Overview of the Brain and the Nervous System - Essay Example

Journal Contents Overview of the Brain & nervous system……………………………………………………….2 2. What is Psychology, Perspectives on Psychology……………………………………………33. Psychosexual Development…………………………………………………………………………….4 4. Cognitive Behavioural approaches in Psychology………………………………………….4 5. Understanding self - Boilogical aproaches in Psychology………………………………5 6. Phenomenological approaches in Psychology……………………………………………….5 Thoughts and Comments………………………………………………………………………………6 References……………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 1. Overview of the Brain and the Nervous System The brain is one of the most complicated structures of human body and an essential part of the central nervous system. It controls various functions of the body ranging such as synchronizing various body movements, controls balancing and postures, receives and interprets incoming impulses from different parts of the body such as communicate sensation of pain, touch, smell, and is also responsible for generating desires for hunger, thirst and sexual nature. The nervous system on the other hand could be categorized into two distinct parts i.e. the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system comprises of the brain and the spinal chord. The brain is located within the skull, safely enclosed with several layers of tissues and cerebrospinal fluid, and is responsible for transmitting and receiving signals or messages via the spinal chord. The messages emitted by the brain are carried through the spinal chord by the peripheral nervous system which in turn is composed of nerves known as the cranial nerves and the spinal nerves. The brain together with the nervous system facilitates reactions and reflexes towards the external environment. 2. What is Psychology? Perspectives on Psychology The term Psychology is defined in various ways by different researchers. According to Hayes (1993) “Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and experience”. According to Angell (1973), the term psychology is defined as “Psychology is commonly defined as the science of consciousness. It is the business of a science systematically to describe and explain the phenomena with which it is engaged. Mental facts of consciousness constitute the field of psychology”. There are various perspectives on psychology such as the Psychoanalytic or the Psychodynamic perspective founded and propagated by Freud, Humanistic Perspective, Behavioral, Cognitive as well as Neuroscience or Biological perspective (Eysenck, 1994). The Psychoanalytic perspective is concerned with studying of unconscious processes which is based on the theory that the structure of the human mind comprise of ego and superego which struggle to capture the energy of the human psyche. The Humanistic perspective is based on the belief that all human beings possess unique potentials and stresses on the positive aspect of the human nature. The Behavioral theory founded by John Watson, believes that psychology is the study of measurable physical responses to environmental stimuli. 3. Psychosexual Development The theory of Psychosexual Development which was put forward by Freud, states that a child passes through six different stages of development from birth to adolescence which includes oral, anal, phallic, oedipal, latency, and genital whereby the child experiences pleasure which is derived from specific areas of the body during each stage. The oral stage begins from the birth of the child and continues till the 18th month whereby the child focuses on oral pleasures like eating, drinking, sucking etc. The anal stage begins from 18 months till the child attains age of three. During this stage, the focus of the child’s pleasure is centered on eliminating and / or retaining forces. The phallic stage begins from age three till the child attains six years of age whereby the pleasure is derived from his / her genitals. The latency stage lasts till puberty whereby the sexual urges of the child remains suppressed and s/he sticks with playing or interacting with the members of the same sex. In the final stage the sexual urges of an individual are again fuelled which are now directed towards the members of the opposite sex (Klamen, Pan, 2006). 4. Cognitive Behavioral approaches in Psychology The Cognitive Behavioral approach aims to study and motivate the problematic, challenging or dysfunctional behavior, awareness or emotions through a systematic and focused procedure. 5. Understanding self - Biological approaches in Psychology The biological approach seeks to study thoughts, feelings, emotions and the overall behavior of the human mind from a biological perspective. This approach believes that the personality of an individual is shaped and developed on the basis of various life experiences as well as through genetics and physiology i.e., biology and the social environment together contribute to the human behavior. According to Damon et al (2006), “Biological approaches generally focus on distal evolutionary explanations of gender development and proximal mechanisms mediated by genes and hormones” 6. Phenomenological approaches in Psychology The Phenomenological approach refers to the study of personal experiences of individuals which are recorded in their consciousness. These experiences may be internal – dreams, feelings or ideas or external – objects, animals, people, environment etc. The interaction of the child during his/her developmental stages helps them in manipulating them which in turn helps in evolving their consciousness and awareness of the environment that surrounds them. Thoughts and Comments: Psychology The study of psychology provides a meaningful insight into the fascinating dimensions of human mind. It not only helps understanding of self but also helps an individual in coping with various challenges experienced during one’s day to day life. Studying Psychology during the course of my education helped me understand the manner in which one reacts in difficult situations and motivated me to cope with my anxiety and fears. I developed various skills required to cope with the challenges that our external communication with the world offers which is one of the most significant aspects of my immense liking of the subject. It was interesting to know and understand various theories of psychology and beliefs put forward by eminent scholars such as Freud, who gave a whole new dimension to the way we perceive the world around us. The study of this subject helped in deciphering the complex structure of the human mind and understands the world around me in a broader context. Thoughts and Comments: Theories of Psychology FREUDs Theory of Psychosexual Development describes individuals as pleasure seekers who tend to derive pleasure from various stages of their lives beginning from infancy to adulthood. However, it does not talk about the social interactions and relationships of the people which also play a major role on how one reacts in a given situation and rather focuses on the biological aspect. The ideas and beliefs expressed by Freud belonged to an era where sex talk was considered inappropriate or socially inacceptable and hence his theory, if studied in present day circumstances might lose credibility or relevance. The cognitive behavioral approaches in psychology are based on one of the most satisfying theories which can be put to use in practicality while understanding the behavior of an individual / patient. Owing to the immense opportunities presented by this approach in terms of assessing and analyzing the human behavior cognitive therapy is put to use extensively in the field of psychotherapy. The biological approach of understanding self is concerned with understanding the chemical reactions which take place in the brain and the nervous system. Although this approach helps a great deal in understanding and assessing human behavior in given circumstances other factors such as the background of the individual being analyzed, his/her social relationships, ties with family and peers etc also play a major role. Thus it can be said that the manner in which one reacts in a situation is more or less a mixture of cognitive approach which studies the mind, as well as social psychological behavioral patterns and isolating the other two would lead to an incomplete understanding of the actual reasons behind the human behavior. References: Hayes, N. (1993). A First Course in Psychology, Nelson Thornes Publication, Pp.3 Angell J. R. (1973). Psychology: An Introductory Study of the Structure and Function of Human Consciousness, Ayer Publishing, Pp.1 Eysenck M. W. (1993). Perspectives on Psychology, Psychology Press. Klamen D. L., Pan P., (2006). Psychiatry: Pre Test Self – Assessment and Review, Mc Graw Hill Professional, Pp. 56 Damon W. , Lerner R. M., Eisenberg N., (2006). Handbook of Child Psychology: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development, John Wiley and Sons, Pp.888 Read More