Philosophy-1 Flashcards
Affectivity and behavior
The 2 components of tendency that raise questions
Tendency
The general inclination and movement towards something + force that can be found at the basis of our affective and sensitive life (in the form of spontaneous activity or states of instability)
Psychoanalysis
Interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind
Aristotle
Considered happiness the highest good at the end toward which all human activity is directed, and believed that correct decision and action depend on true practical thought and on right desire- as a conscious tendency.
John Watson
American psychologist who established the Behaviorist school of psychology and was the principal formulator of Behaviorism.
The Empirical Perspective
Sensation–>Pleasure–>Desire–>Repetition–>Tendency
(Ex: the pleasurable sensation would drive you to smell roses again)
John Locke
David Hume
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
Believed that human knowledge is derived from sensations. Man was born with a blank mind (Tabula Rasa).
Introspection
Aspect that can be observed from the outside.
organic needs VS desires
Organic needs: innate, original, essential for sustainability.
(Ex: consumption of food and water)
Desires: conscious tendencies that are aware of and seek out their specific object of satisfaction.
(Ex: desire to repeat a pleasurable drink will not be satiated by water alone).
Traditional Psychology
Rejected mental explanations, instead focused on behavioral studies through introspection.
Criticism on Tendency theory
It is original and precedes pleasure, rather than being a result of pleasure.
Empiricists
Consider that a sensory experience creates desire- product of affectivity- and considered tendency as not an original force to sense the surroundings; it is a desire acquired after an experience.
Sigmund Freud
Discovered the unconscious basis of human behavior.
Pleasure
Only fixes tendency in a specific desire and does not create it; if there is no tendency, there is no feeling of pleasure.
Albert Burloud
Claims that tendencies are characterized by impulsion and direction.
(Ex: hunger is an impulsion that moves us in the direction of food).
Movement
Not random since it is directed to satisfy a goal or away from something perceived as dangerous.
Behaviorists
Claim that tendency is a product of movement (and the consciousness cannot be studied accurately). Conduct (external) studies based on conditioning and “stimulus-response” connections.
Thought
Practical, depends on desire, which initiates motion.
(Ex: there are many things we desire to see or acquire because we have been induced to believe them good).
Want-to-live better and longer
The final goal toward which tendencies are directed as dynamic and real forces (innate or acquired) (directly or indirectly determining an act).
Jean-Jaques Rousseau
Proposed that our basic need is self preservation and survival.
Théodule Ribot
(inspired by the behavioral movement)
●Asserted that “tendency is not a mystery; it is a movement or stopping of a movement at its birth instant”. (i.e tendency is the result of a reaction).
●Believed that the fundamentals of emotional life rest in tendencies, bound in a physiological phenomenon and reveal themselves through facial expressions and body movements.
(Repeated movements form habits that create new needs and tendencies).
Criticism on The Behaviorists’ Thesis
Ribot’s theory is highly questionable Although tendency expressed through kinetic energy is undeniable, it cannot be reduced to just the product of a movement; on the contrary, movement can be interpreted through the hidden tendency behind it.
We have to distinguish between reflexes and movements seeking to satisfy a need.
Maurice Pradines
Distinguished between 2 kinds of tendencies:
●Tendency towards: real tendency that drives someone towards a needed object (ex: food and water).
●Aversive tendency: not a true tendency, because it is a defensive reflex (not something we tend toward) and avoids getting close to what is perceived as harm.
Habits VS Tendency
A repeated movement/habit is not enough to form a tendency.
A habit does not create new needs, only fixes them on a definite object.
(Ex: a student going to school everyday doesn’t create a tendency or need to go to school).
