Early Greek Philosophy Flashcards
Why study the history of psychology?
-Perspective (we want the whole picture)
-Deeper understanding of history to know where to go to progress
-Recognition of fads and fashions (trends; important to legitimize field)
-Avoiding repetition of mistakes
-A source of validation
-Curiostity
What are the systems in psychology?
-Ways of thinking (rational, emotional, etc.)
-Theoretical perspective (theories obtained through research)
-Ways of organizing
What are the persistent questions in psychology?
-What is the nature of human nature?
-How are the mind and the body related?
-Nativism (innate) vs. Empiricism (experience)
-Mechanism (process, system, or activities describe casual explanation) vs. Vitalism (deeper explanation; life force determines why we are the way we are)
-Rationalism vs. Irrationalism
-How are human related to nonhuman animals?
-What is the origin of human knowledge? (Experience, learning, etc.)
-Objective (facts proven by experiments) vs. Subjective reality (different interpretations; perspective)(the two work together)
-The Problem of the Self (the self is made up of: mind, body, environment, experiences, etc.)
-Universalism (we’re all the same) vs. Relativism (different aspects of experience)
-Innate attributes influences experience; no clear answer to these questions!
What is psychology?
-psyche: greek word that means soul (mind); often represented as a butterfly
-ology: scientific study of
-Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour
What are the goals of psychology?
-Describe
-Explain
-Control/change behaviour
-Predict (future outsomes based on past results/knowledge)
What is animism?
-The belief that inanimate objects have human feelings and intentions; nature is alive, conscious, and has purpose.
What is Anthropomorphism?
-It is attributing life to a non-living object; capacities that people tend to think are distinctly human to non-human agents like humanlike mental capacities (e.g., intentionality, emotion, cognition).
What are the roots of psychology?
-Pre-science: philosophy (started with thoughts people had)
-Science: biology and medicine
Who is Hippocrates?
A Greek physician (and psychologist) who was interested in epilepsy, mania, brain fever, and melancholia. He believed that diseases were from natural causes, therefore should be treated through natural causes. For example, he said Pneuma (breathing) could control unconscious processes. He created the Hippocratic Oath, which were medical ethics.
Who is Galen?
He said that if we are sick it is because there is an imbalance in our 4 humors:
-Sanguine (blood) - courage, hope, love;
-Choleric (yellow) - anger, bad temper in excess
-Melancholic (black) - lack of sleep, irritation
-Phlegmatic (phlegm) - rationality but could dull emotions
He believed that location, diet, occupation, geography and a range of other factors affect how we feel.
Who is Socrates?
He was born in Athens, and focused on morals and ethics. He focused a lot on asking questions in order to get more information since we can’t get access to the mind. He said we have 3 parts of the soul: reason (brain), spirit (heart), appetite (desires; stomach). He looked at universal concepts such as simple to complex and particular to general (ask your own questions to determine your view of the world). He created the Socratic/Maieutics method, which is answering someone’s question with a question for elaboration (& truth).
What were Socrates’ contributions to psychology?
His interest in the psyche led to a lot of reflection, which we often use in therapy now. He impacted ethics and morals; how people behave in society, i.e., social psychology: patterns of behaviour, attitudes, and values in society. Socrates believed in the inductive method, where we have access to knowledge of the truth through our experiences/senses. He created the Socratic dialogue/method, which consists of asking questions to get someone to reflect. He is also the father of constructivism, which teaches people how to think (by reflecting/critical thinking). He also used irony and confrontation in order to see contradictions.
Who is Plato?
He started an academy, which was considered the first western university. He believed that the human psyche and mind have all the knowledge they need, and that knowledge is innate. He also looked at the duality of the psyche, the relationship between the mind and body (physical and mental health). He believed that ideas and the soul are eternal, and the body is changeable and temporary.
What are Plato’s contribution to psychology?
3 parts of our personality:
-intellect - understanding the world through knowledge, experience, observation
-will - drive/goals
-appetite - physical needs
3 parts of the soul:
-reason (harmony) - head region
-passion/feeling (energy and power) - chest region
-appetite (what the body needs) - stomach region
Who is Aristotle?
He was a member of Plato’s academy, he was one of his students and he was born in Macedon, North Greece. He was interested in biology and philosophy, and believed that the soul and body are not separate (what affects one affects the other). He also thought that knowledge grows from experience (through our senses).
