Re: Introspection: The Science of Experience

From: Susie (SJP695@psy.soton.ac.uk)
Date: Fri Oct 27 1995 - 15:11:56 GMT


> So let's pick another example: You're not making an arbitrary choice
> between identical pencils on your right and left, you're doing some
> arithmetic. Let's do it right now: I give you two numbers (9, 6)
> and I ask you to add them, and you say "15." Where did that come from?
> How did you do that? Don't reply "I remembered; I had memorised it
> once, and I recalled it now," because I will ask you the same question:
> How did you remember? Can introspection answer that question?

No because you just do it, you can't help it; it just happens. It's
already set in your mind. You don't really think about how you
remember to do something arethmetic. You do it in a logical manner
and come out with an answer.

> So maybe this is how it goes: Things happen unconsciously, so
> introspection does not reveal them directly, but the psychologist,
> trained in the ways of the unconscious, can detect them, and then
> he tells you, brings it to your consciousness, and then you can confirm
> it.

 I think this is true because alot of what you unconsciously think
is what you think truthfully deep down inside even though you don't realise
it at first. When you let your conscious mind listen to your
unconscious mind you can get an idea of what is really important to
you. For example, don't the dreams you have show what your mind
actually thinks even though they are unconscious thoughts. Studying
what your dreams are about have a significant relationship to what
the conscious mind thinks. If the unconscious mind wasn't important
then we wouldn't be able to dream.



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