Introduction
Most of us have thought of this problem, it is when we are sad or stressed and our bodies become ill, I have experienced many situations when my body has followed my mind’s mood and emotions. Descartes, the famous philosopher of the middle ages said, I think therefore I am. This can be explained by different ways, my explanation is that I think therefore I exist, existence without the mind or its interaction with the apparent material world cannot be perceived.
Presentation of theory
What is mind-body problem?
Mind-body problem is the question if there is mind or soul and if there is how interacts with the body. The mind-body problem has concerned humans throughout centuries; it is as old as psychology. Every psychologist has to see to this problem directly or indirectly. There are many different theories which manipulate this problem; some of them are materialism, monism, dualism, idealism, the theory of emergentism, epiphenomenalism, double aspectism, occationalism, psychophysical parallelism and preestablished harmony (Hergenhahn,2005).
Materialism
Some psychologists try to explain everything in a materialistic way, the mental and intellectual events can be explained by the principles of physics and chemistry. These psychologists are called materialists because they believe that the matter is the only substance that surrounds us. Consequently everything in the world including the behavior of human beings can be explained by natural sciences(Hergenhahn,2005).
Monism
Monists are those who support the idea that there is only one reality. Materialists are monists because they believe that there is only matter. Idealists are monists too because they consider that everything including the material world is a result of the human consciousness(Hergenhahn,2005).
Dualism
Dualists suggest that there are two sides in humans, the material and the mental side, dualists consider that there are material events and mental events. There are several types of dualism: interactionalism, emergentism, epiphenomenalism, double aspectism, psychophysical parallelism, preestablished harmony and occasionalism(Hergenhahn,2005).
Interactionalism
This theory suggests that the mind and the body interact between them. The mind influences the body. According to this view, the mind is able to cause behaviors and actions. This theory was developed by Descartes and it is the only theory that support the members of the humanistic-existential school. The psychoanalysts like Freud are also supporters of this theory of interactionalism as they consider that the illnesses of the body are caused by mindful episodes like conflicts, anxiety and cancelation(Hergenhahn,2005).
Emergentism
This theory supports the idea that the conditions of the mind come from the brain, this theory is very popular nowadays. There is one type of emergentism which is related to interactionalism and suggests that the mindful activities can influence the activity of the brain and cause behaviors. There is another type of emergentism which is called epiphenomenalism(Hergenhahn,2005).
Epiphenomenalism
This theory suggests that the brain causes the mental events, however the mental events are not able to cause behaviors. According to this approach the mental events are by-products of the brain, however they have nothing to do with behaviors (Hergenhahn,2005).
Psychophysical parallelism
This theory considers that an environmental experience is able to cause mental events and bodily responses at the same time. Psychophysical parallelism suggests that these two events take place independently (Hergenhahn,2005).
Double aspectism
Double aspectism is another dualistic view which suggests that the individual cannot be divided into mind and body but it consists of a unity which experiences bodily and mental events at the same time. The bodily and mental events are the two sides of human being. According to this view the body and the mind cannot interact, they are simply two sides of each event we experience as humans (Hergenhahn,2005).
Preestablished harmony
This dualistic theory considers that mental and bodily events are different types of events; however they are synchronized because they are designed to follow similar directions. It is considered that this coordination is prearranged by an external factor e.g. God(Hergenhahn,2005).
Occasionalism
Occasionalism is the belief that the relation between the mind and the body is arranged by the mediation of God. This theory was introduced by Nicolas de Malebrance (1638-1715) who suggested that when a desire is appeared, God mobilizes the body to take action, similarly when something happens to the body, God cause a similar mental experience(Hergenhahn,2005).
Discussion
My personal opinion is that psychology has to do with the interaction of the body and mind, psychology is a science of the mind, it explores issues which their main source is the mind. I believe in interactionalism which suggests that the mind and the body exist and interact together. However I believe that our soul is the original source of our existence, a view that is closer to idealism which is a monistic theory.
In an article about materialism and reflections of faith, Feredino (2007) suggested that if we accept materialism, we will see that it cannot be proved by the natural sciences which examine the material world. The problems which come from materialism like the absence of an eternal soul, the refusal of the God and the beyond lead humans to a mental and psychological impasse because humans have an internal impulse to search for the eternal and their future in the eternity.
We have conscience of our existence, of the existence of the objective world, we perceive that we have personality, however the personality, the thoughts, the will are not properties of the matter, we need a cause which has these properties and this cause cannot be the matter. The search for the cause of the existence of the world, of the life, of the mind lead to the admission that materialism is not sufficient explanation of the world(Feredino 2007).
If we observe human, we will see that he has not only appetites and passions, he has perception of the right and wrong, of the good and bad. Μoral nature of humans cannot be considered as product of matter which off course has not such properties(Feredino,2007).
Like morality, the will is one fundamental mental force which is one more properties that we do not meet in the material world. Some scientists suggested that the matter of the microcosm show that initiative of movement exists in the material particles too. However these suggestions are not enough to persuade humans that the matter has will(Feredino,2007).
In many cases we observe the idea of the beauty. Humans search for the beautiful developing fine arts, the art of music, of speech, of painting. The desire and the search for the beautiful cannot be material.
But how psychology is related to a mental world? There are several psychological approaches which emphasize on this side of humans. Humanism for example suggests that the goal of life is to reach our potential in order to live more fully our lives. In the other hand Jungian psychology supports the idea that there are archetypes in the human collective unconscious which consist of memories from the humanistic racial history, Jungian psychology is considered to be closer to mysticismFeredino,2007).
A modern psychiatrist whose name is Bryan Weiss suggests that the world is energy ,for example nuclear bombs are based on the techniques of transformation of energy and the traditional therapies function because of the transformation of energy that take place in cellular level. He supports the idea that our souls are attracted to love because it is an energy which surrounds everything. He claims that love has a therapeutic property which is able to transform our souls, our mind, our bodies and exceed pain and illness(Weiss,2005).
Bryan Weiss suggests that the body is a simple institution of those of us who live here, he believes that they are various levels of conscience which are visited by our souls after leaving our bodies. According to this theory we pass through various stages of development and the goal of these processes is to learn because everything is a continuous development ( Weiss,2005).
Conclusion
There are numerous theories suggesting everything somebody can image, what to believe or not is a personal choice of each of us. In my view is very pessimistic to think that life is only matter and that the mind is a chemical reaction of the brain which brain in turn is only matter, I believe that human mind is a spiritual force designed to be developed and improved, we can see this impulse in the development of sciences, arts, philosophy, psychology and technology.I think that this impulse of progress could not be material or explained by natural science.
References:
Feredino, G(2005, July 23). Materialism, source: the reflections of faith.Orthodoxe team of dogmatic research [Online], (pp.1-5) Available:http://www.oodegr.com/oode/a8eismos/ylismos1.htm
Hergenhahn B.R. Introduction to the History of Psychology.(pp.19-31) Livani: Athens
Weiss, B. (2005) Messages from the teacher: experiencing the power of love.(pp.15-22)Kastaniotis: Athens
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