Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Soul Assignment # 01 Attention Studying Psychology Naturally Inclined to Think Conscious ourselves. Life Crucial Life Problems Moral Standards Human Understanding Influence Rational Plato Socrates Aristotle Hippocrates al-Razi Avicenna al-Kindi Ghazali Science Religion Disturbance Curiosity Animal Galileo Galilei [alilo alili] Sub-Conscious Dream Frances
10/29/2012 Syed Shahrukh Kamal Roll # 01 Govt. Murray College, Sialkot
Contents
Defining Psychology Historical Background of Psychology Importance of Psychology Periods of Psychology ............................................................................................................................. Greek Period ........................................................................................................................................... Hippocrates (460-377 BC) ................................................................................................................. Plato (427-347 BC).............................................................................................................................. Aristotle (384-322 BC) ....................................................................................................................... Middle Ages ............................................................................................................................................. Muslim Period......................................................................................................................................... Al-Kindi .................................................................................................................................... Ibn-e-Sina ................................................................................................................................ Imam al-Ghazali ................................................................................................................. Scientific Period ...................................................................................................................................... Renaissance Period ............................................................................................................................. Galileo Galilei ...................................................................................................................................... Francis Bacon ...................................................................................................................................... Ren Descartes .................................................................................................................................... Modern Period ........................................................................................................................................ Ernst Heinrich Weber ........................................................................................................................ Charles Robert Darwin ....................................................................................................................... William Wundt Father of Experimental Psychology .................................................................... References ...............................................................................................................................................
Importance of Psychology
Before studying any subject, the mind
starts reasoning that why we should study that particular subject, what importance does it has and how important is it to us. Similarly, the mind asks us a few questions for Psychology. Mrs. Shehr Bano pointed out some questions in her textbook Psychology. She wrote: Before studying psychology, we are naturally inclined to think and question ourselves: Why do we study psychology? What importance does it hold for life? Does it help make crucial life decisions and solve complex problems? Will it give rise to better human beings and citizens? And last but not the least, are we able to improve moral standards and purify our souls? Psychology is a systemised and scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. Psychology means a theoretical, educational and applied science connecting the scientific study of mental operations and behaviour or performancei. Psychology provides us a rational basis and application and usage of understanding, knowledge and skills to a lot of human activities e.g. education, events, people and their task, employment, association, relationship, actions, thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes etc. Three main reasons for studying Psychology areii: i) ii) iii) Self-Knowledge Learning About Others Solving Problems
A persons behaviour varies from time to time. Psychology is a way to understand the causes of that change in behaviour. It is a study of our personality and the reasons for our character and actionsiii iv v. It is a knowledge to end the curiosity that why do a person behave in such a way. It supplies us valuable information to deal with people around us and help us improve the situations.
Defining Psychology
Psychology is well defined by Shiela Segurida asvi: Psychology (Greek: , lit. study of the mind, from psykh breath, spirit, soul; and , -logia "study of") is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and often scientific, study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally, in addition or opposition to employing the scientific method, it also relies on symbolic interpretation and critical analysis, although it often does so less prominently than other social sciences such as sociology. Wikipedia Encyclopedia defines it as: Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behavioursvii viii. Psychology has the immediate goal of understanding individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases,ix x and by many accounts it ultimately aims to benefit society.xi xii These are modern definitions. Before moving to the Historical Background of Modern Psychology, we need to review the definitions that ever rose up as a standard definition for Psychology. In the history of almost five thousand years or more, we got five definitions. In the early Greek Period, the definition derived for Psychology was: Psychology is the study of soul. Later, this definition was rejected with the objection that soul is an immaterial thing. With rejection of this definition, there arose a new standard definition. Psychology is the study of mind. The same objection became the cause for rejection of this definition. Hence, there came the third definition. Psychology is not the study of mind. It is not but the study of Consciousness. The same objection didnt let this definition to survive for long and a need of another standard definition was felt. Psychology is not but the study of behaviour. This definition was quite true but it still needs some blanks to be filled. This definition was not defining Psychology in the way it is meant. This definition was revised to finally provide us with modern standard definition of Psychology. Psychology is the systemised and scientific study of behaviour and mental processes.
Periods of Psychology
Psychology is divided in two main periods: (i) Pre-Scientific Period (ii) Scientific Period Pre-Scientific Period is further divided in three sub-periods: (a) Greek Period (b) Middle Ages (c) Muslim Period
Greek Period
In Greek Period, we see four names at peak: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Hippocrates )( Socrates )( Plato )( Aristotle )(
Middle Ages
With the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe was left into Dark Ages for next thousand years. This period is also called Middle Ages. This period started from 5th century and lasted till 15th century (Renaissance and the Age of Discovery)xvi xvii. In this period, sciences did not flourish much. The reason for this was that sciences were under the influence of the words of religious scholars who had changed the meanings of the teachings of religions. Allama Iqbal depicted it in his poem Sarguzasht-e-dam in following verses: The only two scholars we can refer from that age were: (i) Plotinus (ii) St. Augustine
Muslim Period
From the very first day of Islam, Muslims were commanded to seek knowledge. In obedience to this commandment, Muslims searched out every corner of the then-known world and flourished in sciences. For this reason, apart from terming it Muslim Period, this period is also termed as Islamic Golden Age. In a time known as Golden Age of Islam, when learning was intrinsic to society, scholars gathered in Baghdad to debate, research and study at the House of Wisdom. Europe was still in the Dark Ages when the Renaissance men of the Muslim world were redefining the boundaries of knowledge. They wrote books that changed the course of science and philosophy; their libraries overflowed when paper was still rare. From philosophers to greengrocers they studied ancient sciences, then created
disciplines unknown to the world. Greek knowledge was not known to the world. Muslim scholars rediscovered the buried Greek sciences, corrected them and laid the bases of new sciences. Every modern science is based on the views of Muslim scholars of that age. In that period, we see a lot of scholars, including: (i) Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan (721 804/815) The Father of Chemistry. (ii) Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (780 850) Father of Algebra. (iii) Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi (800/801/804 870/873) Philosopher of the Arabs. (iv) Abu Bakr, Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (26 Aug 854/865 925/935) The Greatest Physician of Islam. (v) Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn al-Farakh al-Farabi (870/872/878 950) The Second Master. (vi) Abu al-Hassan Ali al-Masudi (893/896 957) Herodotus of the Arabs. (vii) Abu Ali al-Hassan ibn al-Haytham (1 Jul 965 6 Mar 1040) The Father of Optics. (viii) Abu Raihan al-Biruni (5 Sep 973 13 Dec 1048) Al Ustad. (ix) Abu Ali al-Husain ibn Abd Allah Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980 1037) A Universal Genius. (x) Ghiyas ud-din Adbul Fatah Omer ibn Khayyam (18 May 1048 4 Dec 1131) The inventor of the Jalali Calendar. (xi) Imam al-Ghazali (1058 18 Dec 1111) (xii) Allaudin Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Abi Huzm Al-Nafis (1213 17 Dec 1288) Al-Qarshi Al-Dimashqi. (xiii) Abdurahman ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun (27 May 1332 19 Mar 1395/1406) The Father of Sociology. (xiv) Shah Wali Ullah (21 Feb 1703 1762)
Al-Kindi
Abu Ysuf Yaqb ibn Isq a-abb al-Kind (Arabic: Latin: Alkindus) was the , founder of Muslim Philosophy. Though he started as a calligrapher, al-Kindis thirst for knowledge led him to make original contributions in all manner of disciplines, from philosophy to optics, mathematics to astronomy, chemistry to cryptography, medicine to music, and metaphysics to epistemology. Before long he became known as Philosopher of the Arabs. He has more than 270 works. He said that knowledge of God is the goal of metaphysics. He made a clear distinction between philosophy and theology and he believed that they both are concerned with same subject, although later philosophers like Avicenna, al-Farabi and al-Ghazali disagreed with him.
medicine but mental illness could be psychologically with religion. He thought that body had no link with mind; body perishes but mind remains alivexviii.
Imam al-Ghazali
Born in Khurasan, he studied theology & law. While teaching law at Nizamiyya College in Baghdad, he suffered a spiritual crisis, withdrew from public life & spent eleven years in travel & Sufi studies. His Best known work is Ihyaa 'ulum al-din [Revival of religious sciences], an attempt to integrate theology & law, ethics & mysticism. Other important works include al-munqidh min al-dalal [Delivery from error], a spiritual guide book & Tahafut alfalasafah [Destruction of the Philosophers]. His vast learning, systematic thought & lucid style continue to ensure a wide audience. He stressed on children education and wrote on Education Psychology and Child Psychology. He described mental diseases to be a cause for negative emotional problems. He said that a man is composed of two elements i.e. soul and body. He said that this world is a place of hard work and not sitting idle. Al-Ghazali came to Baghdad in 484 AH and began a prestigious career of teaching. Four years later, he was led to abandon his teaching position at the Nizamiyya School, deputizing his brother Ahmad, famous for his preaching, to replace him. Upon completion of pilgrimage to Makkah alGhazali headed for Damascus, then alQudus, then Damascus again where he remained for several years, taking up the ascetic life with the words: "We sought after knowledge for other than Allah (swt)s sake, but He refused that it be for anything other than Him."
Ibn-e-Sina
Known to the Western world as Avicenna, Ibn Sina was a physician, philosopher, and scientist. Though he died at a relatively young age, partially due to his exhaustive pace of work, he often said I prefer a short life with width to a narrow one with length. Ibn Sinas yearning for knowledge manifested itself since childhood, and he obtained enlightenment wherever he could: a renowned philosopher tutored him in logic; he studied arithmetic from a local greengrocer, and a travelling scholar; metaphysics he learnt by reading Aristotle and al-Farabi. According to him, there are three kinds of mind: human mind, animal mind and vegetable mind. Only the human mind possesses reason and intelligence. He said that physical illness could be treated with
Scientific Period
After the Dark Ages, philosophers and scientists were successful to cut the chains of distorted religion. In this period, new theories came up by observations and experiments. This period starts from sixteenth century. It is also divided into two sub-periods: (i) (ii) Renaissance Period Modern Period
heresy", forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. He invented thermoscope that, later, led to the invention of thermometer. Signatures of Galileo:
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon was born on 22nd January, 1561, and died on 9th April, 1626. He is thought to be a Founder of Modern Science. He separated science from religion and philosophy. He contributed in Social Psychology and proposed several theories on education, habits and human personality. Instead of speculation, he emphasised the importance of observation. The inductive methodologies were established and popularised by his works and are called Baconian method. Signatures of Frances Bacon:
Renaissance Period
The prominent figures of that period are: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Galileo Galilei Frances Bacon Descartes Thomas Hobles
Galileo Galilei
Galileo was an Italian physicist, astronomer, mathematician and natural philosopher. He was a major contributor of Scientific Revolution. Galileo have many titles like The Father of Science, The Father of Modern Science, The Father of Modern Observational Astronomy and The Father of Modern Physics. He was born on 15th February, 1564, and died on 8th January, 1642. In June, 1609, he heard of Dutch telescope and, within a month, built his own, improving the design in following yearsxix. Later, binoculars were invented. The earliest binoculars used Galilean Opticsxx. It made a great revolution in astronomy that led to the acceptance of Copernican heliocentric systemxxi. Religious leaders were against him and they even said that whoever will see from the telescope of Galileo will be expelled from his religion. He faced a lot of persecutions, including house arrest. Wikipedia writes: He was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of
Ren Descartes
Ren Descartes was born on 31st March 1596 and died on 11th February 1650. He was a philosopher, mathematician, and a writer. He thought that an organism is a complicated mechanism that could be activated by light, sound or other such stimuli. It was his study (although his concepts were inadequate) that brought fresh insight to Psychology. He said that matter and mind are two different things; matter is based on expansion while mind is based on thinking and conscious.
His signatures:
Modern Period
In modern period, we will discuss: (i) (ii) (iii) Ernst Weber Charles Darwin William Wundt
Signatures of Darwin:
References
Psychology and Its Importance: Why Psychology Is Important. by Raymond Philippe. http://raymondphilippe.hubpages.com/hub/Psychology-and-its-Importance ii Importance of Psychology. http://www.psychologyandsociety.com/psychologyimportance.html iii See note (i) iv The Importance Of Psychology in Everyday Life by SC5448, College, Undergraduate, A, November 2004 http://www.writework.com/essay/importance-psychology-everyday-life v What is the importance and used of psychology? by Shiela Segurida. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_importance_and_used_of_psychology vi Ibid vii "How does the APA define "psychology"?". Retrieved 15 November 2011. http://www.apa.org/support/about/apa/psychology.aspx#answer viii "Definition of "Psychology (APA's Index Page)"". Retrieved 20 December 2011. http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx ix Fernald LD (2008). Psychology: Six perspectives (pp. 1215). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. http://books.google.com/books?id=Q7p-J4-SWuQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false x Hockenbury & Hockenbury. Psychology. Worth Publishers, 2010. xi O'Neil, H.F.; cited in Coon, D.; Mitterer, J.O. (2008). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (12th ed., pp. 1516). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. http://books.google.com/books?id=vw20LEaJe10C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false xii "The mission of the APA [American Psychological Association] is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve peoples lives"; APA (2010). About APA. Retrieved 20 October 2010. http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx xiii Diogenes Laertius 3.4; p. 21, David Sedley, Plato's Cratylus, Cambridge University Press 2003. http://assets.cambridge.org/052158/4922/sample/0521584922ws.pdf xiv Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383566/mind-body-dualism xv The Soul in Renaissance Philosophy. http://www.ajdrake.com/e211_spr_05/materials/guides/ren_soul.htm xvi Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/380873/Middle-Ages xvii Wikipedia Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Ages_(historiography) xviii A textbook of Psychology by Mrs. Shehr Bano xix Wikipedia Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescope#History xx Wikipedia Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binoculars#Galilean_binoculars xxi Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/224058/Galileo
i