public assistance.US Department of Health and Human Services - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Mental Health Information Center: Part II: Status of Research-Based Programs: A General Approach Applied in Different Settings: Health Realization/Psychology of Mind . n.d. Retrieved on October 28, 2007. Jack Pransky has chronicled the transformations that unfolded in his book Modello, A Story of Hope for the Inner City and Beyond.Pransky, J: Modello: A Story of Hope for the Inner City and Beyond: An Inside-Out Model of Prevention and Resiliency in Action through Health Realization, NEHRI Publications 1998.