Revisiting Hotspots in Psychology

    In my last post, I made a summary of three topics that are–and have been for some time–a matter of debate in the field of psychology. These are:

• The connection between the mind and body.
• The impact of Nature and Nurture on behavior.
• The value of reducing behavior to smaller parts vs. viewing behavior as a whole.

    How were these ideas viewed during the enlightenment, and the movement of romanticism? What effect do these ideas have in the world today?

1) Mind-Body Debate 

Historical Connections

     The mind and body were seen as somewhat distinct from each other during the enlightenment, with reason–the mind–being seen as superior to natural inclinations–the body. Romanticism can be seen as a reaction to this separation, and literature from this period often portrays feelings (the body) as something equally valid to reason (the mind.) Both romanticism and the enlightenment showed through their literature and other works of art attempts to answer the question about the mind: is the mind a distinct entity that, with awareness and practice, can have power over bodily desires, or is the mind merely a part of the body, just the the heart, the liver, or the lungs? Romantic thought claimed that the mind was only one of the many things that make up a person, while the enlightenment claimed that the mind could be the superior part of a person, and keep the wants and desires of the body under control.

Communication Connections

    This has a huge impact on how people communicate today. When points (such as politics) are being argued, you can see a wide array of perspectives, from almost entirely emotional appeals–drawing clear parallels to romantic ideals, to almost entirely logical appeals–drawing clear parallels to enlightenment values. Nearly every person claims to be making the logical decision, but there is a significant amount of emotional factors playing into every person's (if not, almost every person's) decision making, even if they are not consciously aware of it.

2) Nature Vs. Nurture Debate 

Historical Connections

    In the enlightenment, you could say that nurture was emphasized, as the enlightenment values taught that any person willing to engage with reason could be brought to a better place, at least internally. Romanticism was, at least partially, a reaction to this, with emotion being presented as an essential element of humanity, and not something that needs to be ignored or overcome. From an enlightenment perspective, people did what they were taught to do, from a romantic perspective, people had an implicit nature that they were drawn back to.

Communication Connections

    With modern communication, both nature and nurture are used to persuade people to believe or do something. It can be seen with the argument that some stance or belief is simply  "human nature" or "how it should be". People also claim that something should be believed or done because it is "a better idea" or "progress". There seems to be little agreement on where to draw the line on the Nature-Nurture scale of what causes a person's behavior to be the way it is; although, with increased visibility of cultures around the world, it is very clear that the culture you are raised in has a significant impact on your behavior.

3) Reduction-ism Vs. Holism Debate 

Historical Connections

    In many ways, the enlightenment brought about reductionist ideas, with all kinds of things being inspected, trying to find the root cause. While this mode of thinking became popular, romanticism brought back a focus on the person as a whole, being more than just a sum of the parts. The enlightenment led a greater emphasis on the individual, looking for ways to improve individual things. Romanticism focused on a person as a whole, eventually leading to a better understanding of complex interactions in psychology.

Communication Connections

    Both reductionist and holistic viewpoints can be used to express ideas. For some audiences, a reductionist viewpoints is helpful for accepting new ideas. For others, a holistic viewpoint can be an effective reminder of something they once expressed a strong belief of.


All three of these topics are interwoven with each other. I personally find the mind-body debate most interesting, as it draws a lot of connections with religious thought. The brain really is something that we have hardly scratched the surface of how it works.

Image Credits:

• www.freeimages.com labeled for re-use