Psychology is the study of the mind and of thought, feeling, and behavior. It
deals mainly with humans but also sometimes with animals.
1. Scientific study of the human mind
and its functions, esp. those affecting behavior in a given context.
2. The mental characteristics or
attitude of a person or group.
Psychology [saɪˈkɒlədʒɪ]
n pl -gies
1. (Psychology) the scientific
study of all forms of human and animal behaviour, sometimes concerned with the
methods through which behaviour can be modified See also analytical psychology, clinical psychology, comparative psychology, educational psychology, experimental psychology
2. (Psychology) Informal the
mental make-up or structure of an individual that causes him or her to think or
act in the way he or she does
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psy·chol·o·gy (s
 -k l  -j )
n. pl. psy·chol·o·gies
1. The science that deals with mental
processes and behavior.
2. The emotional and behavioral
characteristics of an individual, group, or activity: the psychology
of war.
3. Subtle tactical action or argument
used to manipulate or influence another: He used poor psychology on
his employer when trying to make the point.
4. Philosophy The branch of metaphysics
that studies the soul, the mind, and the relationship of life and mind to the
functions of the body.
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(The
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
How does the APA define
"psychology"?
Psychology is the study
of the mind and behavior. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human
experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from
child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable setting from
scientific research centers to mental health care services, "the
understanding of behavior" is the enterprise of psychologists.
Early
Background to Psychology in Eastern Philosophy
In
Upaniṣadic Period- (2500-600 BCE)
There
were two main concepts In Upaniṣadic philosophy. Viz;
1.
Brahman – searching the world
2.
Ᾱtman –searching the soul of the individual
There
were four states of the soul according to Upaniṣadic philosophy. Viz;
i.
Jāgara- awaken period of the soul(the state of the experiencing the
world)
ii.
śvapna– dreaming period of the soul (the state of the building schemas or
mental pictures by depending on experiences of the awaken period)
iii.
suṣupti–deepest level of the sleep of the soul. (Dreaming is not visible
in this position. They say that the Ᾱtmanconnects with the Brahman for a
few moments during this period. )
iv.
Tūriya–yogicperiod of the soul. (Ᾱtman will be become to the happiest
level when a person practice the mysticism)
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The
nature of the soul according to the Upanisadic philosophy:
There
is the Breath or sac of the Anima in the body (annamayakoṣa). The sac of
the mental factor (prāṇamayakoṣa) is there inside the Anima.The sac of
the consciousness (viññānamaya (koṣa))is there inside the sac of the
mental factor and the delectable soul (ānandamayaᾹtman
)is there inside the sac of the consciousness.
Anima
mental factors consciousness
delectable soul
According
to them,the association with the Brahman is same to the delectable soul.
In
Buddhism
“mano”,
“citta” are synonyms to the term Ᾱtman.
·
Mano pubbangamāDhammā
– mind is the forerunner of all.
·
Nagarūpamamcittamidamṭhapetvā –
mind is just like a town. It is busy and change soon.
·
Cittaksana
·
Mind is a conventional thing.
There
are three historical periods; when we are considering the origin of the psychology
from the western philosophy. They are:
1. Early
period (in Greek (6 BCE-5 CE))
2. Middle
period (5CE -15CE)
3. Modern
period (15 CE-19CE )
Ø In
early period there was a religion called Dyneses in Greece. It had been
mentioned of the soul. They were dancing after having liquor. They believed
that when they are dancing, the Ᾱtmangoes beyond the body for short time.
Ø There
was a religion called ofic in Greece. Followers of the ofic
religion have believed that there was an eternal soul which comes
continually existence to the next. When
a person is died, then the Ᾱtmanwill release for a short period. Their main aim was releasing the Ᾱtmanfrom
their bodies.
Ø Homor was an author. He
has written two books. Viz; Eliat and odice. According to him the Ᾱtman
will release forever when a person die. They said that the Ᾱtman can
runaway of the body from big injuries. Ᾱtman is smoother than the wind.He
further said that the Ᾱtmanwill be entered in to the underworld after
releasing the body.
Ø Pythagoras - He had
believed the rebirth. He has stated that he has been realized his own previous
births.
Ø Empedomes- he says that
people suffer as a result of banish the heaven.
Ø Empedoclice- he says
that obtaining the divine ship is the console of the soul.
Ø Democretus - he says
that the soul is origin from an atom. It is hot in its nature. It is same to
the fire. According to him there is no eternal soul. The aim or the object of
the life is to live without any defilement such as having sexual conducts and
appease the five faculties of sense.
Ø Plato – according to him
there are two kinds of souls. Such as pudgalātmaand
jagadātma
·
585 BC- Thales of Miletus proposes a
crucial role for the brain in mental experiences.
·
400 BC – Hippocrates proposes a
relationship between personality characteristics and body type.
·
350 BC- Aristotle wrote the first text
book of psychology De Anima (concerning the soul). Questioning the relationship
between the soul and body. The soul is seen as giving life to the body.
During
this period, intellectual life in Europe is dominated by Christian theology;
objective investigation of behavior and mental experiences are discouraged.
People seen as having souls and subject to the will of god
·
1650- Rene Descartes distinguishes
between mind (mental experiences- thoughts, feelings and sensations) and body
(physical process), proposing these interact in the pineal gland in the brain
and influence each other.
·
1651- Thomas Hobbes claims that mental
experiences are just a product of motion of physical matter.
·
1690- John Locke extends Hobbes’ views
claiming that a newborn mind is a tabula rasa (blank slate). Formally beginning
British empiricism and associationism (later elaborate by mills in the
nineteenth century).
·
1748- La Mettrie writes L’ Homme
Machine. (The Human Machine). Part of French materialism, proposing that mental
experiences are just ‘epiphenomena’ – trivial by products of brain processes –
and unimportant.
·
Late 1700s- Franz joseph gall invents
phrenology- location of mental faculties in specific regions of the brain-
highly developed faculties associated with bumps on the skull.
·
1850- gustav Fechner develops
experimental and statistical procedures to measure relationships between
physical stimuli and sensations.
·
1859- Charles Darwin publishes “The
origin of species” - the theory of evolution through natural selection.
·
1861- Paul Broca provides first link between psychological functions
(speech) and specific area of brain (broca’s)
·
1874- Karl Wernicke discovers brain area
associated with language comprehension (Wernicke’s)
·
1879- Wilhelm Wundt founds first
experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. (Structuralism). ᴪ
