Poser: Can the reasons or motives, unexpressed, behind the decisions and actions of individuals be ‘read’ or ‘interpreted’ by an interested observer?
Why do people take certain decisions or actions? Is it possible to make an attempt to ‘read’ the mind of an individual by attempting to determine the reason or rationale for a decision or action? It is assumed that the reason or motives are not expressed by the subject being analyzed.
Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation, principally of texts and works of art. The ‘interpreter’ gets into the mind of the author or artist and attempts to determine the hidden meanings and motives that informed what is made visible in the physical world. Ancient texts and works of art are subject to this science and art. One of the most popular persons in the 20th century in hermeneutics was Hans-Georg Gadamer, a German philosopher.
Psychology is the science of behaviour of animals – human and non-human. The school of thought that is most closely associated with ‘mind-reading’ in psychology is structuralism, now regarded as being on the decline. Edward Titchener, an American psychologist is most closely linked with structuralism. He was a student of Wilhelm Wundt, the later credited with making psychology an independent discipline by establishing the first laboratory for experimental psychology in Leipzig in 1879.
Mussen (2001) notes that structuralism holds the view that the subject matter of psychology has to do with conscious experiences that should be studied by way of introspection. Mussen identifies the primary task of psychology from the structuralist point of view as that of “understanding the generalized human mind.” Tasks outside the parish of psychology should include (1) influencing or modifying the mind [which is as it should be, after all, analysis is ex post facto] (2) problems associated with individual differences and variances in human behaviour (3) problems that cannot be investigated through introspection [for example animal or child psychology].
Based on the method of hermeneutics and what can be regarded as necessary renewed vigour in the stucturalist strand of psychology (call it neo-structuralism), can a science of interpretation of the mind be developed? Call it psycheneutics.
A prima facie case of a subjective science emerges. However, psycheneutics can be seen as a methodic analysis of the probable reasons or rationale for a decision or action by a normal adult human being. This implies that extempore, ad hoc, and haphazard attempts should not be accepted, for, conjectures and unsystematic effort can have an equivalent or even a greater impact than a systematic effort on opposite sides of a continuum respectively.
From the philosophical standpoint, psycheneutics is an a posteriori analysis. It is based absolutely on sense experience and analysis is from effect to cause. Specific methods of analyses can be developed including simulations, algorithms, matrices, game theory, and even probability theory.
Why do people take certain decisions or actions? Is it possible to make an attempt to ‘read’ the mind of an individual by attempting to determine the reason or rationale for a decision or action? It is assumed that the reason or motives are not expressed by the subject being analyzed.
Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation, principally of texts and works of art. The ‘interpreter’ gets into the mind of the author or artist and attempts to determine the hidden meanings and motives that informed what is made visible in the physical world. Ancient texts and works of art are subject to this science and art. One of the most popular persons in the 20th century in hermeneutics was Hans-Georg Gadamer, a German philosopher.
Psychology is the science of behaviour of animals – human and non-human. The school of thought that is most closely associated with ‘mind-reading’ in psychology is structuralism, now regarded as being on the decline. Edward Titchener, an American psychologist is most closely linked with structuralism. He was a student of Wilhelm Wundt, the later credited with making psychology an independent discipline by establishing the first laboratory for experimental psychology in Leipzig in 1879.
Mussen (2001) notes that structuralism holds the view that the subject matter of psychology has to do with conscious experiences that should be studied by way of introspection. Mussen identifies the primary task of psychology from the structuralist point of view as that of “understanding the generalized human mind.” Tasks outside the parish of psychology should include (1) influencing or modifying the mind [which is as it should be, after all, analysis is ex post facto] (2) problems associated with individual differences and variances in human behaviour (3) problems that cannot be investigated through introspection [for example animal or child psychology].
Based on the method of hermeneutics and what can be regarded as necessary renewed vigour in the stucturalist strand of psychology (call it neo-structuralism), can a science of interpretation of the mind be developed? Call it psycheneutics.
A prima facie case of a subjective science emerges. However, psycheneutics can be seen as a methodic analysis of the probable reasons or rationale for a decision or action by a normal adult human being. This implies that extempore, ad hoc, and haphazard attempts should not be accepted, for, conjectures and unsystematic effort can have an equivalent or even a greater impact than a systematic effort on opposite sides of a continuum respectively.
From the philosophical standpoint, psycheneutics is an a posteriori analysis. It is based absolutely on sense experience and analysis is from effect to cause. Specific methods of analyses can be developed including simulations, algorithms, matrices, game theory, and even probability theory.
Of what use would this effort be – call it the teleology? Individuals daily take decisions and actions that touch on the lives and comfort of others. It could range from the decisions and actions of a close friend or associate or family member to those of corporate Chief Executives or Heads of Governments of nations. Some of the decisions and actions could be extremely complicated with far-reaching consequences and multiplier potentials and actuals such as downsizing or liquidation of a business or war. Sometimes, the decision makers go through excruciating pain and internal turmoil before reaching the decision or taking a piece of action. In some cases one or few persons (as in ‘kitchen cabinet’) may know the underlying influences or reasons while the majority who may the brunt of mistakes or enjoy the goodness of right decisions and actions may have absolutely no idea as to why a decision or action was taken.
Based on several known factors and situations and possible factors and situations, an individual involved in a psycheneutic study could come up with a possible reason or reasons as an explanation for a decision or action. Such ‘decision parameters’ could be useful in the future in similar situations and improve a good experience or forestall the repeat of an unsavoury past outcome. In the opinion of American philosopher George Santayana, those who cannot remember the past (often, the unsavoury past) are condemned to repeat it.
Bassey Ubong
Mussen, P. (2001). Psychology. In M. Cummings (Ed.). Encyclopedia Americana (International ed., Vol. 22). Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Inc.
Santayana, G. (1905). The life of reason (Vol. 1). Retrieved on September 09, 2009 from http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/George_Santayana
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