MrBishop
Well-Known Member
Psychology (Psy*chol"o*gy) (?), n. pl. Psychologies (¿).
[Psycho- + -logy: cf. F. psychologie. See Psychical.]
The science of the human soul; specifically, the systematic or scientific knowledge of the powers and functions of the human soul, so far as they are known by consciousness; a treatise on the human soul.
"Psychology, the science conversant about the phenomena of the mind, or conscious subject, or self." Sir W. Hamilton
The study of the soul...sounds mystical and unreal, right? How about the study of the mind? Still sound unreal or mystical?
If you think that psychology is about as scientific as crystal-ball gazing and Tarot...chances are that you're not alone. Chances are that you are also making your decision based on little or no understanding of what Psychology is all about. It's kind of like a child deciding that he doesn't like Brussle-sprouts without ever having tasted one.
Some of you don't trust Psychology because of it's resemblance with mind-readers (false), or stage-hyptotics (also false), or perhaps based on what you've seen in popular media. It's easy to make this mistake...this is, after all..the study of something intangeable...the mind.
You can't use math, physics, chemistry, or any other science on the mind... it won't work. You can dissect the human brain for years on end, and you shall never find it. It's there...we know it's there somewhere. The fact that we can think, feel emotions, that we are self-aware proves it's existence. Without it...the human body is effectively dead. It's still going through the motions, but it's dead.
The mind is the most powerful part of our bodies. It consciously, or unconsciously controls every part of our body. Depending on what the mind believes or perceives, it will (or rather we will) act or react in a particular way. The mind is built from scratch, from before birth to death, constantly expanding it's understanding of itself, its surroundings, and how it affects/is affected by its experiences.
No two people live the same life and therefore, no two minds are the same. There are similarities in how one person will react given a situation. The "fight or flight" reaction, for instance, is based on the majority's reaction when faced with violence or the threat thereof. There are thousands of such choises in our common psyche. Each measureable and clearly defined by psychology.
Why is psychology a science? It fits the description, doesn't it?
Why is psychology an important science?
It is the only science which studies the mind. You cannot use math to determine why someone is afraid of enclosed spaces, or has an uncontroleable fear of spiders. Neither can you use physics, chemistry etc... only psychology will give you those answers.
When a doctor is faced with someone who claims blindness, and through imprerical testing...reacts as if they were blind, although there is nothing physically wrong with them...they can go no further. The body is fine, but the mind has faltered.
Hysterical blindness is just one example of the mind's control over the body. Think of the power of prayer, or if you'd rather...the positive effect of 'placebos' on the body when the patient is convinced of it's effectivness. Do sugar-pills suddenly have the cureative power over migranes, for instance? Scientifically, sugar does nothing to help against migranes...but in several cases, when the patient trusted the source of these placebos, and trusted their cureative effects...the palcebos worked. Why is that? Is it that the mind controls more than we know?
This is getting to be long, but I'm hoping that I'm beginning to make my point. I could probably continue for several dozen pages, listing example after example and arguement after argument for the inclusion...in your mind, of psychology into the description of "Science". I'm hoping that this is not the case...that I don't ahve to keep beating this dead horse, but I can if you like...adding 2-3 pages per day...hoping that one day, your conception of psychology will grow beyond your allusions towards it. Perhaps, this is just a waste of time...but...and I know this through personal experience...psychology isn't bullshit, it isn't shammery...it's a science!
deBish
[Psycho- + -logy: cf. F. psychologie. See Psychical.]
The science of the human soul; specifically, the systematic or scientific knowledge of the powers and functions of the human soul, so far as they are known by consciousness; a treatise on the human soul.
"Psychology, the science conversant about the phenomena of the mind, or conscious subject, or self." Sir W. Hamilton
The study of the soul...sounds mystical and unreal, right? How about the study of the mind? Still sound unreal or mystical?
If you think that psychology is about as scientific as crystal-ball gazing and Tarot...chances are that you're not alone. Chances are that you are also making your decision based on little or no understanding of what Psychology is all about. It's kind of like a child deciding that he doesn't like Brussle-sprouts without ever having tasted one.
Some of you don't trust Psychology because of it's resemblance with mind-readers (false), or stage-hyptotics (also false), or perhaps based on what you've seen in popular media. It's easy to make this mistake...this is, after all..the study of something intangeable...the mind.
You can't use math, physics, chemistry, or any other science on the mind... it won't work. You can dissect the human brain for years on end, and you shall never find it. It's there...we know it's there somewhere. The fact that we can think, feel emotions, that we are self-aware proves it's existence. Without it...the human body is effectively dead. It's still going through the motions, but it's dead.
The mind is the most powerful part of our bodies. It consciously, or unconsciously controls every part of our body. Depending on what the mind believes or perceives, it will (or rather we will) act or react in a particular way. The mind is built from scratch, from before birth to death, constantly expanding it's understanding of itself, its surroundings, and how it affects/is affected by its experiences.
No two people live the same life and therefore, no two minds are the same. There are similarities in how one person will react given a situation. The "fight or flight" reaction, for instance, is based on the majority's reaction when faced with violence or the threat thereof. There are thousands of such choises in our common psyche. Each measureable and clearly defined by psychology.
Why is psychology a science? It fits the description, doesn't it?
The object being studied is the mind. The psychologist studies the mind and it's reaction to it's surroundings, s/he makes hypothesis regarding how the mind will act/react given particular situations. The psychologist makes predictions based on these observations, forms hypothesis, tests them, and either refutes them or proves them valid. The experiments are reproduceable in and out of controlled environments...psychology is a science.
Why is psychology an important science?
It is the only science which studies the mind. You cannot use math to determine why someone is afraid of enclosed spaces, or has an uncontroleable fear of spiders. Neither can you use physics, chemistry etc... only psychology will give you those answers.
When a doctor is faced with someone who claims blindness, and through imprerical testing...reacts as if they were blind, although there is nothing physically wrong with them...they can go no further. The body is fine, but the mind has faltered.
Hysterical blindness is just one example of the mind's control over the body. Think of the power of prayer, or if you'd rather...the positive effect of 'placebos' on the body when the patient is convinced of it's effectivness. Do sugar-pills suddenly have the cureative power over migranes, for instance? Scientifically, sugar does nothing to help against migranes...but in several cases, when the patient trusted the source of these placebos, and trusted their cureative effects...the palcebos worked. Why is that? Is it that the mind controls more than we know?
This is getting to be long, but I'm hoping that I'm beginning to make my point. I could probably continue for several dozen pages, listing example after example and arguement after argument for the inclusion...in your mind, of psychology into the description of "Science". I'm hoping that this is not the case...that I don't ahve to keep beating this dead horse, but I can if you like...adding 2-3 pages per day...hoping that one day, your conception of psychology will grow beyond your allusions towards it. Perhaps, this is just a waste of time...but...and I know this through personal experience...psychology isn't bullshit, it isn't shammery...it's a science!
deBish
needless to say he enjoyed a rich diet! Sad he died though!
