AP Psychology Exam Preparation…

Published December 31, 2011 by Char PSI Tutor:Mentor

Image: Psych Classics

I thought today for the AP Psychology Exam Prep post that I would upload a qirky vid created by Dr Larry Pfaff of Spring Arbor University. It covers the reasoning behind why we as psychologists need to know our past~ basically, so we can navigate our future.

View the cartoon video and my reflection on it at the new Psychology Tutor:Mentor site…

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Shower Thinking (via My Beaten Track)

Published July 13, 2011 by Char PSI Tutor:Mentor

Insightful reading from a newbie blogger~ young adult, fem, uni student and much more…

What is it about showers that are so wonderful? We stand in there to soak longer than we should, we sing in them, drink beer in them, dance in them – and that's just to begin with. I thought about this for a while, and I finally came up with an answer: It's the place where we more readily relax. There's just something about the shower which is more relaxing than anywhere else, and I honestly think it comes down to the water. Sure you could chill … Read More

via My Beaten Track

Problem-solving~ de Bono Style (5)

Published May 24, 2008 by Char PSI Tutor:Mentor

Cleverness is a narrow focus even if it is very sharp. Wisdom is a wide-angle focus which takes in much more.

Edward de Bono (1996)

Apologies to those who have noticed that I have been remiss in my blogging. For the past four weeks I have been a busy bee with work. This week will be one of organising myself to be able to get back to blogging regularly. Meanwhile students, keep the work coming :-) …

Exploring Psychology with Plato

Published April 9, 2008 by Char PSI Tutor:Mentor

Reading the original texts that are highlighted in psychology textbooks aids the student in understanding what was actually being said. Remember, textbooks, journal articles and reviews etc. are another person’s interpretation of a text. Be a good scientist and have a read of the primary sources :-)  

Exploring psychology is a subject that aims to provide students with the roots to psychology as a discipline. Like the great man said, “If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know where you are going”. This post hopes to aid students in their exam prep.

Plato (427-347 BC) was a Greek philosopher who strongly rejected the concept of the mind being a separate entity to the body. He felt that ideas were innate and also put forth the idea that mental processes arose in the brain of a person. Plato avidly taught, theorized and shared his understanding of the meaning of life and human purpose; he even opened an Academy in 367 BC.

 

He established a form of thought that is now referred to as “Moral Psychology”. He stated that rationality requires that a person put their own interests first, except in circumstances when society or groups are all expected to put their own interests aside. Hence it is rational to accept moral behavior as an expectation of oneself when others are expected to act morally as well.

Plato was influenced by Heraclitus of Ephesus (late 6th century BC) who advocated that the universe was always changing (Heraclitus represented this concept of change using the symbol of Fire). Another great influence for Plato was his teacher Socrates, evident in his main characters in his texts being named after his teacher.  

The writings of Plato contain many of the foundations of psychological concepts that are used today For example, his text Meno, Plato writes about how to define “virtue” and then discusses where people’s belief systems come from and where knowledge arises from. His main character (Socrates) states that all knowledge can be found within each person, and that psyche is immortal in essence.

Another of his famous texts is Republic which focuses on Utopia or the ideal State for a society. In this text Plato draws analogies about Utopia to the human psyche. For example, the psyche has as having multiple dimensions, which according to Plato included; intellectual, courageous and appetitive. In the same way a society (in his time) has philosophers, soldiers and workers. Continuing with the analogy, just as a person need to be ruled by their intellect and not their emotions, so too did a State need to be ruled by wise leaders and not emotional soldiers or greedy workers.

 Here is a video link to an interpretation of Plato’s analogy of “The Cave”…do you agree with the analogy given here…?

 

 

Further Reading:

Plato’s Moral Psychology

Classics in the History of Psychology

Plato on the Attribution of Conative Attitudes 

 

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