Until the 20th century, two competing views of depression dominated clinical understanding: the psychoanalytic one, where one took a stand as “anger turned inward,” and the behavioural one, where it was viewed as a byproduct of environmental reinforcement, the only plausible explanation of the phenomenon as the result of “our environment.” But in the 1960s,
The human mind looks a lot like a single powerful processor, but modern cognitive science tells us a very different story of a “divided” architecture. Under the Dual Process Theory, which now informs our view, our thinking, judgment, and behaviour flow from two completely distinct modes of thought. Known as System 1 and System 2,
The success of Ivan Pavlov in conditioning physiological responses in dogs captured the attention of the psychological community. This happened at the turn of the 20th century. But the father of behaviourism, John B. Watson, attempted to demonstrate that human emotions were equally malleable. In 1920, Watson and his graduate student Rosalie Rayner performed an
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological condition that has a major impact on the brain and its functioning. Cognitive abilities, including reasoning, problem-solving, and memory, deteriorate as a result of this type of dementia. Dr Alois Alzheimer first brought a patient of this disease into the public eye in the year 1907. The patient was a
Our mind is like a detective that never stops trying to figure out what is going on around us. It is curious to know why things happen. For example, when a car suddenly zig zags in traffic, the human mind wants to know why the car swerved. Is the driver of the car not paying
In our daily life, we encounter many stressful situations, be it environmental, such as work deadlines, family arguments or psychological problems, such as worrying about exams, losing a job. An event of stress leads to physical, behavioural, and psychological reactions by the human body. This article dives into the details of the stress response system
Language and culture are the frameworks through which humans experience, communicate, and understand reality. Lev Vygotsky In an era when language development was mainly seen as a biological predisposition/ innate ability or a result of imitation and learned behaviour, Lev Vygotsky’s notably different socio-cultural perspective brought immense changes to the understanding of how language is
Life is an ocean of interspersed events, obstacles, opportunities, and ups and downs through which we constantly sail, as in the labyrinth of life. People spend most of their time thinking and feeling, and absorbing themselves in thoughts and values about their existence. Sometimes it is so shocking to realise that other humans go through
Human behaviour is a complex puzzle. And understanding its functions has been as complex as well. Today, we know that our behaviour is influenced by our environment, personal choices, people around us, and even our genes. But that was not the understanding in ancient times. Back then, people believed in all sorts of things, from
In an increasingly fast-paced life and emotionally demanding world, people suffer more from stress, trauma, anxiety, and identity issues than ever. Talk therapies do work, but often for people who are sometimes not articulate enough to describe what they feel, the other routes can offer a much deeper healing experience. Creativity is that alternative. Art
