Previous Psychology

From the Concise Oxford Dictionary: 1. the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, esp. those affecting behavior in a given context. 2. a treatise on or theory of this. 3.a. the mental characteristics or attitude of a person or group 3.b. the mental factors governing a situation or activity (the psychology of crime) Definition 1 has slyly added the idea of "affecting behavior". The original definition had nothing to do with this. The wish to control the minds and actions of others has entered into the equation. From the American Heritage Dictionary: 1. The science that deals with mental processes and behavior. 2. The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual or group. These definitions have further altered the true meaning. In actual practice, modern psychology deals almost exclusively with physiology (brain chemistry, neurology, genetics) and the behavior of the biological organism (stimulus-response), completely disregarding and ignoring the mind (man's inner self, and more to the point, man's true and vital self). The dictionaries will sooner or later remove the concept of "mind" completely from the definition following the lead of "official" psychology as taught in western universities and colleges.

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