Week 2: AT History vs. PSYC History

Topic: What are your insights from creating a timeline of the history of AT superimposed on (selected events from) the history of psychology and/or psychotherapy?


I decided to conquer the world of concept mapping by utilizing the 'Simple Mapper' website. Initially, I did not find it exceptionally simple. Once I figured out how the program worked, however, I found myself enjoying the process of creating my concept map: AT History v. PSYC History. The history of AT was summarized from Adventure Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice by Gass, Gillis, and Russell. I utilized a timeline from the 'AllPsyc Online' website to choose events from the history of psychology to compare the two fields. These events mostly include the dates marking the beginning of a new school of psychological thought as well as the development of the profession. Similarly, the AT events mostly include dates marking the beginning of a new program, camp, or organization and also the development of the profession.

From the view of my concept map, psychology events dominate from the late 1800s to mid 1900s. From the 1950s to the present day, the map shows less and less psychology events and more and more AT events, mostly representing a major boom in adventure and AT programming. Ultimately, the major schools of psychological thought developed between the late 1800s and mid 1900s. After the 1950s, most of the psychology events revolve around the development of the field, including the development of the DSM. 

Although the first intentional therapeutic adventure camp, Camp Ramapo, began in 1922, most other camps and organizations prior to the first publication of the DSM were primarily focused on building the character of youth. While these experiences were undoubtedly therapeutic for participants, they did not incorporate intentional, prescriptive therapy. Ten to twenty years after the first DSM was published, programs like Outward Bound and the Brigham Young University 480 course began to emerge. These programs incorporated more intense wilderness adventure experiences. By the 1970s, programs like Project Adventure, Expedition Outreach, and the Santa Fe Mountain Center began to appear, focusing on intentional adventure based therapy and counseling services. 

It appears that the more sophisticated the field of psychology became, the more it was incorporated into adventure activities and eventually programs were being introduced that fit the definition of Adventure Therapy provided by Gass, Gillis, Russell (2012). The field of psychology developed means for establishing standards and guidelines, as well as research practices, very early in its history by way of the American Psychological Association. AT has more recently developed professional organizations, however, research and time is needed to develop quality standards and reliable best practices.

References:

Gass, M. A., Gillis, H. L., & Russell, K. C. (2012). Adventure therapy: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Heffner, C. L. (2003, August 19). AllPsych Online. History of Psychology: 387 BC to Present. Retrieved from AllPsych: http://allpsych.com/timeline.html

Simple Mapper: Concept Maps, Network Diagrams and Workflows. Retrieved from: http://simplemapper.org