PSYCH 3004 1st EditionExam # 1 Study Guide The “Great Man” Perspective vs The Zeitgeist PerspectiveGreat Man- Key figures played particularly significant and unique roles in shaping psychology- Personalistic viewZeitgeist- Spirit of the times- Ideas are just sort of thereFreud—Psychoanalysis (Didn’t have sex until late twenties, gave it up at 40 because it clouded judgment and thoughts, had affair with sister in law)Skinner—BehaviorismUse of Studying History (2 Extreme Views)1. The Past is the Past2. The Past Shapes the FuturePast is PastWiley’s take (cartoonist) “Who cares about past, didn’t happen to me”3 Perspectives - Traditional (Old History) View: one transcendent reality with growing comprehension- Total Subjectivity: no transcendent reality- The “New History” View: one transcendent reality with multiple valid representationsTraditional Perspective on History of Psychology Laurel Furumoto called it “Old History” Real historical pattern—we strive to document/ understand Emphasizes progress accumulating gradually to present (“presentation” is implicit) NOT NICE Goal of historical study in Psychology is to gain appreciation and a shared sense of identity with other contemporary psychologists Study events “internal” to the discipline—don’t worry about external societal changes The “Great Man” perspective is centralTotal Subjectivity (no transcendent reality)- “History is more or less bunk” --Henry Fordo Henry bought Stephen Foster’s House, or so he thinkso Made an amusement parko Sent people to get historical itemso Called it Greenfield Villageo GOT THE WRONG HOUSE1. If you’ve got the money, history becomes whatever you want it to be2. Stephen Colbert’s Wikiality elephant entry3. 1984 George OrwellNew History- All descriptions of history reflect subjective judgments and interpretations- Contemporary interpretations of psychology may differ from earlier viewsA Case Study Illustrating “Old” vs. “New” Perspectives, and Subjectivism in HistoryWas there a Michaelangelo Code?Or Renaissance art as projective test?Herman Rorschacho Swiss Psychologisto 1884-1922o Wanted to find a way to deal with the reluctancy that people have with wanting to talk about things that they are worried abouto Maybe if we show ink blots, they will show feelings they normally wouldn’to One may look like a glaring wolf or two witches dancing… just different interpretations, just an ink blot!The Traditional Historical view- Leonardo, Michelangelo, and some of the other renaissance artists performed some dissections to study human musculature- However, they ignored the nervous system because it had no impact on representation of human figuresLeonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)- Mona Lisa- The Last Supper- Sketched, studied human anatomy- Studied cadaverso Not easy to obtain cadavers in publico Religious objections to Leonardo’s dissection researcho 1516 Pope Leo X orders Leonardo to cease dissection of corpseso Leonardo was heavily dependent on official funding, and personallysecretiveo Leonardo probably stopped dissection workMichelangelo- Anatomical studies, preliminary sketches- Painted the Sistine chapelo Chapel opened 1483 with stars on ceilingo Wasn’t very impressiveo Pope Julius 11 commissioned Michelangelo to paint ceiling frescoeso Has to construct scaffolding, develops fresco techniqueo Works on ceiling from 1508-1512o Complete the “Creation of Man” by 1512Reconstructing Michelangelo (the “Michelangelo Code”)- Brain behind figure representing god (idea from book)- Meshberger an M.D. but article didn’t cite serious historical references- Traditional views of renaissance thought don’t jibe- Anatomical representations of the human brain assumed to date from the work of the Belgian Vesalius- “We project our own thoughts onto ambiguous images”Vesalius- Belgian Physician- Humanist “Renaissance Man”- Author of first published textbook of Human anatomyGunther von Hagens—Body World Plastinated CadaversThe Old History View- Wanted to study anatomy but confined interests to musculature- Therefore Michelangelo couldn’t have appreciated the significance of human brains when painting the Creation of ManPhilosophical Concepts, Principles, and People as Psychology BeganThe “Endless Debate”: Nativism vs. Empiricism- The nature vs nurture debate- Genetics vs environment- Nativist philosophers asserted important ideas are present from birth- Empiricist philosophers (John Locke) concluded that all ideas are acquiredthrough experienceNativist Philosophers- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (first to write pornographic autobiography, catholic priest)- Immanuel KantBut it really does look like a brain... It doesn’t look like a brain to everyone! • Eric Meece’s Theory: Not a brain, but a map...seen from behind... So is Meshberger just looking at an inkblot? •Individuals can make mistaken interpretations • Some people see things that aren’t there • Some people believe silly theories because they are ignorant or misinformed • We can probably agree that the egg plant looks like Richard Nixon, and the painting looks like a brain • That doesn’t mean the gardener who grew it intended it as a sculpture. But then again, Maybe there is a “Michelangelo code”...Image from Barreto & de Oliveira’s “Secret Art of Michelangelo” (2004). 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29Page 4 So what does all this mean, in practice?•Psychology and Science • “Thou shalt not sit with statisticians nor commit a social science.”—W. H. Auden, “Under which Lyre” (1946). Alternative Conceptions of Psychology • Science (studying phenomena relevant to human existence) – Example: Modern neuroscience • Philosophy (identifying the spiritual or intellectual nature of human existence) –Example: Humanistic psychology • Art (creation of a product expressing and gratifying emotions) –Example: Freudian psychoanalysis • Technology (for helping people whose thoughts or behaviors are problematic) –Example: Behavior modification. Evolution of the Scientific Method • Prescientific: Intuition, generalization • Aristotelian Philosophy (4th Century B.C.) • Baconian Scientific Philosophy (Early 17th Century) • Modern Scientific Method (Karl Popper, 20th Century). Aristotle (384-322 BC). • Rembrandt’s “Aristotle with a bust of Homer”, 1653. • Observational methods, deduction. Peter with a bust of Homer... Robert