Psychology: Its history and development.

QUE:Critically discuss the philosophical contributions to the development of psychology, looking deeply into the philosophers themselves.

Psychology has its roots in philosophy, without the two one can say there is no origin and development of psychology. thus the contributions to the development of psychology begins with Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. For one to establish the contributions one looks at the views of these philosophers. For example the method of inquiry for example Aristotle implemented logical and imperial observation. The above mentioned points shall be explained in great depth as the essay unfolds.

Psychology has been defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. (Pastorino & Portillo,2011). Carlson (2005) states that psychology has its roots in antiquity. According to Duignan (2010) Socrates(469BC –399BC) was a Greek philosopher whose way of life,character, and thought exerted a profound influence on ancient and modern philosophy. His influence can be noted on how Plato his student wrote dialogues between his teacher and himself. He believed that, if anyone does fear death, his fear can be based only on a pretense of knowledge thus if one does not have any knowledge of what comes after death then there is no fear. The assumption underlying this claim is that, once one has given sufficient thought to some matter, one’s emotions will follow suit.Fear will be dispelled by intellectual clarity. Similarly,according to Socrates, if one believes, upon reflection,that one should act in a particular way, then, necessarily,one’s feelings about the act in question will accommodate themselves to one’s belief, thus one will desire to act in that way. It follows that, once one knows what virtue is, it is impossible not to act virtuously. Anyone who fails to act virtuously does so because he incorrectly identifies virtue with something it is not. Socrates also believed that people needed to be reminded of what they already know (Boeree,2006). Believed reliable self-knowledge only attainable through processes such as „careful examination of one's own thoughts / emotions (introspection) (Randall n.d). Thus he believed that should examine themselves and record their own activities. Correctly he believed people are social creatures and influence one another. This can be seen on how a father may influence a child`s behavior if he continuously beats up his wife in front of the child, it can be noted that the child may end up behaving violently. Thus his ideas led to the development of psychology and some of his ideas are Incorporated in modern psychology.

Plato(427 –347BC) , Socrates` student also took part in the development of psychology getting his influence from his teacher, he also taught Aristotle. He used Conceptual analysis and Reminiscence as a method of inquiry.He is best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence. Plato as a young man was a member of the circle around Socrates. The works of Plato commonly referred to as“Socratic” represent the sort of thing the historical Socrates was doing. The activity of the older man provided the starting point of Plato’s philosophizing. Plato’s Academy, founded in the 380s, was the ultimate ancestor of the modern university (hence the English term academic); an influential centre of research and learning, it attracted many men of outstanding ability to study mathematics, astronomy, law, and,philosophy . The establishment of this academy as a research center is a step towards the development of psychology since psychologists carry out reseaches to explain phenomena. He also came up with a theory in which he talks of human virtue. Human virtue,accordingly, is whatever enables human beings to live good lives. Thus the notions of happiness and virtue are linked. But it is far from obvious what a good life consists of, and so it is difficult to say what virtue, the condition that makes it possible, might be. Already by Plato’s time a conventional set of virtues had come to be recognized by the larger culture; they included courage, justice, piety, modesty or temperance, and wisdom. Socrates and Plato undertook researches to discover what these virtues really amount to. A truly satisfactory account of any virtue would identify what it is, show how possessing it enables one to live well, and indicate how it is best acquired(Duignan,2010). Plato develops a unique view of happiness and virtue.According to Plato, there is the body, which is material, mortal, and

"moved" (a victim of causation). Then there’s the soul, which is ideal, immortal, and "unmoved" (enjoying and then there are three parts of the soul, each with its own object of desire. Reason desires truth and the good of the whole individual, spirit is preoccupied with honour and competitive values, and appetite has the traditional low tastes for food, drink, and sex. Because the soul is complex, erroneous calculation is not the only way it can go wrong. The three parts can pull in different directions, and the low element, in a soul in which it is overdeveloped, can win out. Correspondingly, the good condition of the soul involves more than just cognitive excellence. He also said that for the soul to be in harmony the three parts have to work togther, the same way a state with different classes has to because if one class is not properly treated it will cause disorder in the state. Plato also believed that the soul could exist separately from the body, Plato also laid the foundation of basis for view that has come to be know as dualism. Therefore One can note that these dscoveries laid a foundation of psychology.

Moreso according to Boeree(2006) He divides reality into two: On the one hand we have ontos, idea or ideal. This is ultimate reality, permanent,eternal, spiritual. On the other hand, there’s phenomena, which is a manifestation of the ideal. Phenomena are appearances that is things as they seem to us and are associated with matter, time, and space. Phenomena are illusions which decay and die. Ideals are unchanging, perfect. Phenomena are definitely inferior to Ideals. Ideas are available to us through thought, while phenomena are available to us through our senses. So,naturally, thought is a vastly superior means to get to the truth. This is what makes Plato a rationalist, as opposed to an empiricist, in epistemology.Senses can only give people information about the ever-changing and imperfect world of phenomena, and so can only provide one with implications about ultimate reality, not reality itself. Reason goes straight to the idea. The aforementioned are Plato`s contributions towards the development of psychology.

Another great philosopher who contributed to the developmenntof psychology was Aristotle(384 –322 BC). The first Greek philosopher to write extensively on topics which later became part of the science of psychology, such as;sleep,dreams among others. Boeree(2006) believes that Aristotle was both a scientist and a philosopher, thus his views are based these two principles. He was intrested in styding the anatomies of animals and their behaviour in the wild. He also invented modern logic for example metaphysics this is when Aristotle suggests that the ideal is found "inside" the phenomena, the universals "inside" the particulars. Wren(2007)believes that Aristosle wrote the first book of psychology as a separate subject from philosophy and it was tititled Para Pschye which when translated to english means “about the mind or soul”. He used Logical and empirical observation as a method of inquiry

In the book he laid ideas that are ideal to modern day psychology such as the laws of association. In it, he says the mind or soul is the "first entelechy" of the body, the "cause and principle" of the body, the realization of the body thus,the mind is the purposeful functioning of the nervous system. Like Plato, he postulates three kinds of souls, although slightly differently defined. There is a plant soul, the essence of which is nutrition. Then there is an animal soul, which contains the basic sensations, desire, pain and pleasure, and the ability to cause motion. Last, but not least, is the human soul. The essence of the human soul is reason. He suggests that, the soul is not itself a certain kind of body but neither can it exist without a body since It is something that belongs to a body of a given sort and so inheres in it. He adds on by saying most, if not all, of what living things do or undergo will thus be the activity of body and soul together. He goes on to say that there are two powers in the soul which appear to be moving forces desire and reason. But desire prompts actions in violation of reason. He was interested in teleology which is the study of goal oriented behavior (Wren 2007). In relation to teleology he also believes that human beings seek for happiness and avoid pain.

More-so Descartes also introduced the theory of dualism thus he was a dualist (Carlson,2005). This is a philosophical position that behavior is controlled by the entities, a mind and a body. Dualism can be divided into different types. Descartes most famously defended substance dualism, which states that there are two fundamental kinds of substance: mental and material. According to his philosophy, which is specifically called Cartesian dualism, the mental does not have extension in space, and the material cannot think. Substance dualism is important historically for having given rise to much thought regarding to the famous mind body problem. It is a philosophical position compatible with most theologies which claim that immortal souls occupy an independent “realm” of existence distinct from that of the physical world. To Descartes mind receives information from the body through the brain. The rational mind, then, depends on the brain both for information and to control behavior. This contributed in that it provides a quandary of explaining a non-material mind in command of a material body. He developed a mechanical explanation of how the mind produces movement. He suggested that the mind resides in a small structure in the center of the brain called the pineal gland, which is located besides fluid filled cavities called ventricles. He also suggested that the mind resides in the penial gland were it directs the flow of fluid through the ventricles and into the body to investigate objects and to become informed about their properties.

John Locke (1632-1704) also contributed to the development of psychology through his involvement especially in social learning. He believed that the mind is a blank slate written on by experience. He is thus an environmentalist on the nature/nurture question. He stressed the importance of rewards, punishments and imitation in social learning, and is thus a forerunner in 20th century behaviorism.Locke is also known for his emphasis on early experience. He believed that children are most open to environmental influences when they are young. He was generally optimistic about changing humans for the better, but early intervention is better: “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.” Therefore such contributed to the development of developmental psychology.

All in all one can say that psychology is a brain child of philosophy when one looks at the contributions of the Greek philosophers. The philosophers like Aristotle and Plato among others laid down the ideas that are being followed up to today such include studying the mind and its relationship with the body.