The Story of a Divided Self: Wilhelm Wundt - Article Example

Topic: Lecturer: Presentation: Wilhelm Wundt Wundt, (1832-1920) is one of the renowned people that helped in advancements in psychology, which is a significant subject in medical sciences and studies in human behavior. It involves studies in human behavior. Wundt was successful in experimental psychology in which he was capable of spearheading the establishment of the earliest laboratory dedicated for experimental psychology (Shana 2005). The laboratory was useful to a large extent for those who engaged in psychological studies. Shana (2005) further observes that the laboratory was significant in determining how subsequent laboratories would be developed in future. This is because the psychological laboratories that were developed later on took the structure of Wundt’s laboratory. The experiments that Wundt conducted mainly were ground-breaking in nature since they were deviating from the conventional methods of studying psychology to new ways that were not focused on the sciences of nature or the philosophical point of view (Bembenutty 2007). Wundt engaged in experimental methods towards approaching psychological studies. He believed that the reality or the fundamentals of the changes that occurred in an organism relied on an interaction of the two essential processes, which combined to form a psychophysical reaction. The two include; the physiological process that depends on the body functions and the psychological process that depended on mental factors (Hochstetler 2007). Wundt was the initiator of the conception of the identification of occurrences in the mind in relation to external stimuli that could be measurable. In his view, the human mind needs to be considered as an action rather than an object (Harvey 2007). This view was focused on the perception that psychology was not just a subject, but a complex one too that comprised a philosophical perspective in the manner that people perceive issues. In Wundt’s perspective, psychology that encompassed the physiology was understood as a study that was focused on the processes of reactions that originated from exposure of the sensory cells to stimuli, leading to the motivation of the brain and then the muscles of the body leading to a particular behavior in reaction to the stimuli (Bembenutty 2007). This process was paralleled by the contemplation of an individual’s thoughts which defined the events of the mental activities in life. This contemplation was what Wundt based psychological experimentations. In other words, introspection was fundamental to the success of the works of Wundt (Shana 2005). Hochstetler (2007) confirms Wundt’s claim that feelings can either be positive or negative. On the other hand, they can also be mixed whereby an individual can feel relaxed, anxious and tense at the same time. Even though the perception of Wundt in regard to using introspection stopped being used in the early 20th century, he proved to the psychologists then and in later years that the study of psychology involved experimentation. This led to a change of the standpoint of the earliest psychologists and scientists that psychology was not a science to accept Wundt’s view point that it was indeed a science, and an experimental one for that matter (Harvey 2007). William James William James (1842-1910) was a psychologist but preferred to be a philosopher. His field of expertise in which he had been trained was medicine, but he mainly wanted to understand the science that medicine involves rather than becoming a medical doctor. He taught psychology, philosophy and physiology (Kashima et al. 2007). James became a professor of psychology in 1885. His advancement in psychology was facilitated by his interest in studying the human mind. During this time, the field of psychology had not advanced since few scientists had engaged in this kind of study. More over, it was tending to become ore science oriented. He contributed largely to the introduction of scientific psychology in Harvard (Pihlström 2007). Experimental psychology was introduced at Harvard under his influence. He wrote various books in various disciplines of psychology and philosophy, especially his most adored pragmatism in philosophy. He believed in pragmatism whereby people were supposed to analyze the usefulness of ideas instead of dismissing them as either true or false. In his view, pragmatism applied in real life and needed to be adopted (Laird 2007). In philosophy, his work was more focused on the human mind and psychology. James did not believe inn the continuous flow of thoughts and consciousness in the manner that it was conventionally believed (Laird 2007). He held a positivist believe that was derived from his own experience. The psychological features in human beings according to him were not differentiated in their occurrence. The mind plays a significant role in establishing the difference between the object and its meaning, feelings and models. The models according to him arise as a result of efforts to systematize the haphazard facts that a person experiences. The ideas generated as a result of this organization can be proofed right or wrong only when their usefulness has been analyzed (Kashima et al. 2007). In other words, the interpretation of ideas requires an interpretation of the consequences of adopting each of them. The usefulness of ideas that have not been scientifically experimented depends on an individual’s willingness to adopt them depending on the consequences that are expected in people’s lives (Slater 2007). The pragmatic approach is significant in helping humans to discern what is likely to bring better results for them. for example in the real world, James posed some ideas regarding the existence of God whereby humans would have a chance to choose between believing whether God really exists or whether man’s life was derived from other sources apart from creation. James critiqued the two ideas and found out that humans can only settle on one of them if they understood the consequences right (Laird 2007). In a way it would be easy to claim that the origin of life is this or that, but the common believe that humans hold regarding their existence would be made null, thereby making them to loose the meaning of life. In essence, James was focused on considering the consequences of any particular decision or idea. James believed that it is only the truth through which humans can get the real meaning of particular ideas. Theories, according to him were significant for helping people to solve problems. The readiness of a person to accept certain beliefs can lead to the development of a particular truth that everybody will end up getting satisfied (Kashima et al. 2007). Hermann Ebbinghaus Hermann was a psychologist who focused on studying the memory of humans. He came up with a new concept in psychology that emphasized on the scientific study of the human memory and cognitive abilities (Wozniak, 1999). He contributed to the changing of the study of cognitive behavior from philosophical studies to experimental science. He invented various concepts such as the application of the syllables of nonsense. The main source of information for his introspective approach was his own experience. He engaged in self study but ensured that he conducted it in line with the recognized procedures. He was successful in testing his own cognitive ability and memory. It took him 6 years to analyze his memory through the use of the nonsense syllables trying to understand how many syllables out of the 2300 that he created he could be capable of remembering in the course of one year and in three years. This was a long period of time in which he managed to prove that cognitive studies as well as studies in human memories could be studied through experimentation (Wozniak, 1999). Hermann contributed greatly to science and is also renowned for the inventions that were useful to the study of psychology. According to Boneau (1998), his long experiments proved that remembrance of the stimuli that is meaningless to humans was difficult than it would be to remember the meaningful ones (Harvey 2007). In education psychology, Hermann demonstrated that learners would be capable of recollecting mainly the concepts that they understood were significant for them to excel. This meant that the failure of learners in schools could not be attributed to the presence of mistakes in the process of being taught. On the other hand, Hermann’s experiments indicated that the more the amount of concepts to be learnt, the more the time it may take for the learners to be in a position to recollect without forgetfulness (Boneau 1998). This is important in developing an educational curriculum since the developer gets to understand the most appropriate time that students can take to learn and keep the material learnt in their memory. Hermann made useful suggestions regarding the human memory. For example, he concluded that once a learner is exposed to the sane things that had been learnt earlier, it is easier for him to learn, understand and permanently store them in memory. In education psychology, this was a major contribution since repeating concepts among learners increases their ability to maintain the concepts in memory (Harvey 2007). Students who constantly revise or read time and again are likely to remember what they learnt than one time learners. In regard to forgetfulness, Hermann established that the rate of forgetfulness decreased with time. Immediately after learning, he established that most of the concepts were forgotten, and that with time, the rate of forgetfulness decreased. More over, he also concluded that there is a higher possibility of retaining what was learnt in the memory in each subsequent repetition of the lesson. This means that the more the lessons the more an individual can remember. He also concluded that learning needs to be spread out over a longer period than fast learning over a short period. Large volumes of materials over a short period of time lead to forgetfulness, hence the need to take a considerab1le period of time for effective learning (Hochstetler 2007). Hermann’s studies were therefore essential in the understanding of human cognitive behavior and development in pedagogical excellence. The findings of Hermann have been significant in the enhancement of learning in educational institutions. The substantial use of mathematics was a real proof that cognitive behavior could be put under experimental science. He applied statistical significance in the analysis of his findings, which was important in offering a logical explanation of the results. The mathematical applications have developed confidence among those who consider using Hermann’s theories. In other words, they have not been disputed over a long time due to the proof that the quantitative aspects provide (Laird 2007). Sigmund Freud Freud is one of the scientists who participated in the popularization of the theory of the conscious mind even though it was not his own invention. He described the conscious mind as what a person is usually aware of at a particular point in time. What anyone’s mind reflects at a particular moment is his/her conscious mind. For example, when one is participating in a discussion, his perception that it is a discussion is what is usually referred to as the conscious mind. Corresponding to the conscious mind is the preconscious which Freud described as what is almost in the conscious mind. In other words, it is what an individual can remember but are not currently active. They only need a little stimulation to change in to conscious mind. In his view, the conscious and the preconscious mind are the largest while the unconscious mind remains larger than both (Harvey 2007). In the conscious mind are memories that the individual is usually unaware of. Some of the memories in the unconscious mind usually originate from the mind itself. For example, there are particular drivers that lead an individual to take an action as well as instincts in the unconscious mind. Other memories in the unconscious mind that Freud identified include unpleasant memories that people would not like to remember (Hochstetler 2007). Freud established that in the unconscious mind, people usually possess substantial sources of their behavior. However, they are unavailable until they are stimulated by a particular occurrence. For example, bodily desires may not be in the conscious mind but motivate an individual to perform particular actions. In other words, they are usually hidden and only materialize after stimulation (Laird 2007). Freud contributed to psychology through interpreting certain aspects of organisms. Instincts, desires, worries and such aspects of humans are usually in their mind. He observed that these aspects are usually present at birth and continue to be clearer as the individual develops in to a grown up person. Freud’s contribution to psychology made it possible to interpret human behavior (Apps 2007). References Apps D. 2007. Augustines Confessions: the story of a divided self and the process of its unification. Pastoral Psychology 55(5): 551-569. Boneau, C. A. (1998).  Hermann Ebbinghaus:  On the road to progress or down the garden path, NJ:  Lawrence Erlbaum. Bembenutty H. 2007. The last word: an interview with Frank Pajares: God, the Devil, William James, the Little Prince, and self-efficacy. Journal of Advanced Academics 18(4): 660-677. Harvey J. 2007. Neutral monism and the social character of consciousness. Philosophy Today 51(1): 52-59 Hochstetler D. R. 2007. Can we experience significance on a treadmill? In Running & philosophy: a marathon for the mind, MW Austin (ed), chap 13. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Kashima Y, Gurumurthy AK, Ouschan L, Chong T, Mattingley J. 2007. Connectionism and self: James, Mead, and the stream of enculturated consciousness. Psychological Inquiry 18(2): 73-96. Laird J. D. 2007. Feelings: the perception of self. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Slater M. R. 2007. Metaphysical intimacy and the moral life: the ethical project of The varieties of religious experience. Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 43(1): 116-153. Pihlström S. 2007. Panpsychism – a neglected Jamesian alternative? Journal of Philosophical Research 32: 319-347. Shana C. K. (2005). "Some neglected contributions of Wilhelm Wundt to the psychology of memory.". Psychological reports 97 (1): 63–73. Wozniak R. H. (1999). Introduction to Memory Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885/1913), Robert H. Wozniak. Read More