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INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY. Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve. Erich Fromm (1900 - 1980).
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INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY • Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve. • Erich Fromm (1900 - 1980)
In the movie The Matrix, Morpheus asks “Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” (also consider the film Inception) • Philosophers and psychologists have long used the ‘brain in a jar’ concept to explain how what we deem to be real is often variable, and difficult to identify with certainty. • How do you know your not dreaming right now?…
Lying on a Couch? Not Always. • Psychologists study human behaviour, often (but not always) from the perspective of the individual. • A common misconception is that psychologists have people lie on a couch and talk out their problems (this is actually one aspect of the field of psychiatry). • . • Each type represents a different perspective on how we can best understand human behaviour.
psychology • explores social interaction, but from a smaller perspective (as opposed to a larger one, like anthropology and sometimes sociology). • .
Psychologists pose important questions concerning how our mental processes affect our social behaviour and interactions; psychologists also ask questions such as: • why do humans have such similar ways of thinking and acting? • ? • ? • how do changes (technological, societal, political, etc) affect our individual and collective perceptions?
Psychic? Uhm, no… • You can’t really understand psychology unless you first understand what is meant by psyche. • The Latin translation of psyche is “soul”, whereas the dictionary.com definition for psychology is “the sum or characteristics of the mental states and processes of a person or class of persons, or of the mental states and processes involved in a field of activity.” (Dictionary.com) • From this second definition, you can see that psychology necessarily needs certain aspects.
What aspects are needed to define Psychology? • Component Parts • Variety • Tangible and Intangible • Applied outward • Individual or Collective • Commonalities • Measured Change • Grouping
Did you know?! • Have you ever gotten a headache from listening to other people complain about theirs? Or began to itch because someone else got a bug bite? • If so, you may have suffered from a mild version of a psychosomatic illness; that is, a physical aliment brought on by a mental or emotional stimulus. • Psychosomatic illnesses derive from the mind, but can manifest themselves physically. • In other words, the mind shapes reality.
Early beliefs around psychosomatic illness were odd by today’s standards; for example, hysteria was based on the belief that the female uterus could detach itself and move freely through the body, and that the psychosomatic problems emanated from where the uterus went! • .
Another scientific example is the use of a ____________________. A placebo occurs when a non-medical treatment is provided; this can either be without the subject’s knowledge or with the subject incorrectly believing they are receiving the actual treatment. Placebos are used to test the degree of impact medicines and treatments have on patients. • However, there is also evidence that the placebo itself is enough to cause significant changes in a patient’s mental or physical state (more commonly called the Placebo Effect). Again, this shows that belief alone is enough to alter reality.
Conditioning (or Getting Your Saliva For Free) • Have you ever salivated at the thought of a delicious meal or upon opening a bag of chips? Perhaps you are right now, just at the thought! You are responding to the food’s smells and your memories, as well as the prior knowledge of its consumption. Animals operate the same way. • However, in the 1890s, _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________!
