There is no escaping the fact that every philosopher is also a psychologist. A true philosopher tries to find a solution to the question, “Why is the universe structured in this particular manner as opposed to another?” The following are topics that the philosopher is constantly interested in: “Who exactly is being discussed here? Who is the owner of this particular view of the world, but not others?” Philosophy is the origin of almost all of the ideas that are used in psychology, such as psyche, consciousness, personality, and response. And the Department of Psychology that is now part of the Faculty of Psychology was once a component of the Faculty of Philosophy. Although in a formal sense it is correct to say that philosophy is psychology’s older sibling, not all psychologists subscribe to the notion that psychology is philosophy’s younger sister.
The origin of the term “psychology” may be traced back to the Greek terms “psyche” and “logos.” These words signify “study” and “soul” in their respective cultures. Therefore, psychology may be seen as the study of the human soul. If we were to keep things straightforward, we might state that psychology is the branch of science that investigates the thinking and actions of humans.
It seeks to explain what goes on within our “black box” and how these events affect our manner of behaving, taking into consideration the stimuli that we are exposed to as well. Understanding how individuals take in and make sense of information that is presented to them via their senses is another goal of psychological psychology.
Psychology and Philosophy
The terms “philo” and “sophia” in Greek literally mean “love of knowledge,” which is where we get our word “philosophy.” Philosophy’s raison d’être is to provide responses to the challenges that are presented by everyday life.
It focuses on the study of a wide range of issues, some of which may be considered more fundamental. Existence, knowledge, the truth, morality, aesthetics, the mind, and language are some of the things that fall under this category. It does not often use empirical methods while doing its study. Conceptual analysis, mental experiments, conjecture, or one of the many other a priori procedures might be used.
For historical reasons, the examination of pathology, which includes mental disease, disorder, and dysfunction, has been the primary focus of psychology. This is done with the goal of curing, healing, treating, or restoring.
This is by comparison with the treatment of bodily ailments and the function of physicians; medicine has been the driving force behind the study of human bodies.
Philosophy in Psychology?
The fields of psychology and neuroscience have shown us that many of our belief systems have developed through time to help humans survive and reproduce. This includes the aesthetics of what we find appealing as well as the ethics of how people should behave in society. Consequently, the study of psychology is the basis for all branches of philosophy. The link between the mind and the body, the meaning of free will and faith, the nature of awareness, and the question of what constitutes pleasure are merely components of the operating system of our brains, and as such, they may be presented either philosophically or scientifically.
Plato once claimed that thinking is “the mind in conversation with itself,” and it’s true that the fundamental modalities of self-interrogation in psychotherapy and psychology are predicated on philosophical premises. The cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) concepts include elements that are reminiscent of Socratic discussion as well as stoicism (REBT). A resurgence of Epictetus’s ideas may be seen in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and, more specifically, in the acceptance and commitment enhancement (REBT) approach. The link goes in both directions: there is evidence that an individual’s temperament and personality have an effect on the views they take on fundamental philosophical concerns like the reality of the free will. These attitudes are impacted by individual differences.
Contradictions between the fields of philosophy and psychology
Although both fields focus on understanding people’s actions, they do it in very different ways. The two approaches are distinct in a number of ways, including the methodology they use, the goals they want to achieve, and whether or not they take morality into consideration.
In terms of its approach, philosophy is concerned with conceptual categories and the links that may be established between them. As a result, any approach may potentially work.
On the other hand, psychology is heavily dependent on empirical and statistical evidence. Research methods both quantitative and qualitative are used. Experiments and the empirical validation of hypotheses are the primary emphases of this approach. Experiments are a method for gaining an understanding of human behavior as well as validating the resources, such as treatments, that are available to us.
In terms of their respective final aims, philosophy is more concerned with intellectual pursuits, while psychology is more concerned with the therapeutic and interventive processes. The purpose of philosophy is to provide conceptual frameworks or categories that may be used to describe reality. In contrast to philosophy, which focuses on understanding the world as a whole, psychology attempts to disentangle the many factors that influence human behavior.
Consequently, psychological theories take into account our biological makeup. One such example is the study of the chemical makeup of our brains. In addition to this, psychology takes into account variances between individuals. After all, even when faced with identical conditions, no one manages to perfectly replicate the actions of another individual.
Since the body is considered to be separate from the self, it may be treated separately from the patient. You are responsible for fixing my shattered leg. But if I have a skewed perspective on the world, then I am the one who is flawed. To repair it would be to make me the injured party and transform myself into someone else; this is not a case of mending anything for me.
Disorders of the body are separate entities. If it is influenza, then it is not ebola, and the therapy for the two illnesses is different. However, this is rendered meaningless when considering mental diseases. Problems with one’s psychology, like any other aspect of one’s mind, are not separate but rather overlapping. The symptom checklists are so intertwined that two people with the same ailment may have no symptoms at all, and may even share more symptoms in common with a different condition than they do with one another. This renders them arbitrary, as they are merely labels.
It is possible to define physical health. And should not be confused with general physical fitness, such as being fit for rowing, farming, or other activities. But how about our mental health? Because of its plasticity, the brain does not have a fixed or definitively accurate layout. That is the fundamental purpose of having brains. And mental health is hard to define, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it is the minds that are doing the describing. Who’s to say?
All of these issues contribute to confusion in the study of psychology, and in fact, whole subfields of psychology are based on fundamental errors in the category, logical fallacies, or other types of inaccuracies. These things are not discoverable by scientific inquiry; rather, it takes the insight of a philosopher to recognize them.
And furthermore: if the terms “mental health” or “correct” mental functioning has any sensible meaning at all, it is as a description of mental content; a description that acknowledges that thoughts are not symptoms, that ideas are not conditions, and that the self is not an organism. This is the only sensible way to understand these terms.
Reasons and intentions and sentiments and logic and all sorts of other things go into making up a thought.
Since we do not have any physical ailments, we do not need the services of a physician.
There is a demand for mental practitioners.
