Philosophy and Psychology

"Time is not money!... as we hear too often!"

Time is the most precious life gift at our disposal; it passes like sand through our fingers and never comes back. Furthermore, yet we manage to waste it and worrying on for things that will not bring futile and ephemerides satisfactions!

Who dares to say that there is a tomorrow for any of us, including me!

Moreover, if there is a "tomorrow" for any of us, the first page is not blank... the first paragraph is "always written" and when you start your new day!

"We say that the hour of death is uncertain, but when we say this, we imagine this hour as situated in a vague and distant space. We do not think that sudden death has anything to do with the dawn, and that may mean the end of everything for us, or his first self-control, even partial, is already at work. After which, she will not let us go - she can happen this afternoon, also while we are planning our day's schedule. We take his walk for a month's worth of good air, we hesitated on the choice of a coat to take, the coachman to call, we are in a cab, the whole day is short before we because they want to be returned in time to receive a friend; we would like him to be as handsome the next day; And one does not suspect that death, which was going through us on another plane, in an impenetrable obscurity, chose precisely that day to enter the scene, in a few minutes, almost instantly or "[1]

We can not talk about philosophy or psychology by omitting our beliefs about death. Whether we like it or not, she accompanies us every day and every step. Denial changes absolutely nothing; the finality of certain death is omnipresently present! Magical thinking helps us to forget that we will no longer be and gives us the illusion of being eternal while knowing that tomorrow is impossible to predict.

Nevertheless, we continue to do, to project in time goals and dreams. Who says that is a tomorrow for any of us, including me! Like Wayne Dyer says in one of his lectures: " He bought a suit for when he will die... with no pocket!

Historical overview,

We all know that two hundred years ago, psychology was only a branch of philosophy, without really being important. By using a mathematical model, it has taken flight and distinguished itself from philosophy as applied science. Thus, psychology had to develop protocols with clinical applications. Over time, it has grown and is diversified. This multiplication creates an inevitable confusion, a certain malaise and a perplexity in most people. Each practitioner, through his theoretical training, and his convictions, believes himself to be able to relieve the individual, his discomforts. However, in fact, who should take care of "who"? What is the best approach to investigate a person in distress to help her/him out? Is there any therapist or psychologist who wonders to search for a full diagnostic by examining the whole spectrum of possibilities for a disorder? Splitting philosophy lest wondering if this separation is as beneficial as it should be. Let us see if whether or not there is a real connection between philosophy and psychology. Nowadays, studying philosophy does not seem to be a priority anymore and is only to be appreciated in salons. It is good to be a philosopher, but it pays little.

Origin

I do suggest we go back and look at philosophies and their implications in and on an individual. First, is it possible to determine whether philosophy precedes psychology and whether these two sciences still have bonds in common? Where, and how did philosophy take shape? Philosophy probably began before the Greeks. I do think that philosophy must have started with the first questions about the afterlife, natural disasters and their fears of the unknown. Emerging religions, including animism (personal opinion), are first and foremost philosophical responses to which rituals, were added too. It was only a matter of time before monotheistic religions appeared only the result of human thinking and logic. Why not a single God (whatever his name is)?

Paraphrasing Einstein, who says that thought is the matrix of all things (creation of man), then thought is also generating behaviours. Behaviour, however simple, requires strategy. For some species, it is merely genetically inscribed determinism.

On the other hand, the closer we get to species that resemble us genetically, the more we distance ourselves from innateness and determinism. We must consider the drive as the fundamental matrix. In the presence of an impulse, we have two choices; Either to ignore it and repress it or to attempt to satisfy it, which brings me to talk about strategy. Any strategy consists of actions that can be: reflective and structured or instinctive, made of automatisms and, sometimes, impulses. The act of repressing or ignoring a desire is also an action because it requires energy expenditure.

Any strategy leads to a result and by measuring this result about the goal sought, different feelings result. Under the effect of an impulse, intentions arise, leaving the human to face choices and strategies. Once an "intention" predominates, one or more motivations reinforce it and root it. From our motives, we decide on a plan, and this strategy is intimately linked to our philosophy of life to our culture and to the values we truly believe when we are alone with ourselves.

Philosophy and psychology are inextricably intertwined. Theoretically, these two sciences today have their existence but remain forever linked (opinion). In everyday life, it is unthinkable to separate them, yet that seems to be the case. One gets the impression that one speaks very little about philosophy and mostly psychology, while de facto it is philosophy. Many successful books written in the last two decades under the heading psychology should be in philosophy.

It is as if the message, conveyed by our culture, gave very little interest and credit to philosophy and enormous credibility to psychology because it is considered a science. Thus is of crucial importance because every philosophy (existentialism, humanism and others) brings up different strategies that trigger different observable behaviours before psychology. What a patient speaks with his therapist is nothing but a rendition of philosophical topics and issues in a materialist world.

When we say to change our way of thinking to adopt appropriate behaviours leading to well-being, we are talking about a philosophy that would be able to help us improve practices (psychology) for others more relevant to the satisfaction of our needs. It is as if the message, conveyed by our culture, gave very little interest and credit to philosophy and enormous credibility to psychology because it is considered a science. Thus is a capital issue since every philosophy carries strategies that juxtapose a range of behaviours that are unique to it.

Before venturing further, we must ask ourselves why philosophy exists. Strange question! If philosophy had no use, we would not talk about it since the dawn of time. So we have to take into account the first years of our children's lives. At first, they have no philosophy, they acquire it through time and experiences, and it is closely tied up to their personal-internal and external state of capacities to deal with confrontation, to get their need satisfied. The immediate environment shapes the individual, his mind/brain and philosophical approach that he/she will adapt for the better outcome, which results in some fix patterns hard to overcome!

In four ways:

1 - Looking at us, go.

2 - How we respond to their needs.

3 - Listening to us speak

4 - Through prohibited behaviours.

By the time a child becomes aware of their own inner life, they cannot say "I" and manipulate their environment themselves! All their gains from the beginning are set up and lead to behaviours reflecting the beginning of philosophy. Children's first way of learning and adapt is by mimetism and exploring.

The origin of philosophy goes back over 300,000 years, if not even further back in time. Imagine human-invented the boomerang more than 23,000 years ago. I believe that the philosophy started when the first hominoid could say "I am" to distinguish from the others. Some men are probably aware of being before they can say "I am." Why this? Without this capacity to say "I am," the man would not exist! Admittedly, the first hominoids had cognitive capabilities and had reached an inevitable evolution, but they had not yet acquired this capacity to say "I am." The debate is still open! (personal opinion)

A small child, about 2 or 3 years old, begins by saying "me" without really being able to detach from others. With time, man will come to say, "I-I (for a better understanding in French it goes like this: "Moi... Je") then he becomes aware that he is a person in his own right, is separated from others, that they had an identity and that he needs the other. I think that humanity has followed such a course over several thousand years. The group existed, but the individual did not exist, it was the group.

With the advent of "I am" also comes the first concerns about tomorrow, the future and especially death. With this ability to say "I am" emerges fundamental questions of finitude such as:

Who m I?

Where am I going?

What will happen to me after my death?

With the "I am," we also begin to realize our fragility and our possible end. We are also aware that we are destinate to disappear.

An anguishing situation! For each individual who becomes aware of being, also realizes that everything will disappear! I did become mindful of this state of affairs in my tender childhood (5 years old) when my cousin died who was killed by a vehicle in the year 1956. On the evening of the funeral, each individual who becomes aware of being also realizes that everything will disappear! I became mindful of this state of affairs in my tender childhood (5 years) when my cousin died who was killed by a vehicle in the year 1956. On the evening of the funeral, I did not sleep at night. I was looking at the stars through the rear window, lying on the back seat of my father's car and, many questions came to my mind mainly on the subject of the sudden loss of my cousin and best friend.

Or had he returned, while looking at him motionless in his coffin?

Everywhere on earth appeared the foundation of different philosophical approaches, which all tried in their way to answer these fundamental questions of the finality of man.

Or had he returned, while looking at him motionless in his coffin?

Everywhere on earth appeared the foundation of different philosophical approaches, which all tried in their way to answer these fundamental questions of the finality of man. Philosophy, theology, and metaphysics are nothing more than attempts to explain and to help us live better and die better; Creating in us the hope that it is something else and "one elsewhere why not a Haven. More to it, I think that the immediate environment has to do a lot with it shaping their way of understanding their immediate macro-environment!

Misunderstanding and powerlessness in the face of the elements and the seasonal fluctuations that man observed in his environment, as in nature (a minimum from one to at least four different seasons), force humankind to look outside of him for some explanations and comfort. In the beginning, we have the right to totemism - which still exists in several places on earth - as well as to polytheism. Finally, to the monotheisms that consider themselves the pinnacle of all this evolution and that I find it dangerously pretentious. In short, is death a finality that has forced men to philosophize. The other element that forced men kind to philosophize is suffering, that unjust suffering that life inflicts on us. 

Why me? 

Why does this happen to me? Have I done anything wrong to deserve such punishment? From this comes an imperious need for a metaphysical explanation of this suffering. The "evil of being," the difficulty of expressing oneself is not discomforts connected with philosophy. Perhaps we should look after philosophy? ... After all, we all choose to live according to one philosophy or another. Do not all intentions belong to a philosophy? A vast majority frees up different philosophies to create a supplementary one that works for us.

We need an external explanation source to relieve us of some form of guilt. Heaven and the presence of the Gods become sources of comfort, a valve allowing the human being to maintain his mental health, to develop empathy, compassion for his neighbour and the strength to live a hard time. The most significant suffering is not physical but psychological. To be unable to find one's place, to find the reasons for being in this world.

To come to understand why people are suffering and what they are suffering. The "evil of being," the difficulty of expressing oneself, are not discomforts connected with psychology. Perhaps we should look after philosophy? ... After all, we all choose to live according to one philosophy or another. Do not all adapted strategist belong to a philosophy? A vast majority frees up different philosophies to create a supplementary one. Intentions are before motivations and strategies, but philosophical view will have a direct impact one an adapted strategy (Except when it comes to necessary survival reflexes and impulses).

Personal observations

We preach philosophy to deny it as soon as it bothers us, and we take it back when it serves us again. Don't you think it sounds more like opportunism, consumerism and careerist? As Tocqueville said 100 years ago: "I see," he writes: in democracy in America, a countless crowd, like and equal men who turn around, without asking questions about their actions to get small and vulgar pleasures, with which they fill their soul ... "and we always turn around! Nothing seems to change in this world! 

These are, however, everyday philosophies of life, but not part of the prize list. Of course, hedonism and narcissism are studied, but also as a mental illness. As for materialism, sociology deals with it, but as an observer. Psycho-sociologists seem helpless in the face of extreme resistance to the improvement of the human condition. Man is taken hostage by mega-structures and lifestyles that have nothing in common with our genetics, which made us mobile beings. We are designed for walking, forced into daily activity in search of our regular food. Then, that now we are forced to tread water, almost begging for a job while living in a more precarious way than a hundred years ago! We have become a social species fighting and asking for the need for our survival. Now we are locked up in conditions of life for two centuries to which we are not fit. 

The imperative of responding and submitting to the world of appearance forces and prevents people from living what their true selves. No one is guilty of anything; we try to return to the most significant changes. Distress is practically widespread. We are offered small dressings for gaping wounds. So when we hear people take advantage of a philosophical current and we see entirely different behaviours, we can quickly determine which side is leaning the balance. This philosophical dichotomy/ inconsistency, this intimate laceration, is a constant source of moral suffering. "If All the World is a Stage, Identity Is Nothing But a Costume"[2]

Choosing a philosophy means selecting a mode of behaviour, implying a whole range set of rules to none at all. We all know that our quality of life-based on our thoughts. Every thought that inhabits us influences the quality of life that we live at the very moment of this thought. Each thought precedes the choice of behaviour. Here we are in psychology and also in sociology. We all aspire to be humanists - at least the majority - but the imperatives force us to act and adopt behaviours that hurt us. We can observe this by the over-medication of the populations, which nevertheless can not contain this epidemic of major depression, which is continuously growing.

As for being there, let us also say in anthropology. Studying anthropology means visualizing behaviours related to beliefs—belief, religion, and philosophy. Here we have the basis of psychosociology - considering man in his environment. So choosing a philosophy means choosing a behaviour (set of rules, including religious ones), and all of these behaviours are a reflection society governance and ideology. Looking at what we can see in our culture, we know that our society is sick. Admitting this fact is very hard for most of us!

Every philosophy has advantages, limits, and obligations. Nevertheless, the ones I have listed in the paragraphs above do not seem to have any, apart from suffering. Some of these philosophies that bring immediate satisfaction are mostly responsible for the evil of being in our modern societies. Remember that the two main motivations of the human being are: pleasure and "displeasure" or pleasure and fear.

It brings me to talk briefly about the different theories in psychology. Each psychological approach is also a philosophical one for mental health and well-being. Each psychologist believes he can heal and heal with a particular method. Each of these approaches has its limit beyond which there are no more possible results.

I have no intention of criticizing psychology or favouring an approach to the detriment of another. I just want to make people aware of the close connection between philosophy and psychology. We care for sick philosophies. Most people get sick because their philosophy of life does not bring them the results they would like to see in their lives. The education (mainly observable behaviour) received plays a significant role, and all family histories determine live choices.

Nevertheless, there is also the education system and the values that society conveys, even before being able to choose a born child's future is determinate by his birth!

In conclusion, our philosophy of life determines our choices of life. Life choices lead to expectations and behaviours and the study of behaviour in psychology. So yes, philosophy has a secure link with psychology.

The wake left by a ship after its passage indicates only its origin, not its destination. However, it is also necessary to know who Is the master on board.

*** I had to do some modification in my quoting because it is written in old French, but the meaning remains.

[1]Marcel Proust, à la recherche du temps perdu

[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2431438/fullcredits)