5 Theses on Potential of Music Therapy

Of all the debated issues in psychology, I would like dive a little deeper into the idea of nature vs. nurture. My personal experience and academic study has led me to the conclusion that human psychological development is strongly influenced by both nature (i.e. genetic and personality factors) and nurture (i.e. experience and exposure to ideas). There are certainly natural tendencies that every person is born with. The things a person does and learns has a tremendous impact on their development, however. 

This is what has fueled my interest in music therapy. It has already shown great promise for people recovering from trauma–particularly neurological trauma. By my own observation, I would argue that the use of music is of great benefit to a person at any time, not only following trauma.



Rhetorical claims can be divided into five categories: Policy (what should be done), Definition (what are we talking about), Comparison (how is this similar to something else), Evaluation (does this claim meet a standard), and Causal (does one thing directly result in another).

Teaching music as a cognitive method can be argued for with all five types of claim:

• (Policy) Due to the significant observed effects of music therapy, all people should be taught the basics of music, as a general educational tool. 
• (Definition) People who learning musical concepts are at a significant cognitive advantage in life, as it activates the human brain in a unique way.
• (Comparison) Learning basic musical concepts is very beneficial for the human brain, in a similar way that knowing basic mathematical principles is very beneficial for the human brain.
• (Evaluation) Of all the new teaching methods available, teaching every person basic musical concepts has the most potential to improve the average persons' general cognitive abilities.
• (Causal) Despite the claim that clinically prescribed music is only helpful for those who are naturally interested in music, teaching basic musical concepts will lead to improved neurological capacity, as neurological studies have shown that music uniquely strengthens the human brain. 

Having studied psychology, I am typically most strongly influenced by causal claims. The other types of claims are also helpful, as it is necessary to define terms (definition claim), compare alternative methods (comparison claim), evaluate worth of proposed ideas (evaluation claim), and determine how the claim should play out in real life (policy claim). Which claim stood out most to you?

Image Credit: www.pexels.com; image free to use