by Temma Ehrenfeld
‘He was joyful, an eccentric dresser, great conversationalist,
and a spontaneous teacher.’ William James in Brazil in 1865.
In college, I developed a mysterious illness. I experienced myself as happy, yet in the afternoons I would cry for two hours. Although the obvious interpretation was depression, to me it was all about lunch. Food exhausted me and made me sad. I tried skipping breakfast and lunch, and snacking on cottage cheese and milk chocolate bars. Then carrots.
After many afternoons like this, what philosophical 18-year-old would believe in free will? I was a digestive system, molecules. The next thought was that I would die, dissolve into molecules… while young.
Around this time, I discovered William James (1842-1910), the father of American psychology as a formal discipline. Was my problem ‘psychological’ or ‘physical’? James let me understand that it could be both. Mental phenomena, he explained, had physical roots. He created the first biology-based psychology lab at Harvard University, yet he trusted subjective experience and honoured our capacity for clear thought. I was my digestion and I had choices, too... (Aeon, continues)
In college, I developed a mysterious illness. I experienced myself as happy, yet in the afternoons I would cry for two hours. Although the obvious interpretation was depression, to me it was all about lunch. Food exhausted me and made me sad. I tried skipping breakfast and lunch, and snacking on cottage cheese and milk chocolate bars. Then carrots.
After many afternoons like this, what philosophical 18-year-old would believe in free will? I was a digestive system, molecules. The next thought was that I would die, dissolve into molecules… while young.
Around this time, I discovered William James (1842-1910), the father of American psychology as a formal discipline. Was my problem ‘psychological’ or ‘physical’? James let me understand that it could be both. Mental phenomena, he explained, had physical roots. He created the first biology-based psychology lab at Harvard University, yet he trusted subjective experience and honoured our capacity for clear thought. I was my digestion and I had choices, too... (Aeon, continues)
I think it is very interesting how sometimes illnesses and disorders can greatly affect our mental state and mental health. I find that sometimes if i don't eat a meal for whatever reason, I don't feel like im acting normally and sometimes i get down on myself for no good reason. We should be paying more attention to our bodies when they send out an abnormal response instead of just brushing it off in order to satisfy our ego's. The body is a temple.
ReplyDeleteI can relate in a way. My metabolism is very high, so I hardly put on weight and I'm ALWAYS hungry. I can eat a big meal and 2-3 hours later, I'm hungry again. I constantly ask "what's wrong with me?" I do agree that we should be paying attention to what our bodies are telling us. The smallest thing could lead to something big. We live in a world where we're just always on the go. There's not enough time to stop what we're doing to go to the doctor. I think that's one of our downfalls as humans.
DeleteDaniel Leftwich #11
DeleteConsidering over 40% of students experience anxiety or other mental health issues during their college studies, colleges need to provide adequate mental health services to ensure a healthy learning environment.
William James is a well-respected figure in the psychology world for this reason. He used his philosophical roots to try to answer the looming questions from his time. He unwillingly influenced figures like Freud to try to discover why certain people become physically disabled because of their brain. Our environment definitely influences our mental health.
ReplyDeleteSection #5