THESCIENCEWITHOUTASOUL

Oneoftheessentialproblemswithpsychologytodayisitsrelianceuponpsychiatricor biologicalbehavioralmodelsafarcryfromitsfoundations.Psychologyoncefollowed earlyphilosophyandinitiallymeantthestudyofthesoulpsyche(soul)andology (studyof).Thegeneralthoughtwasthatthemindandbodywereseparateentities. Thus,eachmanandwomanwasregardedasacompositeofsoul,mindandmatter. In1829,WebstersInternationalDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguagedefinedpsychology asadiscourseortreatiseonthehumansoul;thedoctrineofthenatureandproperties ofthesoul.In1892,WebstersHighSchoolDictionarysaidpsychologyrelatedtothe powersandfunctionofthesoul. However,allthischangedinthelate1800swhenGermanpsychologistWilhelmWundt establishedthefirstexperimentalpsychologylaboratoryinLeipzigUniversity, officiallyrejectingtheexistenceofthesoulanddeclaringwithoutashredof evidencethatmanwasmerelyaproductofhisgenes.Inhiswords,Ifoneassumes thatthereisnothingtheretobeginwithbutabody,abrainandanervoussystem,then onemusttrytoeducatebyinducingsensationsinthatnervoussystem.InaWundt textbook,translatedintoEnglishin1911,Wundtdeclared,The...soulcannolonger existinthefaceofourpresentdayphysiologicalknowledge....1 Theideaofthespiritbeingasensiblebeing,separablefromthebody,abeliefheldby alargepercentageofcivilizedman,wasscientificallyrelegatedtoprimitiveraces.2 WebstersDictionaryoncedefinedsoulasAnentityconceivedastheessence,substance, oractuating[impelling]causeofindividuallifeitisthesubjectoftheexperience mediatedbyhisbody;itisnotthemind,butthatwhichthinksandwills.Second,the soulisidentifiedwiththetotalityofconsciousexperience. However,withWundtianpsychologyimpactingonthecultureintheearly1900s, Webstersstated:Recentpsychology,forthemostpart,dispenseswiththeconceptof thesoulasanentity. ThomasHardyLeahey,authorofAHistoryofPsychology,notedtheresultsofthis: Traditionally,psychologymeantpsychelogos,thestudyofthesoul.Butthe supernaturalsoulhadnoplaceinnaturalisticscience,sotocontinuepursuing psychologyalongtraditionallineswouldbaritfromscience.However,byinsisting thatthenervoussystemisthebasisofallmentality,anddefiningpsychologyasthe

investigationofthephysiologicalconditionsofconsciousevents,thenewfieldof physiologicalpsychologycouldestablishitselfasascience. By1961,MerriamWebsters3rdInternationalDictionarydefinedpsychologyasthe scienceofmindormentalphenomenaoractivities;thestudyofbiologicalorganism(as man)andthephysicalandsocialenvironment. Withthesouleliminated,psychologistssetaboutmanipulatingbehaviorandtraining anindividualmuchlikeonewouldtrainabear,adogoranyotheranimal. Althoughthismanisananimaltheoryiseasilydebunked(dogsdonotdrivecars, horseswillneverpaintmasterpiecesandconcertoshaveyettobeperformedbyan orchestraofmonkeys),psychologydrewheavilyonWundtstheoriesanddeclared Manavictimofhisenvironment. TanaDineen,Ph.D.,pointsout:Thehorrificsufferingthatsomevictimsbearcannotbe trivialized,norcanitbeimpliedthatpeoplenevercarryscars.Somepeopledoneed helpinlivingwithlifesexperiences.But,Dr.Dineensays,thepsychologyindustry profitsfromturningpeopleintovictimstobenefititself.Whilepeoplecanmanifest remarkableresilience,psychologyhasbeenlargelyresponsibleforthecreationofa worldinwhichpeopleliveinfearthattheywillcrumble.3 Inplacingmanasthedirectandunknowingeffectofanauthoritarianandsoulless philosophy,thosepsychologistssupportingthisviewarepromotingtheideathatones mentalhealthdependsuponanadjustmenttotheworldratherthanitsconquest.This presumesthatmancannot,therefore,effectpositivechangeontheworldaroundhim butmustsubmittoitsrandomwill.Implicitalsoisthebeliefthathecannotevenbe responsibleforhisownmentalhealing,ashisbehaviorsareentirelytheproductofthe functionsormalfunctionsofthebrain.Inotherwords,thatlikedogs,menarebasically stimulusresponsemechanisms. WhileManiscapableofgreatevil,thereisaninherentdecencyinusallthatmakesus wanthappinessforourselves,thoseweholddear,andeventhosewehardlyknow. Thegoodistheretobecultivated. Itcannotbenurturedinaworldwherepsychiatricdoctrineandthoughtpermeateour culturewiththephilosophythatwearemereanimalswhohavenohopeoffinding happinessoutsideofamedicinecabinet.

Wilhelm Wundt, Introduction to Psychology, (MacMillan Company, New York, 1912), English version, original written in 1911, p. 192. 2 Wilhelm Wundt, Ethics: An Investigation of the Facts and Laws of the Moral Life, (The Macmillan Co., New York, 1897), Translated by Julia Henrietta Gulliver, Edward Bradford Titchener and Margaret Floy Washburn from the second German edition (1892), p. 104. 3 Dr. Tana Dineen, Manufacturing Victims, (Robert Davies Publishing, Quebec, Canada, Third Edition, 2000), p. 65.