The Strengths of Introspection
By Key Kessens
FWIS Contributing Writer
Introspection is the ability to look within our own emotional & mental state. Introspection’s history founded psychology, the scientific study of the human mind. Today, practicing introspection is an important factor in emotional control.
History of Introspection
Wilhelm Wundt opened the first scientific psychology lab in 1879. He studied the concept of introspection to research our conscious minds. Introspection is asking questions & responding to them. Consciousness is the awareness of what we think & can think. In the study, participants were limited to people who could understand & respond verbally to questions. With his student Titchener’s assistance, they developed the first school of thought (way of thinking of individuals), called structuralism. Structuralism is interested in the parts or components of consciousness (such as images, feelings, & sensations), but not the function. Imagine consciousness as a house, the structuralists would be attentive to recognizing the parts of the house (such as windows & doors). More information was required to determine the individual functioning of these structures.
Then in the 19th century, William James became interested in the functions of consciousness. James questioned the purpose of the images, feelings, & sensations we experience. He was also intrigued by the explanations of the resulting behaviors of these components. James studied consciousness, but his focus was on implications. His study was conducted by observation to conclude answers to his questions about human functioning. He observed physically or mentally handicapped individuals, babies, children, & adults. James identified that conscious functions are the resulting behaviors of the structure of the conscious. Thus, functionalism - the second school of thought - was born. Functionalism is studying consciousness & looking at the implications of awareness through observations.
With the 2 schools of thought (structuralism & functionalism), 2 scientific methods are applied to each study. Structuralism’s method was studying by introspection & functionalism’s method was observation. These 2 approaches died out in the 1930s because the scientists were close-minded. Each scientist would attach their beliefs to the schools of thought without considering other people’s opinions & studies. The close-minded approach to psychology did not fully change until the 1980s.
In the 1960s, the cognitive approach took form because scientists realized there was more to individual functioning than they first thought. Research included surveys, experiments, observation, standardized tests, & more. This approach addresses the human mind, not the brain. The mind is a human’s thoughts or mental processes, it works like an information processor inside our brains (similar to a computer).
The cognitive theory agrees that these mental functions help define an individual, combining both the structure & functions of the mind. The belief is that the mind influences the results or response. For example, the interpretation of events affecting a response. The cognitive approach is interested in memory, intelligence, problem-solving, judgments, perception, & explanation, common themes in studying the conscious mind. From there, psychology developed.
In Tune
In today’s age, the history of introspection can still support us. Structuralism, functionalism, & the cognitive approach contributed to maturity. Introspection is the first step of emotional control, the study method of the first school of thought. The ability to be aware (conscious) of our mental & emotional states (the structure of our minds) implies that we can be in control of them. Functionalism, the second school of thought, helps discern why we have these thoughts & feelings. The cognitive theory applies both schools of thought with an open-minded approach. The cognitive approach is looking within ourselves through introspection at our thoughts & feelings to determine the resulting actions.
Think of introspection as spending time with ourselves so we can get to know the structure & function of our minds. Learning our thought processes, feelings, & resulting actions helps improve our well-being because we teach ourselves how to respond better to situations outside our control. Introspection is the first step of emotional control because we are identifying our thoughts & feelings to gain control of them. Once we figure out why we think & feel the way we do, we can redirect our actions to a healthy response because we have an open-minded approach like cognitive theory.
When our emotions are out of control, our lives can feel out of control. People who are not aware of their emotional states respond recklessly to their thoughts & feelings. Introspection allows us to remain in tune with ourselves to ensure our thoughts & feelings don’t interfere with our everyday lives.