Posted on 11/09/2010 12:40:51 AM PST by Making_Sense [Rob W. Case]
I have always been fascinated with psychology. Psychology was my favorite subject in high school, and was the class that I looked forward to going to most. I saw some tremendous value in the class, but I saw even more than what I learned in school when I realized its root meaning. At face value this may sound confusing, but it won’t be once it’s properly explained. I always knew psychology to be the study of the mind. That’s how it was explained in school. What was even more interesting and so definitive was the fact that psychology is really the study of something more than what is attributed to just the mind or science.
The word “Psyche” from which the word psychology is derived from is Greek for the word soul. I then looked in the original 1828 version of Noah Webster’s dictionary, and the word psychology was defined in this way. Noah Webster defined psychology as “A discourse or treatise on the human soul; or the doctrine of the nature and properties of the soul.” This was, most definitely, an alternative from what I was always taught in school. I was taught that psychology was essentially.....
(Excerpt) Read more at makingsense.proboards.com ...
For some insight into what psychology was initially, read Aristotle’s brilliant little treatise, “Peri Psyche” (Latin, “De Anima”) translated as “On the Soul.” One of Aristotle’s most important works.
Indeed! Why on earth would a person wear grey socks, when so many colorful options are available?
Even monochromatic socks can be interesting, nay, dare we say it? Sexy. (But ~not~ grey.)
In a world of so many "Socoptions" the choice of grey is, of course, still a fashionista option in certain parts of Europe:
There ya go :)
Post it all so we do’t have to go to your blog...
I have always been fascinated with psychology. Psychology was my favorite subject in high school, and was the class that I looked forward to going to most. I saw some tremendous value in the class, but I saw even more than what I learned in school when I realized its root meaning. At face value this may sound confusing, but it won’t be once it’s properly explained. I always knew psychology to be the study of the mind. That’s how it was explained in school. What was even more interesting and so definitive was the fact that psychology is really the study of something more than what is attributed to just the mind or science.
The word “Psyche” from which the word psychology is derived from is Greek for the word soul. I then looked in the original 1828 version of Noah Webster’s dictionary, and the word psychology was defined in this way. Noah Webster defined psychology as “A discourse or treatise on the human soul; or the doctrine of the nature and properties of the soul.” This was, most definitely, an alternative from what I was always taught in school. I was taught that psychology was essentially a study of the mind (in the sense that it is essentially a study of the bodily organ we call the brain) and human behaviors in relationship to it. I always thought of psychology as the study of carnal, chemical, and/or sexual (Freudian) nature and their characteristics. The study of psychology as far as I was concerned, was the study of human nature and its “animalistic” (if you will) components. Today, modern psychology focuses mainly on the physical, biological components of life and almost completely ignores the condition of the soul. Yet does it work? Some people seem to think so, but does it really fix the root of the problem? Have they ever thought to critically examine this?
Today’s modern definition of Psychology is, according to the Encarta Dictionary, “The scientific study of the human mind and mental states, and of human and animal behavior.” That’s a stark difference from its original definition as if it is focusing primarily on one thing (carnal elements) and totally leaving out the other (soul).
On many occasions, I have noticed that many who seek the counsel of a psychologist/psychiatrist place their faith in a person for whom they may perceive to be a professional of “higher academic superiority.” Knowing that the doctor specializes in psychology/psychiatry, the patient is in a situation where they are more comfortable and reliant on the doctor’s words or chemical prescriptions, placing the patient in a position where he can (perhaps unwittingly) be told what to think and in turn how to act. On the patient’s end, he may interpret the analysis as the long lost root of his problems for which he can build his foundation for recovery on. The foundation that it is built on a beginning analysis then opens the door to further sessions, and sessions cost money.
Is this necessarily a bad thing, so long as the individuals treated believe they are benefitting from the treatment? I’m sort of torn on this, because in one sense, I would have to say, yes because their root problem is not being addressed, yet the treatment may in fact be creating a distraction from the inner-pain that is having a negative, harmful effect on the emotions and behavioral moods of the patient. On the flip side, if he thinks he is being cured or helped, then in his mind he is being cured and helped. So what happens if you tell him otherwise? You don’t, because it’s not necessarily your place to challenge that other person’s method of treatment or thoughts regarding his own personal problems.
The Problem Within:
When the soul is not considered, and when all attention is focused on analyzing the patient’s past in order to find what they think may be the root cause for a person’s problems, or when a psychiatrist prescribes chemicals to force the body and the brain not to cope with the deep rooted inner problems, then chances are, the patient may change their attitude based on their faith in the psychologists word (as the patient sees him/herself as someone intellectually inferior to someone more learned and thus “superior” in their mind), or focus on prescription drug-induced “highs” or “lows” that are designed to help them focus on other things aside from the issues or concerns that trouble them. While many people find solace in these costly drugs, doesn’t the root of the problem remain at the root? If a person has a problem that is of a moral or spiritual nature, or if a person is in a state of depression, then the soul is in dire need of attention. I believe that in many multiple areas, depression is due to a soul that is ill. And if the soul is in need of attention, and attention is being focused primarily on chemical or biological aspects alone, then the root problem within the soul remains neglected, leaving it ill. An ill soul, if left untreated, can lead to a vast array of problems.
A Case in Point:
I remember in 2004, a problem was eating away at me. There was an individual who I had unhealthy tensions with. I mean, every time I saw this individual, tension would rise, and I would react to it (even biologically) in a way that was awkward and strange. I couldn’t help it. Every time I saw this individual, I would break into a sweat, my demeanor would change, and it was affecting me in a profound way. This person’s aura would turn me into a wreck. If that individual was not in my presence, everything would be as normal and peaceful as it could be. I could be myself without anything weird or awkward happening. It was very strange. What was even stranger was that the tensions and the awkward biological reactions were way beyond my control…. Or so I thought.
That summer, some friends and I took a trip to Hollywood California. On one of the days, we went to a Barnes and Noble book store. I love books, especially non-fiction informative books. There, I saw the book “The 7 Secrets” written by a preacher by the name of John Hagee. When I began to read the book, I couldn’t put it down. As I was reading the book, it hit me. I understood the nature of those awkward tensions to point that it helped me place the matter into the perspective needed to properly deal with it. It was a soul problem, and once I knew of its nature, I became equipped to build a strategy for which my soul could be at ease. Identifying the root problem was key towards my recovery and it worked, thanks to God-induced wisdom.
Psychology and Science:
Psychology, the way it has evolved, has been instrumental over the years. Yet, in my opinion, it seems as though when you focus primarily on man’s carnal nature and limit treatment only to that, you end up creating more “basket cases.” In recent years especially, I have seen and heard that this person has a “disease,” or that person has been diagnosed with a “disorder,” but once they describe the disorder, the disorder ends up being a chosen behavioral pattern that, over time, the person who possesses that pattern has placed it of high importance in their life. Sometimes a behavior starts with one partaking. Then it continues with another, then another, then another, until finally it ends up becoming like a snowball, rolling down a large hill, getting bigger and bigger until it consumes everything. Then, it’s as if you’re left holding a hairdryer in the midst of this monstrous snowball, and instead of having the patience to melt it down, as tedious and frustrating as it can be, it is easy to just give up, leave it alone, as is, or put it on the backburner, say, “Oh, tomorrow I’ll get to it,” and continue to add more “mass” to the problem that’s already there.
Psychology and God’s Work in the Soul:
Isaiah 57:15-17
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“ I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls which I have made.
It takes a strong sense of humility for a person to be able to properly define his own problems, because it begins with finding fault within one’s self. We are, by nature, self righteous individuals. This serves as a blindness mechanism because our pride is challenged. As such, it takes strength and a “sharp edge” sometimes to cause hurt, and to from hurt, form humility. God has provided us with valuable means be able to properly discern and identify with the help of his Holy Spirit, our own nature (and thus our problems) the way God sees it, and provide us with a pathway to healing, which then serves as a form of confidence to enable repentance.
In composing this article, my objective really isn’t to undo the structures which psychologists and psychiatrists work from, but to ask some serious hypothetical questions about the current status of modern psychology. But in my experience, when I try to use it in conjunction with focusing on the soul, the area it was intended to examine in the first place, it works best for me, and in that respect, I would like to pass that along as well.
Psychology is my favorite hobby. I love it! This is funny because most of my life I did not like it at all. Viewed it as a bunch of liberal B.S. . However, I would now say that it is equally and just as important as the Chemistry, laws of the universe and Quantum physics.
I have a relative who was homosexual. In her late thirties she walked away from her transgendered husband and son to go off with a man.
I’ve known heterosexual men to suddenly leave wife and children to venture off into a life of promiscuous homosexuality, and men who’ve been homosexual all their lives suddenly decide it wasn’t really meaningful and become heterosexual and marry a woman and start a family.
Modern psychology is not serving these folks ethically by ignoring what is increasingly becoming obvious: these are instances of a personality disorder and not of biological origin.
Great article and well written! I have a strong faith in God and agree with this article that the Soul should be considered. You can only trick your mind/body so much with these prescription drugs that are for disorders/diseases. And like water in rock it will eventually find itself out.
I believe that in many cases certain situations, environments, or experiences lead a person to make a decision. In a way, it is almost a powerful force of suggestion, and many seem to fall into it.
A modern psychologist in this case would most likely say, “you were born with it,” so the person would then be led to depend on the psychologist/psychiatrist to cope with dealing with all of the consequential social pressures as a response. There are many situations in which a person will be sensitive to homosexual tendencies due to matters of lust, inferiority, a strange experience, etc. Yet the narrow-minded approach is to say, “you were born with it,” and trigger further sessions to cope.
Thank you so much. It seems like this dynamic (at least around me anyway) is growing more and more that I felt that it needed to be addressed. After all, it seems as though there are more and more “basket cases” getting treatment than there are cured people on the right track. All of a sudden alcohol addiction is a disease, and not having an interest in what the teacher is saying is a disorder. The soul was created with many godly attributes. After all, we are made in His image. So what is required is a cure to tackle the root of the problem, not the electronic impulses that trigger this reaction or that reaction. God will heal if a person is willing to come to Him for the healing.
I intend to hold the threat of posting pictures of ugly EuroTrolls wearing baggy socks over the heads of all bloggers who choose not to post full content.
All Ya Need To Know Bout Psych...and the Other BS “sciences”...
http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/pseudo-sciences-sociology-and-psychology/
They were blue, you just dream in black and white.
The root problem for all of us is simple: sin. When Adam sinned, and thus all his seed after him, it broke the perfect relationship between man and God. And it also broke relationships between human beings. When that happened, we lost that peace that is perfect and that contentment and joy that is so lofty that it can not be put into words.
Sin is the problem - that is disobedience to what our Creator God says to do and to not do. When we are right with God, those other issues disappear (although not usually overnight) the more we are made into His image. I doubt you will find many psychologists/psychiatrists and/or drugs out that there that will fix that problem. It is too simple and is foolishness in the eyes of the world.
The fix for the broken soul is Jesus Christ. The unchanging, eternal God who Himself became flesh to be our Atonement and Redeemer. He became our curse and paid the price in full so that we can again be right with God. The price has been paid. It costs us nothing. To gain our soul back, we simply need to turn it over to the One who redeemed it.
Isaiah 55:
1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
2”Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
3”Incline your ear and come to Me
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
4”Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
5”Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
6Seek the LORD while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Ping
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