Chapter 2 (Part II) Early Psychological Knowledge PSK301-History of Psychology Assoc. Prof. Okan Cem Çırakoğlu okanc@baskent.edu.tr
Indian and Chinese Ancient Traditions Hinduism and Buddhism as worldviews maintain their impact on all types of psychological knowledge Both Indian and Chinese schools developed remarkable worldviews of the individual, social roles, cognition, and the ability of people to control the outcomes of their behavior
Indus Valley and Civilization
Ganga Plains 500 BCE Agriculture Trade Social life
Indian Philosophy Human mind and behavior Focuses on meaning of the individual psychological experiences Educated human beings and way to free the self
The Hindu Tradition Roots can be traced to Vedas (texts and ritual hymns, 1500 BCE) Uphanishads (oral teachings)
The Hindu Tradition Law and Order Dharma Ultimate law or universal order governing objects and people Kharma Universal rules of cause and effect (organizes the world) Multiple Gods
The Hindu Tradition Soul and Death All living creatures undergo a cycle of rebirth Soul transmigrates from body to another one Earlier beliefs: after death Eyes go to the sun The breath to the wind Self to the ancestors Later beliefs: Self moves from body to body in accordance to this person s actions (kharma)
The Hindu Tradition Reincarnation Reincarnation is determined by the law (dharma) & causality (kharma) Male discourse in texts is more salient Androcentrism Placing male or masculine point of view athe the center of theory or narrative
The Hindu Tradition Life Cycle A person has immortal and mortal parts Immortal parts: mind, speech, breath, sight and hearing Mortal parts: hair, skin, flesh, bone and marrow Everything happens for a reason Dharma emphasizes ritual and moral behavior People have obligations in regard to their position in society and to their stages of development Castes: societal positions and roles attached to them
The Hindu Tradition Castes Brahmins (teach religion) Nobles or Warriors (defense) Commoners (plow, cattle and lend money) Serfs (serve to upper castes) Castes are usually inalienable Highers are more pure Strict rules of endogamy and commensality
The Hindu Tradition Castes Women are generally inferior to men Boys are valuable than girls Emphasis on Social identity Hierarchy Order
The Hindu Tradition Mind and Behavior Cognition is central Reflection of reality are distorted Perceptions Emotions Desires Unprepared individuals misunderstand their place in the general scheme of things Reality is different from it usually appears to us
The Hindu Tradition Mind and Behavior False beliefs lead to insecurity Only right state of mind brings security Transcendence knowldge beyond the empirical experence
The Hindu Tradition Ways of right view Mind and senses Limited self can be transcended True identity of self can be experienced Yoga to control to unite
The Hindu Tradition Ways of Right View Yoga facilitates transformation of consciousness Focusing attention on a single point Mental constraints and impurities Consciousness is the ultimate reality Reason is subordinated to intution Detachment or nonattachment to material things is the true objective of life
The Hindu Tradition Moral Prescriptions To be ethical, honest, celibate and nonviolent Self-discipline Controlling body and breathing Withdrawal and meditation
The Hindu Tradition Moral Prescriptions Chakras Bodily centers and channels of energy Learning abot them increase control over mind and body Illness is originated from imbalance within the body
The Hindu Tradition Chakras
Siddartha Gautama (563-483 BCE) Sufferings Liberation The Buddhist Tradition
The Buddhist Tradition The Four Noble Truths 1. Suffering is an inseparable part of life Several types of sufferings Physical and psychological suffering Anxiety or stress (desire to possess) Lack of satisfaction 2. Understanding true origins of sufferings Cravings or desires conditioned by ignorance
The Buddhist Tradition The Four Noble Truths 3. There is an escape from cravings and ignorance 4. Acting on reduction and elimination on sufferings Becoming a moral person Thinking critically Speaking truthfully Trying to not to give harm Self-improvement Understanding self Practicing meditation
The Buddhist Tradition The Self Bodily and mental states are seperated Body: flesh, bone and skin Comes from nourishment and end with cessation Mental processes are associated with the living body and end with its deaths Mental processes are reborn in a new body
The Buddhist Tradition The Self Everything is passing Self is attached to the body When the body changes the self also changes You, 10 years ago and now Body and self changed Soul needs a body to reflect
The Buddhist Tradition The Self and Nirnava A state of profound peace of mind People should free be from being attached to passing events, feelings and thoughts Therefore, no self exists
The Buddhist Tradition The Self More than 100 different types of personalities Differences come from underlying element Earth, water, fire, and wind Three features Greed Hatred Delusions
Cognition Consciousness Self Immoral behavior Personality Impact of emotions Symptoms Self-cognition Indian Philosophy
The Chinese Tradition The Confucianism Confucius (551-479 BCE) Virtuous and efficient behavior is central Person s commitment to improvement is important No limits to self-perfection
The Confucianism Ideal Person Ideal person is a balanced one Self-improvement Loving families Avoiding disrupting social order Respecting authority Obeying the law Education
The Confucianism Holism and Harmony Holism Everything is interconnected in the world and body Everything exists in the integration of yin and yang Yin and yang are interconnected entities
Yin and Yang Tung Chung-Shu 179-104 BCE Yin Dark, feminine, soft and hidden A form of natural emotions Yang Bright, masculin, firm and open Human nature is associated with it Goodness
The Chinese Tradition Taoism Lao-Tse 604-531 BCE Development of virtue and personality traits Empathy Kindness Self-restraint Modesty Living accdordance with the nature Promote simplicity
The Chinese Tradition Taoism Emphasis on Harmony of interconnected things Healty life Healing Coping Herbal medicine
Focus: the complexities of cognition and its distortions Focus: ethical and social problems
The First Millennium The Roman Empire 500 years until 476 CE Medicine Human behavior Moral choices Individuals ability to control the outcomes of their decisions
Medical Foundations Galen (129-200 CE) Born in Pergamon lived in Rome Fundamental force of life:pneuma Three forms of pneuma Located in brain (reason, memory, imagination) Vital pneuma located in the heart (regulates blood flow) Located in the liver (nutrition and metabolism) Nervous system like a tree Automatic (heart...) and voluntary (controlled by soul) Manic and depressive symptoms (brain substances) Quality of blood affects emotions Hot blood leads to unrestricted anger
Moral Behavior Influence of Stoic philosopy in Greece. Roman philosophers Seneca Epictetus Marcus Aurelius Their focus Ethical behavior, duty, moral choices, rationality, free will
The Early Christian Tradition Plotinus (204-270) Mind play an active role in shaping or ordering objects of perception rather than passively receiving data from senses Soul is divine, nonmaterial and eternal entity with three functions Soul is connected with eternity Soul is connected with body and feelings Soul has a self-reflection capacity to learn its own past and present
Guilt and Sin Augustine (354-430) Emphasized a single motivational force: will Two wills Spiritual will (caritas): intensions, ethical actions, self-restraint and virtue Carnal will (cupiditas): excessive desire, violence and greed Self composed of struggling entities: greed vs selfcontrol...
Human Sexuality A feature of carnal will Procreation purposes Prohibited views of sexuality in Christianity Expressed in guilt, shame, self-control
Middle Eastern Civilizations