Some Observations on the Psychology of the Third Force

IT seems that many look at the idea of the third force as a concept of psychology that is by definition entirely inimical to other approaches, specifically to behaviorism and psychoanalysis. This is, however, not necessarily the case at all., I would like to recall here Karl Buhler’s book Die Krise der Psycho-logie (The Crisis of Psychology) (1929), in which, quite some years ago, he thought through this problem of diverse psychological methods when it became a matter of debate in Europe. He tried then to show that psychology has three aspects and that all three require a different methodological procedure. His three aspects were not exactly the same, but they are not far off from those we are dealing with today. He dis-criminated behavior, inner experience, and the objective product of mental (geistige) activity. With this he meant that, in his behavior, the individual expresses his needs and he also tries to effect other needs. In his inner experiences, the individual perceives his environment and its