I took James' preface to be a brief summary of what was to come and sense of who he is or maybe I just gleamed it from the way he writes. The preface lets us know that the information presented in this book will be both applicable and accessible.
When reading this I thought of consulting with teachers within the school. If I presented information full of jargon and abstract concepts would this actually help them improve their practices? Probably not, I would definitely not only help the teacher more with information that is accessible and applicable but the teachers would be more likely to come back to me for other problems as well not hate me!
Chapter 1
This chapter discusses how teachers can use psychology within their practices. James states that psychology is not necessarily something that teachers need to actively use or that teachers need to feel that they need to contribute to it (and that they don't have to feel guilty about this). Further, James makes the point that psychology is a science that does not immediately bring out applicable strategies for an art such as teaching; it requires a go-between such as teacher.
I really latched on to James' statement that "the science of logic never made a man reason rightly, and the science of ethics...never made a man behave rightly. The most such sciences can do is to help us catch ourselves up and check ourselves...A science only lays down the lines within which the rules of the art must fall." When reading this I thought of arguments I had in the past with my brothers about the usefulness of psychology. Unlike James, my brothers did not understand because of the complexity of humans and our ethical boundaries of working with humans the science of psychology is not as direct as "hard science" and instead lays down guidelines that are used in the arts of psychology such as teaching, counseling, or school psychology.
I really latched on to James' statement that "the science of logic never made a man reason rightly, and the science of ethics...never made a man behave rightly. The most such sciences can do is to help us catch ourselves up and check ourselves...A science only lays down the lines within which the rules of the art must fall." When reading this I thought of arguments I had in the past with my brothers about the usefulness of psychology. Unlike James, my brothers did not understand because of the complexity of humans and our ethical boundaries of working with humans the science of psychology is not as direct as "hard science" and instead lays down guidelines that are used in the arts of psychology such as teaching, counseling, or school psychology.
Chapter 2
In this chapter, James explains the stream of consciousness which basically means that humans are constantly undergoing some complex consciousness whether that be a sensation, thought, or feeling.
This concept brings to mind the fact that I frequently am thinking of other things while completing tasks. For example, while re-reading a certain excerpt in Chapter 1 I found myself scheduling my day and considering my past responses to other questions and snickering (internally) to myself about a mud-covered turtle.
In this chapter, James explains the stream of consciousness which basically means that humans are constantly undergoing some complex consciousness whether that be a sensation, thought, or feeling.
This concept brings to mind the fact that I frequently am thinking of other things while completing tasks. For example, while re-reading a certain excerpt in Chapter 1 I found myself scheduling my day and considering my past responses to other questions and snickering (internally) to myself about a mud-covered turtle.
Chapter 3
This chapter focuses on the functions of the stream of consciousness. From what James stated in this chapter I took the base function of our consciousness to be that of a practical one, mainly used for adapting to our environment. All other functions of our consciousness are built from this building block of adaptation, even activities that may seem unpractical are connected to this building block.
So far, many of these chapters are reminding me of what I briefly learned about the field of evolutionary psychology. This is a very controversial field as a lot of the conclusions that are being drawn are controversial in themselves and developed by controversial means. For example, I recall reading about an evolutionary psychologist who explained why rape occurs. Like James, he explained this behavior as serving a base practical functioning which many people see as controversial.
This chapter focuses on the functions of the stream of consciousness. From what James stated in this chapter I took the base function of our consciousness to be that of a practical one, mainly used for adapting to our environment. All other functions of our consciousness are built from this building block of adaptation, even activities that may seem unpractical are connected to this building block.
So far, many of these chapters are reminding me of what I briefly learned about the field of evolutionary psychology. This is a very controversial field as a lot of the conclusions that are being drawn are controversial in themselves and developed by controversial means. For example, I recall reading about an evolutionary psychologist who explained why rape occurs. Like James, he explained this behavior as serving a base practical functioning which many people see as controversial.
Chapter 4
In this chapter, James defines what education means. According to James, education is "the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior." James further explains how this education affects our behavior even to most base and innate behaviors such as moving our mouths to speak.
One connection I can think of for this chapter is the way that James discusses how education is different in England vs. Germany. It brings to mind the fact that as school psychologist we are constantly reminded to view a student ecologically, taking into account their culture, their education, their family, and their personal characteristics.
In this chapter, James defines what education means. According to James, education is "the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior." James further explains how this education affects our behavior even to most base and innate behaviors such as moving our mouths to speak.
One connection I can think of for this chapter is the way that James discusses how education is different in England vs. Germany. It brings to mind the fact that as school psychologist we are constantly reminded to view a student ecologically, taking into account their culture, their education, their family, and their personal characteristics.
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