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Sources: encyclopedia.com, link.springer.com, psycnet.apa.org

The Unconscious Sees The Men Behind The Curtains

-Nia Williams & Maxiel Bonilla

(We apologize for the profanity in advance!)

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The Intelligence of an Individual Isn’t a fixed Quantity

An IQ test tells us the level of intelligence an individual has. Different tests like these can cause an individual to feel less intelligent depending on the score they have received. What people don’t know is that an IQ test was created to see how intelligent a person is in different stages of their life.

Who is Alfred Binet?

Alfred Binet was a French psychologist who created an intelligence test to see if children need extra classes to benefit their studies. The offer of making this test was brought to him by the French government. He is known for making the first intelligence test scale with his student Theodore Simon, a scientist, and they named their invention Binet-Simon Scale.

What is the Binet-Simon Scale?

The Binet-Simon Scale was a mix of testing intelligence through psychology and the mental development of children in different age groups. This scale was made to justify Alfred’s and Theodore’s thoughts about children and adults having different forms of intelligence. At first this test was to see if children needed special education, but it went on to become a test to measure the intelligence of all individuals.

Intelligence can’t be Fixed

Alfred Binet had performed tests on different age groups which led to the concept of mental age. Mental age develops at different stages depending on the individual’s surroundings and what they are exposed to. Intelligence can’t be fixed but can grow at a certain pace depending on the development of a child.

Vocabulary

Intelligence Quotient (IQ): a number representing an overall level of performance

Data and Meme

Video Describing IQ Scale

When does a child’s mind fully develop?

What IQ score showed an average teenage girl have?

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The Four Temperaments of Personality

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Hysteria

In 1860-70s neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot believed hysteria was a female-only disease caused by problems with the uterus. He created the “Laws of Hysteria” after observing thousands of cases within women with the disease. The symptoms included excessive laughing/crying, wild body movements and contortions, fainting, paralysis, convulsions, and temporary blindness or deafness. Charcot’s belief of hysteria was often dismissed. Certain people believed he suggested women to act out exaggerating the disease.

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Nature and Nurture

Introduction

- In the article, that my colleagues and I were reading the upbringing, of an individual is dependent on two circumstances, such as the nature and nurture of an individual. In the chapter, the author would separate the two terms and use them to justify and explain why a person is one way. In his expert opinion, he states that the nurture of one’s life is more dominant than nature. In this presentation, we will deepen your understanding of nature and nurture and why someone is the way they are. Are they affected by the way they are raised? or by their environment? These questions, we will answer by the end of the presentation. 

Before Continuing, Please take the time to look at these vocabulary words that will provide further insight into this psychological section: 

nature: Refers to all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are 

nurture: Refers to all environmental variables that impact who we are. This includes our early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding culture.

Summary of the Section

- Galton spoke about the gifted people in his family and how he believed that it had something to do with the family they were coming from. He conducted an experiment with his family tree and found more highly intelligible individuals came from certain families. But he couldn’t make this a general statement because everyone had different privileges growing up. Galton grew up wealthy, which is the reason why he was skilled to conduct this social experiment alone. Galton claimed that nature and nurture are forced to compete and that nature will always triumph. Galton argues that intelligence is inherited and should be “fostered” with education. Galton uses a phrase from John Locke’s theory of “Tabula rosa”  and says that people who usually have a rebuttal to his argument use this theory. In the section, Galton doesn’t credit John Locke’s theory of Tabula rosa which brought some confusion and led to more research on the topic. 

*the books separation of nature and nurture is explained in a graph that deepens one’s understanding in the two different terms. 

This video further explains the nature and nurture of a human being…

https://youtu.be/XxfcaY86jpw

Addition Research on Galton: 

According to the various websites we visited, Galton began to study medicine in his teen years. he also created a weather map we still use today even if it had its flaws. Galton received a gold medal from royal geographical society and in his spare time, he would study twins but made no real groundbreaking discovery. Additionally, to this, he also studied eugenics which is the science of improving human genetics by specific breeding. Lastly, Galton instituted a fingerprint classifying system that we still use today. 

Questions for the audience: 

Who: Who do you think is a controversial historical figure that people can argue that they were born or raised a certain way that can shape who they are today?  Who were their parents and how did that affect the way he thought and was raised?

Example of nurture: Hitler 

–What: What did he do? 

–When: During what time period? 

–Where: Where did his actions take place? 

–How: How did his actions change the way people thought of him? 

–Why: Why did you think he did it? Was he born that way or was he raised that way? Can that justify his actions? 

Reference/research section: list source URLs below : 

https://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/how-our-environment-affects-our-personality-psychology-essay.php 

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/how-our-environment-affects-our-personality-psychology-essay.php  

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Be That Self Which One Truly Is

Background

-Finding oneself 

-To be true to oneself 

-Approaches existentialism

The thought of “ Be That Self Which One Truly is” goes all the way back to Socrates and his fundamental question, “ Who am I?” Socrates believed that the main purpose of philosophy is to analyze and understand oneself. Now, going to Soren Kierkegaard, Soren starts the explanation of the levels of despair. The levels of despair start with the wrong idea of what “self” is, all the way to eventually “ Abandoning the Real Self.” 

Vocabulary 

Existentialism is a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. 

Jean Paul Sartre

Video 

“To be that self which one truly is, is indeed the opposite of despair.”

Summary 

      This section has an approach towards existentialism which starts the question “Why are we here, what is the purpose, and what do we do next?” Jean Paul Sartre said, “ What all existentialists have in common is the fundamental doctrine that existence precedes essence.” It is about finding oneself and the real truth about knowing exactly who oneself is, with no questions at all. 

Sources:

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/existentialism 

https://psychology.jrank.org/pages/229/Existential-Psychology.html

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The Beginning of Mental Life

https://psychjennifer13.tumblr.com/post/187537806867/the-beginning-of-mental-life-summary

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Adolescence is a New Birth

Background Information:

- Adolescence typically occurs in the teenage years (13-19) and is seen as a transitional period in one’s life.

- During this difficult time in our life, adolescence can raise many self identity questions within teens as many struggle to balance school and their social life.

- Teens face difficult decisions surrounding school, friends, relationships and overall identity. Because of this, teens become more self conscious with the way they look and act which can lead to mental health issues down the road.

- Not only is adolescence a time of change but can be a time for learning and growing as this period in life teaches adolescents new life skills and how to adapt to certain situations through new experiences and surroundings.

-Adolescence is also the most rapid developmental stage in our life because puberty and other life courses causes our bodies to quickly change and our views and mindset to change as well due to new exposure in life.

Self Esteem in Adolescence:

Summary of Section:

G. Stanley Hall’s theory of adolescence was inspired by Darwin’s theory of evolution. In his 1904 book, Adolescence, his theory briefed that adolescents reflected the course of not only evolutionary development, but the behaviors of their predecessors. Hall also referred to the time of adolescence as a human Sturm Und Drang, which was a movement involving German writers and musicians who promoted freedom and self-expression, as adolescence was described as a time of reckless action or moodiness. Due to the fact that adolescents become more observant of their environments and themselves, self-critical, and sensitive, Hall believed that adolescents would be more likely to experience symptoms of depression and other personal issues. However, Hall does not dismiss adolescence and instead recognizes it as a vital part of our growth and the beginning of the rest of our lives

Vocabulary:

Human Development- a science which seeks to understand why humans change or remain the same over time

Nature- characteristics, behaviors, and feelings shared by all of humankind

Ancestral Record- genealogy

Adolescence- distinct stage between childhood and adulthood

Individual Change- the changes an individual experiences based off their needs and to achieve their desired behaviors

Sensitive- to be sensitive means to be aware of others’ feelings and attitudes, possibly excessively susceptible

Reckless- to be rash, careless, or not thinking things through when it comes to making a decision and its potential consequences

Self-conscious- to be aware of oneself, physically, mentally, and one’s actions

Civilized- the state of being socially and culturally developed

“High-Order”-Being- an authoritative figure

Author’s vital contributions to science:

Inspired by Wilhelm Wundt’s work, Physiological Psychology, Hall became further interested in the concept of using carefully curated questionnaires in order to use it for psychological research. Hall and his students created over 190 questionnaires, all of which were used to study childhood behaviors and adolescence. Hall founded the American Journal of Psychology, the first english published journal specifically devoted to experimental psychology, was also a lead supporter in the founding of the American Psychological Association, the non-profit organization of psychologists which used their teachings to promote the health and wellness of the population, and founded the Journal of Genetic Psychology, the first journal focusing on the study of educational and child psychology. Hall, in his lifetime, published 489 psychological works, but his most famous and most important work is the piece, Adolescence.

Essential Questions:

— Who might have inspired Hall to compose his theory?

— Who were the main focus of Hall’s theories and teachings?

— What might have inspired Hall to study adolescence?

— What was Hall’s main focus in his theories and teachings?

— When did Hall publish his book Adolescence?

— According to hall, when might one be the most reckless, sensitive and self conscious?

— Where might Hall have gotten his inspiration for his teachings?

— In the present, where might be the best place to observe and study adolescents?

— How might have Hall tested his theories?

— Why would Hall decide base his study of adolescence off of Darwin’s theory of evolution?

Adolescence: Crash Course Psychology #20:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzyXGUCngoU

The Workings of the Acolescent Brain

https://youtu.be/Y8sO4tqfUEs

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/G-Stanley-Hall

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/adolescence

https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/development/en/

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A Peculiar Destruction of the Internal Connections of the Psyche

Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects someone’s process of thinking, feeling, and behaving. You can have Schizophrenia and still have a normal life it’s just going to be more complicated and depends what schizophrenia level you are on. There’s treatment like medications, therapies, and specialists but unfortunately, the disorder can’t be cured. No one is sure what causes Schizophrenia, many sources say it might be because of the environment, your genes, and brain chemistry.

There’s characterized by confusion and antisocial behavior. It’s starts around a person’s late teens and early adulthood. There’s 4 different subcategories, “simple” dementia, paranoia, hebephrenia, and catatonia. Postmortem investigations claim there are biochemical and structural brain abnormalities also as impairments of brain function. And all most every mental disorder is managed with medications today.

Catatonia: A behavioral syndrome marked by an inability to move normally.

Schizophrenia: A disorder that affects a person’s way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Dementia: Long-term brain disorder causing personality changes and impaired memory, reasoning, and normal function.

Paranoia: Thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationally.

Hebephrenia: A disorganized form of schizophrenia characterized especially by delusions which if present lack an underlying theme, and affect that is inappropriate or silly

QUESTIONS:

What do you think are the main causes of schizophrenia ?

When do you think the first person was diagnosed with schizophrenia?

Why is it unlikely for children under 13 to develop schizophrenia and easier for older people to get it?

How can this mental illness disrupt the patient's everyday life?

REFRENCES:

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/patient-story

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354443?utm_source=Google&utm

https://medlineplus.gov/schizophrenia.html

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Background Information:

Author-Rene Descartes

-Debate of whether the mind and body are separate or connected.

-How the church sees the connection of the mind and body/how science sees it

-Biologists believe the mind does not actually exist because it does not have a physical structure.

Vocabulary:

Dualism-the position that the mind is essentially not physical, and exists separately from the body.

Pineal Gland- “seat of thought” according to Descartes. An organ in the brain placed to unite the sights and sounds of the two eyes and two ears into one impression

Animal spirits- Fluids flowing through the nervous to cause movement

Summary of Section:

In Descartes philosophical book, De Homine, he talks about the relationship between the mind and body.  The soul (nonmaterial) is in the pineal gland of the brain doing all the thinking.  The body is the machine that operates through the nervous system.  Other philosophers had discussed this topic before, but Descartes was the first to describe it in detail.  The soul is in the pineal gland because the pineal gland is what does the thinking and so does the soul.  The soul has to reside in a physical compartment because if not, it would be floating around, not being able to work with the body. The body’s “animal spirits”/movements can cause a sensation that would alert the brain and the mind can send motion to a particular region because of that sensation. To understand this concept, Descartes compares this dynamic to the fountains of Versailles. The water represents the movements of the human machine and the fountaineers represent the mind that controls those movements.  People might say that the mind and body are different entities, but mental and physical health go hand in hand.  

Essential Questions: 

What are your thoughts on the mind and body? Do you believe that they exist together or separately?

--What analogy can you think of when describing the mind and body?

--How does our mind differ from the mind of an animal?

--How do you think the mind affects emotions?

--Why do you think the mind-body problem is still relevant in modern times?

Youtube videos 

Crash Course: https://youtu.be/3SJROTXnmus  (3:18-4:24)

References:

https://youtu.be/ILDy6kYU-xQ

McLeod, S. A. (2018, Feb 05). Mind body debate. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/mindbodydebate.html

“James 2:26 - For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Body-Soul-And-Spirit/

https://www.biography.com/scholar/rene-descartes 

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Concepts Become Forces When They Resist One Another  by: helloqeent and autophobia2

SUMMARY: Johann Herbart developed a theory based on ideas and concepts we value throughout our lives, eventually coming to the conclusion that the mind must use some kind of system for differentiating and storing ideas. Through dynamic elements Herbart summed up that ideas that are drawn to one another will come to form a more complex idea. However, contradictory ideas begin to dismiss themselves from the consciousness of the mind.

VOCABULARY : 

          1) Unconscious: in psychoanalysis, the part of the psyche that cannot be accessed by the conscious mind.

            2) Psychoanalysis: a set of theories and therapeutic techniques related to the study of the unconscious mind, which together form a method of treatment for mental-health disorders

MORE INFORMATION :

-experiences and sensations form ideas 

-similar ideas coexist 

-dissimilar ideas resist

-idea becomes favored 

-favored ideas stay in consciousness 

-unfavored ideas leave consciousness 

Video: https://youtu.be/t4okAfKCwR

JOHANN CONCLUSIONS :

Because this system works pretty well, most of the time you don’t need to think about the fact that your beliefs may be contradictory as a result of being contextual. But calling to mind your contradictory beliefs leads you to notice that they aren’t consistent. (There seems to be an endless reservoir of people who delight in pointing out your inconsistencies to you, particularly on the internet.) In those situations, you have two options.

One is to follow the “it depends” strategy: You make a mental note that your beliefs aren’t really contradictory. Instead, one belief holds in one set of circumstances, and the opposite holds in other circumstances. This has the benefit of being cognitively true.

Sometimes, though, you resolve the contrast between beliefs by choosing one over the other. This strategy is the one we use in science.

QUESTIONS:

--What: What is the concept of forces that resist each other?

--Where: Where do two ideas go that don’t coexist with each other?

--How: How might complex ideas and weak ideas manage in the same structure of the mind?

--Why: Why would Johann Herbart want to investigate how the mind works?

ADDITIONAL INFO:

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/johann-herbart/

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Johann_Friedrich_Herbart

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24 Hours After Learning Something, We Forget Two-Thirds of It

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Meaning of Consciousness

Consciousness is a very hard term to define, but you immediately assume that you know the definition of it. If you focus on the thoughts in your conscience, you become aware that your conscience experiences are always changing. Consciousness is a simple term to identify but at the same time it’s one of the hardest terms to define, giving an accurate definition is the hardest thing a psychologist can do. 

Generally, conscience is used to refer to an individual’s awareness of his/her own thoughts. This guy named William James compared these daily experiences of consciousness to a river/stream.

William James was born in 1842 and spent most of his childhood traveling and attending schools in Europe and the US. James originally wanted to be a painter but science eventually led him to enroll in Harvard in 1861. He moved to Harvard Medical School in 1864 but later became depressed and ill, interrupting his studies. By 1873 James returned and became a professor of philosophy and psychology. He became a key role in establishing psychology as a true science. He later died in New Hampshire in 1910. William James believed that a river/stream would be the most natural and simple description of consciousness.

Linking consciousness back to its long history, the ancient Greeks did not use the term consciousness, but they did discuss the mind. As a result from this, Plato, a Greek philosopher, made a contest between body and soul but Aristotle would argue that even though they’re different, they can’t be separated. 

Mid-17th Century, Rene Discartez was one of the first philosophers to even attempt to describe conscience. He proposed that the consciousness lives in “The Realm of Thought”. However, John Locke , 17th century English philosopher, was the first person who attributed to the modern concept of consciousness. James was drawn to Locke’s ideals but German philosopher Emmanuel Kant’s idols seemed more defined. 

William James had many different theories on the combining of thoughts. He concluded the 12-word-sentence-problem where the conscience can only remember sentences in sections, therefore, if you give 12 men each one word, there will never be a conscious thought of the whole sentence. James also struggled to see how thoughts could combine because A+B=C meaning 2 ideas together create a new one. James concluded that connections made within the 5 senses, create pulse within that stream of consciousness. For example, hearing a noise and feeling pain at the same time would lead to a pulse within our stream because any thoughts that enter out awareness during that moment, combine.  

James called the resting places in our conscience, “substantive parts” whereas the moving currents leading from the resting places are called “Transitive Parts”. This means we are always jumping from 1 conclusion/thought to another, always pushing our mind forward. 

James wanted us to understand that Consciousness is a process that is constantly evolving.

James also concluded that our thoughts are our own and they make up our “self”. Investigating this “self” is the starting point of psychology. Other psychologists did not agree with this because it wasn’t experimental but James thought it was enough to work with because of how much the mind can comprehend. This was called the “Empirical self” referring to the material self, spiritual self, and social self. 

Along with the theories of combining thoughts, James also concluded theories on the role of emotion in the consciousness. The James-Lange theory of emotion states that emotion is produced from your minds perception of your physical state. For example, if you see a wild animal, your THOUGHT is to run away. But you’re not running away because you’re scared, you’re scared because you’re running away. What’s happening is that you run away, and the feeling of fear is caused by the action of running away. 

Now, because James is an overachiever, he also approached theories on the way we believe things or not. This study is called Pragmatism. Basically, Pragmatism is the process of believing facts that the believer finds useful. For example, your religious beliefs help you find comfort and hope, which is why you believe in them, I mean you’re not going to believe in something that makes you upset and angry. Pragmatism was essential to James’ thinking.  

After James’ death people were less interested in conscience from the 1920s to the 1950s, for example the Gestalt movement, which did not separate conscience events but rather think of them holistically.

Since the 1980s psychologists focused on the 2 main areas of interest in the consciousness: the content of consciousness for healthy people and the content of conscience for the impaired. For example subjects in a vegitive state who breathe independently and are awake but have lost all brain functions.

The goal is to assess the mechanisms of consciousness, both psychological and physical.

Francis Crick a British biophysicist claimed consciousness is related to a specific part of the brain- the prefrontal cortex, and Rodolfo Linas, a Colombian Neuroscientist , claimed that consciousness is connected to the thalamus which is a structure deep in the center of the brain.  The thalamus is responsible for regulating vibrations at certain frequencies, if disrupted it may cause neurological disorders.

But conscience is still hard to define to this day.

James’ study of conscience helped other sciences or studies such as memory and attention. His study helped open minds and shaped our understanding of behavior.

James helped develop psychology courses in the US after his death. His death and studies helped form the american psychological association.

Because of James’ studies he is now considered the father of psychology.

Vocabulary:

Substantive Parts: resting places in our conscience

Transitive Parts: moving currents leading from the resting places 

Empirical self: referring to the material self, spiritual self, and social self 

Questions:

WHAT is consciousness?

HOW are emotions and consciousness related? 

WHEN did William James go to Harvard? 

WHY is consciousness referred to as a river/ stream?

WHO is Rene Discartez?

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Philosophical Roots: Dormez! (Hypnosis)

By drmayers & drparr

Hypnosis is a state of hyper awareness which is a state of focused attention, heightened suggestibility, and vivid fantasies. People usually bring themselves to a hypnotic state, the other person just helps the person bring themselves to their own calm state of mind. The purpose of hypnosis is to help people cope with certain mood disorders, bring people into a positive mindset or bring people out of a negative one. Everyone has different feelings and effects while under hypnosis and is not susceptible to hypnosis. One of many theories about hypnosis is that people in a hypnotic state experience a split consciousness in which there are two different streams of mental activity.

Why Abbe assume to say a phrase can cause deep sleep? and What causes you to go into deep sleep aka lucid sleep?

Hypnosis is the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction. Its use in therapy, typically to recover repressed memories or to allow modification of behavior by suggestion, has been revived but is still controversial. Hypnosis can also be used as an alternative therapy option.

Sleep Temples

-  A hospital for the spirit body

Animal (Psych)

- body’s natural magnetism

Mesmerized

- hold the attention of (someone) to the exclusion of all else or so as to transfixed them.

Lucid sleep

- The process of being aware that one is dreaming

Hypnos

- sleep

Hypnosis

- the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction. Its use in therapy, typically to recover repressed memories or to allow modification of behavior by suggestion, has been revived but is still controversial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMYNTnoEyQ (1:49 to 3:32)

Sigmund Freud, most we known for being the “Father of Psychology,” set the groundwork for most of the section. Freudian Psychology is a type of Psychology that  based on the work of Sigmund Freud. He was originally trained as a neurologist and is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind, dreams, infantile sexuality, libido, repression, and transference. All of which continue to influence the field of psychology today. He practiced hypnosis but was unable to effectively get his patients into trance. Freud determined that since sleep is an altered state of consciousness like hypnosis, and dreams occur during sleep, one could gain access to the material of the unconscious mind through dreams.

Questions for You:

Who:

Who believed in the works of lucid sleep and taught it?

When:

When did lucid sleep become an actual practice of therapy?

Where:

Where did lucid sleep originate from besides Abbe?

How:

How did Abbe release his sense of fear when his father said a phrase? Refrences:  https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-hypnosis-2795921 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-well/201301/the-truth-about-hypnosis https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/hypnosis