Re-Examining Psychology-- What Exactly is Psychology? Or Two Kinds of Psychology By Rob W. Case November 9, 2010 Website: http://makingsense.proboards.

com I have always been fascinated with psychology. Psychology was my favorite subject in high school, and was the class that I looked forward to going to most. I saw some tremendous value in the class, but I saw even more than what I learned in school when I realized its root meaning. At face value this may sound confusing, but it wont be once its properly explained. I always knew psychology to be the study of the mind. Thats how it was explained in school. What was even more interesting and so definitive was the fact that psychology is really the study of something more than what is attributed to just the mind or science.

The word Psyche from which the word psychology is derived from is Greek for the word soul. I then looked in the original 1828 version of Noah Websters dictionary, and the word psychology was defined in this way. Noah Webster defined psychology as A discourse or treatise on the human soul; or the doctrine of the nature and properties of the soul. This was, most definitely, an alternative from what I was always taught in school. I was taught that psychology was essentially a study of the mind (in the sense that it is essentially a study of the bodily organ we call the brain) and human behaviors in relationship to it. I always thought of psychology as the study of carnal, chemical, and/or sexual (Freudian) nature and their characteristics. The study of psychology as far as I was concerned, was the study of human nature and its animalistic (if you will) components. Today, modern psychology focuses mainly on the physical, biological components of life and almost completely ignores the condition of the soul. Yet does it work? Some people seem to think so, but does it really fix the root of the problem? Have they ever thought to critically examine this?

Todays modern definition of Psychology is, according to the Encarta Dictionary, The scientific study of the human mind and mental states, and of human and animal behavior. That's a stark difference from its original definition as if it is focusing primarily on one thing (carnal elements) and totally leaving out the other (soul).

On many occasions, I have noticed that many who seek the counsel of a psychologist/psychiatrist place their faith in a person for whom they may perceive to be a professional of higher academic superiority. Knowing that the doctor specializes in psychology/psychiatry, the patient

is in a situation where they are more comfortable and reliant on the doctors words or chemical prescriptions, placing the patient in a position where he can (perhaps unwittingly) be told what to think and in turn how to act. On the patients end, he may interpret the analysis as the long lost root of his problems for which he can build his foundation for recovery on. The foundation that it is built on a beginning analysis then opens the door to further sessions, and sessions cost money. Is this necessarily a bad thing, so long as the individuals treated believe they are benefitting from the treatment? Im sort of torn on this, because in one sense, I would have to say, yes because their root problem is not being addressed, yet the treatment may in fact be creating a distraction from the inner-pain that is having a negative, harmful effect on the emotions and behavioral moods of the patient. On the flip side, if he thinks he is being cured or helped, then in his mind he is being cured and helped. So what happens if you tell him otherwise? You dont, because its not your place to challenge that other persons method of treatment or thoughts regarding his own personal problems.

The Problem Within: When the soul is not considered, and when all attention is focused on analyzing the patients past in order to find what they think may be the root cause for a persons problems, or when a psychiatrist prescribes chemicals to force the body and the brain not to cope with the deep rooted inner problems, then chances are, the patient may change their attitude based on their faith in the psychologists word (as the patient sees him/herself as someone intellectually inferior to someone more learned and thus superior in their mind), or focus on prescription drug-induced highs or lows that are designed to help them focus on other things aside from the issues or concerns that trouble them. While many people find solace in these costly drugs, doesnt the root of the problem remain at the root? If a person has a problem that is of a moral or spiritual nature, or if a person is in a state of depression, then the soul is in dire need of attention. I believe that in many multiple areas, depression is due to a soul that is ill. And if the soul is in need of attention, and attention is being focused primarily on chemical or biological aspects alone, then the root problem within the soul remains neglected, leaving it ill. An ill soul, if left untreated, can lead to a vast array of problems. A Case in Point: I remember in 2004, a problem was eating away at me. There was an individual who I had unhealthy tensions with. I mean, every time I saw this individual, tension would rise, and I would react to it (even biologically) in a way that was awkward and strange. I couldnt help it. Every time I saw this individual, I would break into a sweat, my demeanor would change, and it was affecting me in a profound way. This persons aura would turn me into a wreck. If that individual was not in my presence, everything would be as normal and peaceful as it could be. I could be myself without anything weird or awkward happening. It was very strange. What was even

stranger was that the tensions and the awkward biological reactions were way beyond my control. Or so I thought. That summer, some friends and I took a trip to Hollywood California. On one of the days, we went to a Barnes and Noble book store. I love books, especially non-fiction informative books. There, I saw the book The 7 Secrets written by a preacher by the name of John Hagee. When I began to read the book, I couldnt put it down. As I was reading the book, it hit me. I understood the nature of those awkward tensions to a point that it helped me place the matter into the perspective needed to properly deal with it. It was a soul problem, and once I knew of its nature, I became equipped to build a strategy for which my soul could be at ease. Identifying the root problem was key towards my recovery and it worked, thanks to God-induced wisdom.

Psychology and Science: Psychology, the way it has evolved, has been instrumental over the years. Yet, in my opinion, it seems as though when you focus primarily on mans carnal nature and limit treatment only to that, you end up creating more basket cases. In recent years especially, I have seen and heard that this person has a disease, or that person has been diagnosed with a disorder, but once they describe the disorder, the disorder ends up being a chosen behavioral pattern that, over time, the person who possesses that pattern has placed it of high importance in their life. Sometimes a behavior starts with one partaking. Then it continues with another, then another, then another, until finally it ends up becoming like a snowball, rolling down a large hill, getting bigger and bigger until it consumes everything. Then, its as if youre left holding a hairdryer in the midst of this monstrous snowball, and instead of having the patience to melt it down, as tedious and frustrating as it can be, it is easy to just give up, leave it alone, as is, or put it on the backburner, say, Oh, tomorrow Ill get to it, and continue to add more mass to the problem thats already there. Psychology and Gods Work in the Soul: Isaiah 57:15-17
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For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made.
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It takes a strong sense of humility for a person to be able to properly define his own problems, because it begins with finding fault within ones self. We are, by nature, self righteous individuals. This serves as a blindness mechanism because our pride is challenged. As such, it takes strength and a sharp edge sometimes to cause hurt, and to from hurt, form humility. God has provided us with valuable means be able to properly discern and identify with the help of his Holy Spirit, our own nature (and thus our problems) the way God sees it, and provide us with a pathway to healing, which then serves as a form of confidence to enable repentance.

In composing this article, my objective really isnt to undo the structures which psychologists and psychiatrists work from, but to ask some serious hypothetical questions about the current status of modern psychology. But in my experience, when I try to use it in conjunction with focusing on the soul, the area it was intended to examine in the first place, it works best for me, and in that respect, I would like to pass that along as well.