Our memory is both reconstruction and reproduction. We can’t always be sure whether a memory is real by how real it “feels.” Much of perceptual illusion may seem real. But unreal memories also feel like real memories. Most memories therefore have the potential to being incorrect or changed because ofContinue Reading
Anxiety, said Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), is the price we pay for civilization. As we engage with social groups, we must control our sexual and aggressive impulses, not act them out. But sometimes, The Ego fears losing control of this inner war between the demands of The Id and The Superego.Continue Reading
Information is stored in different regions of our brain. Bran scans reveal that once stored, our memories of past experiences activate various parts of the Frontal and Temporal Lobes (Fink Et al., 1996). Retrieving a telephone number and holding it in working memory activates a region of the left FrontalContinue Reading
The idea that our mind consists of a conscious and unconscious began many centuries ago, even before the ancient Greeks. It has been the subject of philoshophical debate for the last two hundred years. In 1807 German philosopher Georg Hegel stated that consciousness of self depends on the presence ofContinue Reading
The characteristics of the process of thought were defined and explained by William James, the Father of Psychology, over one hundred years ago. He began by stating that “every thought is part of a personal consciousness.” However personal consciousness was one of the terms he could not define. He saidContinue Reading
Does life experience develop our human traits, or are we born with them? It’s quite fascinating that in the 21st century this question still has no conclusive answer. This debate actually goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Plato assumed that character and intelligence are mostly inherited andContinue Reading
Thoughts cause feelings, according to conventional psychology. This is the essential insight of modern cognitive therapy. Nearly all of the cognitive techniques that have been developed and refined over the last seven decades flow out of this simple idea that thoughts cause feelings, and that many emotions are preceded andContinue Reading
Psychologists, researchers and dream theorists have a few explanations. Noted psychoanalyst Sigmud Freud (1856-1939) believed that dreams are a type of wish-fulfillment, and that dreams provide a psychic safety valve that discharges otherwise unacceptable feelings. Ambitions, desires and other content that would be threatening if expressed in the normal manner.Continue Reading
Because the human brain – the source of our mental life – is such a remarkable organ, it is important to have a good understanding of how it operates. Knowledge about how it’s put together and the regions having greater responsibility for the varied aspects of our psycholoigcal experience helpContinue Reading
We can think of the brain as a powerful computer in our head that analyzes our thoughts and senses, and controls the body’s functions and our nervous system. The spinal cord is like a network that relays messages and impulses to every part of the body. Billions of neurons connectContinue Reading