The Crux of the Psychological Problem

The central problem in psychology is that of conscious reflection. The older psychology, accepting consciousness as its first datum, has the theoretical advantage in the study of this problem. From the practical point of view, however, behavioristic psychology has the upper hand.The points are illus...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological review 1922-03, Vol.29 (2), p.113-131
Main Author: Melrose, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behaviorism
Conscious (Personality Factor)
Human
Psychological Theories
Thinking
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The central problem in psychology is that of conscious reflection. The older psychology, accepting consciousness as its first datum, has the theoretical advantage in the study of this problem. From the practical point of view, however, behavioristic psychology has the upper hand.The points are illustrated by reference to a symposium, "Is Thinking Merely the Action of Language Mechanisms?" reported in the Brit. J. of Psychol., October, 1920. Thinking may be more than expression. There may be an unknown factor, an X, between "situation" and "end-result." "If there be an X here, then behaviorism is inadequate at this point, and this X stands for a technic which, when assessed, will harmonize the two views by correcting the theory of behaviorism at this point and by giving to the older psychology the objectivity needed for scientific clearness." From Psych Bulletin 19:07:00489.
ISSN:0033-295X
1939-1471
DOI:10.1037/h0075156