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The Contributions of Aristotle to the Development of Psychology.

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By mensah
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According to Aristotle psychology is the branch of science which investigates the soul and its properties. Aristotle thinks of the soul as a general principle of life. In view of this Aristotle's psychology studies all living beings, and not merely those he regards as having minds, human beings. So, in De Anima, he takes it as his task to provide an account of the life activities of plants and animals, alongside those of humans. This conception by Aristotle as substantiated by his subject matter which claims that Aristotle’s psychology is concerned with giving an account of all those activities which are characteristics of living things, puts his theory in sharp contrast to the dualistic conception of the soul by Plato and modern psychology which focuses on conscious and intentional state. Plato, unlike Aristotle had conjectured that man is a composite of soul which is non-physical and a body which is physical. Plato’s psychology has it that the soul pre-existed the body and it continuous to exist at the demise of the body and that the soul has independent existence of the body. Aristotle, bearing the weaknesses of Plato’s psychology in mind, decides to put in his say on psychology. To this end, this essay seeks to examine critically Aristotle’s contribution to psychology. In this attempt, the essay will examine Aristotle’s soul and body relationship, his treatment of the soul from natural science and the fact the soul does not survive the demise of the body.
To start with, Aristotle puts forward original interpretation of the relationship between soul and body which is in sharp contrast with Plato’s dualistic view. He defines the soul as the first actuality of a natural body which potentiality has life: a claim which applies to plants, animals and humans alike. Dualism of matter and form, a commitment shared with Plato that entities are identified by their form but, unlike Plato, did not accept a separate real of Ideas or Forms. The form is found in the object. Whilst the form is the actuality of the body matter is the potentiality of the body. Matter and form which are the soul and the body respectively are conceptually distinct, but not separate things: Form (soul) explains why something is the kind of thing it is. Though, I perfectly agree with Aristotle’s view that there is the existence of the soul but to say that all living things including animals and plants have soul is absurd. It is against our common sense view that animals and plants have soul. Ordinarily, we know that only human beings have soul and not plants and animals. Secondly, we are informed that human beings have soul and this soul continuous to live in another world when the body is dead. But Aristotle says that the soul which is the form is the body and the soul dies at the demise of the body.
In addition, Aristotle does not treat the soul from religious or ethical point of view but from the point of view of the naturalist. He makes no attempt to lay down dogmatic general rules about sensation in animals. He recognizes that different animals have different faculties of senses. Aristotle insists that because various psychological states, including anger, joy, courage, pity, loving, and hating also involve the body in obvious ways the study of soul "is already in the province of the natural scientist. Thus, from the above, Aristotle seeks to do three things: firstly, to do away with religious view in the treatment of the soul. Secondly, to argue that animals also have a soul and lastly to use natural science to defend the argument on the soul. To begin with my examination, Aristotle’s attempt to ignore the concerns of religious views in the treatment of the soul makes his theory fly in the face of religion which has become a vital part of humanity. Secondly, to say that animals have soul is contradictory to our common sense notion. Thirdly, Aristotle is inconsistent with the natural science method which he uses to defend the soul. It appears the Aristotle is confused himself. This is because, he insists that the mind or intellect may not be enmeshed in the body in the same way as these sorts of states, and so denies that the study of soul falls in its entirety to the natural scientist. This is presumably why in the opening chapter of De Anima ,Aristotle reports a deep and authentic perplexity about the best method for investigating psychological matters. If different sciences employ different methods and the study of soul is bifurcated so that it belongs to no one science, there will indeed be a genuine difficulty about how best to proceed in any inquiry concerning it.
Finally, Reason is made an exception from the general rule that the faculties of soul are inseparable because reason he holds is not dependent on the body and is not an actuality of the part of the body. Even though the passive reason is said to be perishable, it is only the impersonal active reason that is described as immortal and eternal. But there is no personal survival because Phantesia, the faculty of imagination which is the basis of memory, perishes with the body. Aristotle’s postulation is not consistent with our common sense belief that the soul is different from the body and that the soul survives on the destruction of the body. So it is difficult to accept that the soul which is immaterial dies with the body which is material.
Thus, this essay has examined Aristotle’s contribution to psychology. The essay has examined
Aristotle’s soul and body relationship, his treatment of the soul from natural science and the fact the soul does not survive the demise of the body.

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