Psychology: Clinical Assessment - Research Paper Example

? Psychology: Science, Art, and Technology Application of Theoretical Models of the Self in Clinical Psychology Submitted by: 05/01 “Begun on March 4, 1588, and completed on May 6, 1593, this large armillary sphere was built under the supervision of Antonio Santucci at the request of Ferdinand I de' Medici. The sphere represents the ‘universal machine-of the world’ according to the concepts developed by Aristotle and perfected by Ptolemy. The terrestrial globe is placed at the center. Surprisingly, it even displays territories that were still relatively little known at the time. Restored in the nineteenth century by Ferdinando Meucci, the device is now incomplete and some of its parts are mismatched. The wooden parts of the sphere are elaborately painted and covered with fine gold leaf. The sphere rests on a stand with four sirens, heavily restored in the nineteenth century.” + Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science (2010) In understanding modern psychology, the roots of the discipline can be seen to develop from the Renaissance era when classical knowledge such as Aristotle’s “Physics” and Platonism competed with Christian dogma in the minds of scholars who sought to understand the nature of the macrocosm and microcosm through a universal order. The armillary sphere represents the Ptolemaic world view that the planets, stars, and heavens orbited around the earth as center of the universe. History recognizes Galileo appearing at this time in the court of Cosimo de Medici II and advocating the heliocentric view associated with Copernicus a century before. In Copernicus and Galileo, the Renaissance initiated a revolution in thought that can be seen as leading to the birth and evolution of the modern era today. Yet, when looking at the beauty of the armillary sphere as a model of truth and as a model of the self, the psychologist can also recognize aspects of ego bias and subjectivity as they are projected to universal levels. Heidegger recognized the centrality of Aristotle’s physics on the structure of Western thought, and that model can be seen in the geometries and hierarchies of the armillary sphere as a paradigmatic example. While this has broad implications as will be developed in the Frankfurt School’s critique of Freud, the modern psychologist has to guard against the effects of theory operating in application on this same model, for in doing so, meaning and interpretation may be limited, obscuring an accurate understanding of the mind or reality. Nevertheless, the broad ideal of the Renaissance man is situated at the heart of the practice of Western psychology, and with it an aesthetic of truth that uses the armillary sphere as a model of theoretical understanding of the self through Platonic thought structures and patterns of logic. The early fusion of science, art, and technology in the instruments of this era, as found in the Museo Galileo (Institute and Museum of the History of Science) in Florence Italy can be illustrative in showing how closely this view is related to the theory and practice of psychology. The problem with the armillary sphere as created so beautifully by Antonio Santucci for Ferdinand I de' Medici at this point of the Renaissance (1593) between the time of Copernicus and Galileo is that the beauty or aesthetic of the theory is very seductive and represents perfect control, yet the model is inherently false in describing reality phenomenologically. It inspires awe in a manner in that this image simultaneously mobilizes armies that seek to conquer and colonize the world through the idea. This ‘cosmographic’ process is also seen in the naming of the celestial bodies after Cosimo de Medici, “The Universal”. “The ‘cosmographic’ celebration of the Medici dynasty found renewed vigor in the astronomical discoveries of Galileo (1564-1642). The Pisan scientist dedicated the four satellites discovered orbiting around Jupiter to his patrons, naming them the Medicea Sidera (Medicean stars). In keeping with a later suggestion made by the French astronomer Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1580-1637), the four celestial bodies were to assume the more precise names of ‘Cosmus mayor’, ‘Franciscus’, ‘Ferdinandus’ and ‘Cosmus minor’. The ‘Stanzino’ was enriched with new Galilean instruments, such as the telescope and the geometric and military compass that Galileo had dedicated in 1606 to the young Prince Cosimo de’ Medici (1590-1621). The new astronomical discoveries also seemed to offer a solution to the crucial problem of calculating longitude, which would have confirmed the Medici’s political and military prestige still further.” + Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science (2010) Thus, in following the Frankfurt School and seeing what would become European imperialism in the worst aspects of the drive for a totalitarian world domination in Modernism as rooted in the same model as the armillary sphere, the psychologist can also see where this occurs in theory and in the practice of psychology when the teacher such as Freud is made into an ideal model or machine of the universe, and then all meaning is subsumed to this interpretation via authority, even if it is false (ego/geo-centric). The Frankfurt School sees this process of totalization of meaning as occurring in Freudian theory of Psychoanalysis, but it can also be seen in Marxism, Behaviorism, or any system of thought that is driven by this model. Therefore, while idealizing the aesthetic of truth in theory as it operates on the model of the armillary sphere of Aristotle’s “Physics” in Western thought, one can personally avoid the model in interpretation in the daily practice of psychology. More simply, this may lead to open-mindedness, evaluating many theories of mind, schools of psychology, or philosophy critically, and testing them in application, avoiding a totalitarianism in interpretation that believes there is only one solution to a problem. The tools, measurement instruments, microcosmic and macrocosmic in the telescope and microscope as seen in the Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science show the same structure and design as modern theory or logic and epistemology in psychology. The deep influence of the Aristotelian and Platonic in Western thought are operating in theory on the same models and structures, or geometries of logic found in the design mechanisms of these devices. In looking at the craftsmanship of early astrolabes, compasses, armillary spheres, or clock and electricity machines, the processes of human thinking can be discerned. Similarly, these objects can also be seen as examples of a model of the Self, related to the mandala imagery of Jung but also the broader research in the psychogenesis of mythology, poetry, and dream in the work of Joseph Campbell. Deconstruction of this symbolism in theoretical psychology is thus practiced as an art engaged through the methodology of semiotics. This armillary sphere is similar to how the psychologist theorizes the Self and consciousness in modernism. At the center, the ego-self; psychic processes (ideas & concepts) revolving around the center; the levels of conscious, sub-conscious, unconscious, and the collective consciousness (zodiac) with archetypes written in “Latin & Greek” all revolving on the atomic (microcosm) or geocentric (macro-projection) model of Self and Universe. Note that the larger experience of self can be seen in the integration of knowledge or awareness in all of these “spheres” within a system of thought. The Self appears also as a trophy that is acquired, such as the Chalice or Holy Grail, this quest seen as the process of self-actualization. This journey of self discovery is repeated in the literature and religion of the world’s cultures in a variety of ways. For Renaissance psychology this involves the projection of the microcosm to incorporate the Universe on a single geocentric model with the ego at the center, an all encompassing mirror. The clock adds motion to theoretical machines through the sense of history. Here broad forces in reality are glossed linguistically into elements of a theory or system of thought such as psychology, and these machines drive interpretation automatically. What lies outside the clock, and its mechanisms of operation? The architecture of early machines represent the “gears” of mind in popular culture, our ideas are spinning together and creating a grand assemblage machine of concepts as a symbol of the Self or model of thinking. One of the first electricity machines operating as a model of mind, self, and being. This may also be Universalized as the armillary sphere or geo-centric projection of ego ‘cosmographically’ yet here the “forces” of electricity, magnetism and gravity are unifying Universals in a tautological force-generator. The psychologist’s notebook combining an astrolabe and lunar calendar in gold. This shows how the psychologist carries theory into clinical practice, taking notes based upon the interpretation, unconscious and conscious balanced for navigation of new territories. These measurement & charting tools may be seen as aspects of early neuroscience that represent the ways the psychologist seeks to measure mind through instruments as part of the scientific method, but also the inherent difficulties associated with subjectivity & the mind as it must measure aspects critically. Note: All images in this section are from the Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence and date from the 15th to 17th century. Some were used by Galileo and other of the scientists who founded modern science and thus must also be seen as highly influential in the development of psychology. Yet, more importantly, Renaissance ideals also become the basis for modern self-identity, and patterns of thinking can be found in their design. Galileo’s microscope is another symbolic tool that is used to search for mind in the practice of psychology. When mind is placed under the microscope, what is found? This leads to quantum psychology and new theories of conscious that dispel the geocentric aspects of psychology conditioned in thought bias. Deleuze & Guattari write in “Capitalism & Schizophrenia: A Thousand Plateaus” (1987), “What is a semiotic, in other words, a regime of signs or a formalization of expression? They are simultaneously more and less than language. Language as a whole is defined by ‘superlinearity,’ its condition of possibility; individual languages are defined by constants, elements, and relations of a phonological, syntactical, and semantic nature. Doubtless every regime of signs effectuates the condition of possibility of language and utilizes language elements, but that is all. No regime can be identical to that condition of possibility, and no regime has the property of constants... we define the abstract machine as the aspect or moment at which nothing but functions and matters remain.” (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987) From this, the psychologist as semiotician is a way of interpreting the integration of science, art, philosophy, mysticism, and technology into the practice of modern clinical psychology. This is shown particularly in Lacan and Guattari, but the roots of this is also in Marx, Freud, Jung, Deleuze, Nietzsche, Barthes, and Adorno. What the Frankfurt School does most efficiently is to smash biases as an aspect of deconstruction or as a method of theory and thought that operates on different fundamentals from the armillary sphere. The Renaissance ideal shows a unity of microcosm and macrocosm, but it is rooted in a deeper Platonist philosophy and situates that at the heart of Western thought historically through the clock and other aspects of fundamentals such as time, being, the soul, essence, force, etc. In viewing the aesthetic of truth posited by the geocentric, it is strange to find a model of the modern Self yet this goes to the deep bias of the Platonic in the tradition of psychology itself. The beauty of the Renaissance transcended the geocentric through science and method, psychology being part of the application of rational methodologies, technologies, probes, and measurement to mind. Yet, psychology also operates on the ideal of the Renaissance man in interpretation, thus it is important to be critically aware of the nature of bias in reason, its structure, and grammar. Semiotics represents an approach to psychology that is representative of clinical psychology, as it is based in the diagnosis of larger issues from signs. The psychologist operates on this manner as well, referencing the clinical literature on depression, mania, bi-polar disorders, schizophrenia, addiction, and other disorders to build a diagnosis of the patient, or using dream symbolism and the counseling session to diagnose the roots of disease in conditioning, neurosis, psychosis, congenital damage, etc. The psychologist may use MRI machines to probe the structure of the brain, CAT scans, blood pressure, genetic testing, or urine analysis to build a broader understanding of the subjective mental operation of the patient’s mind. In this manner, psychology represents a collection of methods, theories, technologies, and philosophies that combine uniquely in the mind and practice of the psychologist-subject, and there may be seduction by models of interpretation such as the geo-centric or ego-centric which manifest a true beauty when artistically refined, plated with gold, and set on a pedestal such as the armillary sphere. Yet, operating on this manner of interpretation in psychology may be totalitarian, imperial, and false. Similarly, the critical understanding drives professional ethics, and the synthesis of theory into wisdom relates the practical basis on which the psychologist operates in the clinic, but the essence of this is the subjective realm of morality. Bias can be found represented in the ego, the concepts, the fundamentals, the teacher, the language, the structures of reason, grammar, anthropocentricity, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, politics, philosophy, education, and media as just some examples, what we express as individuality in many ways is nothing other than personal bias. Universals, as we choose belief systems and synthesize theories into a wider understanding of Being in the world, are also representative of personal biases, as in the geo-centric, heliocentric, atomic, and quantum religions. Science is evolving through bias and method joined in practice, and the psychologist operates similarly. In understanding how art, technology, and science combine in the practice of clinical psychology, the Frankfurt School, Lacan, Deleuze, Guattari, and other post-modern theorists point to the bias as the synthesizing aspect of mind and knowledge that also manifest as wisdom. The greater problem for psychology is the totalitarian interpretation of a solely pharmaceutical driven approach, a monolithic armillary sphere of Freudianism or Marxism interpreting world history as a Self-machine, or materialist reduction that sees only the flow of chemicals and forces in brain structures and an epiphenomena in consciousness. Mind cannot be found under Galileo’s microscope, and that is the challenge of psychology, but in applying the methods of modern science it is important to remember the bias of methodology and the seductive nature of the aesthetic of interpretation that lead to a false understanding of reality projected as all-encompassing knowledge, self, or ego. In avoiding this by integrating various schools of psychology and new research into the nature of mind into an open, evolving, and changing understanding of the Self and reality can lead to innovation in psychology as well. Clinical assessment and therapy can be considered part science, part art, and part technology in representation of the different methodologies that are used in combination when making a diagnosis or implementing a treatment plan. The science can be seen as the discipline of psychology itself, with the variety of schools and sub-branches. The clinical assessment proceeds on the basis of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (IV) as a basis because this represents the synthesis of innumerable peer reviewed journal articles, clinical studies in psychology, advances in neuroscience, pharmaceutical testing, and the collective practice of thousands of psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors in the development of the standards. Where the DSM-IV represents the science behind psychology, the art is in interpretation and diagnosis. For example, the schools of psychology themselves create an interpretive bias that will affect the choice of treatments when assessing a patient’s needs in a clinical environment. Some psychologists will prefer a psychoanalytical approach, others adventure therapy, Jungian, humanistic, existential, or innumerable other theoretical approaches to counseling and treatment. What makes this process an art is the need to develop a style of expression in the treatment that reflects the unique knowledge, training, and background of the psychologist as he or she has personally realized it. Even in the same clinic and with the same patients, psychologists may have different approaches to treatment. What the DSM-IV attempts is to standardize psychiatric practice on the medical model so as to consolidate the pharmaceutical knowledge of the field into one source, and with this a greater context of treatment methods, counseling approaches, and a detailed description of mental illnesses as they are understood in all mainstream schools of psychology. Yet, even in medication prescription and treatment psychiatrists may disagree as to what the best approach for a particular patient is. In this instance, technology can assist the diagnosis, for example through blood testing, genetic testing, urine analysis, MRI scans, CAT scans, blood pressure, and other empirically based measures. While practicing modern clinical psychiatry in this method, however, the psychologist should also be familiar with critical approaches such as those coming from Lacan, Guattari, and Deleuze in France, for they represent a new school in post-modernism that challenges the institutional bias of traditional psychology as it is found in all schools. Similarly, Critical Theory, the Frankfurt School, Paul Feyerabend, Thomas Kuhn, and other philosophers who write on the history of science and its methodology should be studied in order to keep a critical self-methodology in practice that is consistent with professional ethics. The Renaissance man remains the ideal for the psychologist in clinical assessment and treatment, yet basing practice on any one method must inherently or simultaneously guard against bias. The critique of Platonism in Western thought may also point to the bias in the practice of clinical psychology. In using semiotics as a way to refine practice and diagnosis, the artistic element of the practice may be developed. In applying the DSM-IV in the clinical environment, the fundamental science of psychology may be referenced. In using medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and clinical testing, the technological aspects of psychiatry are integrated into practice. In all of these instances, the critical analysis of methodology is vital for the conduct of professional ethics in the clinical practice of psychology. Sources Cited: Adorno, T. Negative Dialectics. Trans. Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1970. Web. 30 April 2011. Deleuze, Gilles & Guattari , Felix (1972). Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism & Schizophrenia. Preface by: Michel Foucault. New York: Penguin, 1972. Deleuze, Gilles & Guattari , Felix (1987). A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism & Schizophrenia. Trans. Brian Massumi. University of Minnesota Press, 1987. Feyerabend, Paul (1975). Against Method. Marxism.com, 2011. Web. 30 April 2011. IMSS (2011). Armillary Sphere. Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science, 2011. Web. 1 May 2011. IMSS (2011). Armillary Sphere. Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science, 2011. Web. 1 May 2011. IMSS (2011). Armillary Sphere. Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science, 2011. Web. 1 May 2011. IMSS (2011). Cosimo II. Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science, 2011. Web. 1 May 2011. IMSS (2011). Virtual Museum. Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum of the History of Science, 2011. Web. 1 May 2011. Museums of Florence (2011). Florence History Museum. Hidden Italy, 2011. Web. 1 May 2011. Read More