Definitions

Definitions are important because communication depends on shared meaning. When the source meaning of a word is studied, it becomes possible to trace the path that meaning has taken. The direction of our psychological evolution and development as a species can be traced through the origin of words. A good example of this can be observed through studying the origins of the word psychology.

 
 

Definition of Psychology

  • The word psychology means, "study of the soul"

  • ψυχή, psukhē, meaning "breath", "spirit", or "soul”

  • λογος -logos, translated as "study of" or "research”

Some strive to present psychology as if it is a stem science.  It was Freud's dream to present psychology as an objective science like physics, but it seems more accurate to describe psychology as a combination of biology and philosophy as described by Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D.  

If we study the mind, then it is limiting and even inaccurate to confine our study to the brain.  The brain is that amazing and miraculous organ located between our ears, but the mind is so much more.  The mind is amorphous, non-localized (Kono, 2010), and it seems to be the synergistic product of consciousness and self-awareness.  However, functions are correlated between the mind and the brain; thus for instance, certain areas of the brain may metabolize glucose in a consistent fashion when a study subject reports the experience of ecstasy.  Ecstasy is generated in the mind, but resonates with the brain. 

The mind is a combination of both feminine and masculine, and these can be balanced and in harmony with each other just as in the Yin and Yang.  These psychic principles are represented by the terms Eros and Logos.  Eros is symbolic for relatedness and ecstasy, Mother Nature and femininity, whereas Logos represents the intellect and rationality, such as the use of logic and facts.  The archetypes of male and female are represented by anima (unconscious feminine side of a man) and animus (unconscious male side of a woman). Healing begins with bringing balance to the psyche.