UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

MARACAS, ST. JOSEPH, TRINIDAD

Summary 1,2&3

An Assignment
Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
PSYC 269-01 History and Systems of Psychology

INSTRUCTOR: Mr. Imo Rameses Bakari

By

Shakiel Gibbons

23 January 2020

Approval………………….
 Summary 1

Psychoanalysis the Dinosaur Age or Critical Foundation

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, psychoanalysis is “a method of analysing

psychic phenomena and treating emotional disorders that involves treatment sessions during which

the patient is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early

childhood and dreams” (Merriam-Webster,2018). This brief paper will be discussing why

psychoanalysis is important to psychology.

The psychoanalytic theory was developed by Sigmund Freud between can be described as

a form of therapy or treatment for mental health disorders. Psychoanalysis theorizes that human

personality can be divided into two parts: the conscious and unconscious mind. When the

unconscious conflicts become too intense and the defense mechanisms are too restrictive, the

individual begins to show mental health symptoms.

According to Historicengland.org.uk “mental illness could be seen as both a natural and a

supernatural event - a sickness or something caused by devils or astronomical events”

(Historicengland.org.uk, 2018). During the renaissance period, mentally ill patients were

diagnosed from a religious perspective. As a result, many people were wrongfully diagnosed by

practitioners causing them to suffer miserably with a condition that was of a psychological nature.

The entrance of psychoanalysis revealed human ailments transcends the physical realm and can be

of a mental origin.

The goal of psychoanalysis is to make you conscious of your unconscious defense

mechanisms. Psychoanalysis attempts to help the individual identify the source of their

psychological distress and utilize more appropriate defenses that allow mature expression of those

2
desires.

Moreover, psychoanalysis proposes that the human psyche is comprised of three parts the

ID (eating sex aggression and shiny things it's instinctual and impulsive no morality), the ego

(make sense of all the information and gives a final decision about how you should behave) and

super-ego (which tells you what's right and wrong based on what you've learned to be socially

acceptable).

Psychoanalysis shows that there is an internal struggle going on within the minds of those

that are mentally disturbed. It redefined illnesses and proved ailments can go beyond the carnal.

Without the psychoanalytical breakthrough of Sigmund Freud, societies perception of mental

illness would still be largely skewed. The method of treatment might have very well been that

which was coined by practitioners of the renaissance period.

3
 Reference

Mental illness in the 16th and 17th centuries. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2018, from

https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1485-1660/mental-

illness-in-the-16th-and-17th-centuries/

Psychoanalysis. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/psychoanalysis

4
Summary 2

Cognitive Psychology; Nourished by Neuroscience and Exploding Exponentially

Cognitive psychology and neuroscience rely on each other like plants and air. According

to Lu & Dosher, “cognitive psychology is the scientific investigation of human cognition, that is,

all our mental abilities – perceiving, learning, remembering, thinking, reasoning, and

understanding” (Lu & Dosher, n.d). On the other hand, neuroscience is defined by

Psychologycareercenter.org as, “…the study of the human nervous system, how the nervous

systems work, how it is structured and how it develops” (Center, 2018). This paper will discuss

why cognitive psychology and neuroscience is closely intertwined.

Cognitive psychology and neuroscience are complementary to one another. A cognitive

psychologist seeks to understand how the brain executes cognitive processes. The execution of a

cognitive process takes place on a neurological level where observation of the chemical and

biological processes aids in understanding the brain and nervous system. At this juncture,

neuroscience has entered the picture since, anything we do, feel, see, believe, or react to, has its

origins in the neurons of the brain. By understanding what transpires within the mind when a

process is in motion, researchers can gain a better understanding of the mind and its vast network.

In addition, cognitive psychology helps researchers to look at the different area of the brain

that is affected by drug and alcohol use, Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative conditions.

For example, a person that suffers from dyslexia would need a researcher to study the left temporal

lobe in the brain that controls language, which lies just behind the ear. Neuroscience now looks at

the brain regions and studies how it responds to specific social and cultural cues.

Ultimately, the information garnered, provided cognitive and neuropsychologist with the

knowledge to understand the human anatomy and psyche better.

5
 Reference

Center, P. C. (2018, April 05). What is Neuroscience? Retrieved September 30, 2018, from

https://www.psychologycareercenter.org/what-is-neuroscience.html

Lu, Z., & Dosher, B. A. (n.d.). Cognitive psychology. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Cognitive_psychology

6
 Summary 3

Psychology Like Water; Vital to Life.

According to McLeod, S, “psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour”

(McLeod, 1970).

Like water, psychology also can appear in different forms according to South-Eastern

University, they are ten forms of psychology including; clinical, cognitive, health, developmental,

social, occupational and neuropsychology.

Psychology allows people to understand more about how the body and mind work together.

without psychology, we are unable to learn about others and ourselves. Simple acts like how we

behave, how we react to situations, and how we perform daily tasks would be unexplained. For

example, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology would reveal what transpires when we speak.

According to Science Museum, “we now know that there is a complex network between the areas

of your brain that were originally thought to control speaking (Broca's area) and understanding

words (Wernicke's area). About half of the brain is involved in the understanding and production

of language. When you speak a word that you have read or heard, the message goes to the parts of

your brain concerned with seeing or hearing, and then to both language areas before an instruction

is sent to other areas concerned with the movement of the tongue and lips” (museum, 2010).

Psychology here helps us to understand the cognitive function and neurological networks,

it provides doctors with a better understanding of mental ailments and how to proceed with the

treatment of mental health issues.

Psychology on a whole has had significant impacts upon our societies worldwide, with its

entrance and acceptance into our civilization, notable improvements can be seen in our education

system, sanatoriums, employment sectors and our everyday relationships.

7
 Reference

10 Types of Psychologists. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://online.seu.edu/online-

degrees/behavioral-social-sciences/10-types-of-psychologists/

McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/whatispsychology.html

Museum, S. (2010, April 19). How do you speak? Retrieved September 30, 2018, from

http://whoami.sciencemuseum.org.uk/whoami/findoutmore/yourbrain/whatisspecialabouthumanl

anguage/howdoesyourbraincontrollanguage/howdoyouspeak