Reflections

250-300 words

Example

Title: Reflection on Chapter 3 - "Freud and the Unconscious"

Summary: In Chapter 3, we read about Sigmund Freud's groundbreaking ideas about the unconscious mind. Freud's psychoanalytic theory, including the id, ego, and superego, was explored in detail. Additionally, we examined Freud's method of dream analysis as a window into the unconscious. The chapter provided a comprehensive overview of Freud's contributions to psychology and his enduring impact on the field. We also studied the different defense mechanisms, and how we might not be aware of their presence. The chapter also described some of the historical context in this field, and how it evolved over time.

Surprise/Misconception: One surprising aspect of the chapter was Freud's interpretation of dreams. I used to think that dream analysis was mostly symbolic and subjective, but learning about Freud's approach to understanding the unconscious through dream interpretation really made me rethink that. It was fun to explore the layers of meaning he attributed to different elements within dreams. I was also surprised that so many of our modern day defense mechanisms are rooted in theories started by Freud. I also became more aware of my own defense mechanisms.

Topic to Explore Further: I am eager to learn more about the application of Freudian concepts in modern psychology and therapy. The chapter touched on the influence of Freud's ideas, and I would like to explore how contemporary psychologists utilize or critique Freud's theories in their work. Understanding the ongoing relevance of Freudian concepts would provide a deeper perspective on the evolution of psychological thought. I would also like to learn more about how therapists might help us become more aware of our unconscious thoughts and unhealthy defense mechanisms.

Word count: 270

Chapter one

Notes

Phineas gage (the most famous but certainly not the only story of brain damage) he didnt loose any function but his frontal lbe was damaged so his personality was very different

Greg F is a not as famous person he dropped out and beame a hare Krishna e started loosing sight and changing significantly and it was veiwed as a spiritual chance but was later discovered to have a massive tumour in his brain that was causing this

Astonoshing hypothesis - all fun and joy in life is purely the affect of nerve cells meaning free will and ambotions dont really exist

materialist - ties into idea above is purely fcued on physical aspects of psycology

dualism- the body and the mind/soul are seperate and cannot both be studied or classified in the same way (seen this way in many religions)

popular dulasts (rene de carte and plato

cartesian dualism- bodies and minds are distinct

descarte said humans are not like machines because we have souls though he didnt belive other life forms like dog had souls (he did experiments on live dogs)

Summary: In chapter 1 the author started out referencing Phineas Gage and quickly moved on to talk about a similar yet not as well-known Gage F. Next were the differences between materialism and dualism. Materialism is a belief that we are purely stuff, and we have no emotions or desires; instead, they are all preprogrammed. Dualism is the belief that the mind and the body are separate and completely different. Next in a very similar comparison is the debate between head vs. heart. In the next part of the chapter, Bloom talks about neurons and how they lead to different human functions. The last section of the chapter goes in depth about the human brain, the different parts and their functions, and some different brain abnormalities.

Surprise: I was surprised: I was surprised about the differences between materialism and dualism. When they were first introduced, I thought dualism was a much more believable answer, though reading through the facts and examples, I quickly changed my opinion to the materialist view. I think this was mainly when Bloom was talking about AI and how it isn’t alive, but it’s still able to make its own thoughts even though it is a computer.

Topic To Explore Further: I would like to learn more about other historical cases similar to Phineas Gage and Gage F. In high school I had only ever learned about the case of Phineas Gage, and it never really occurred to me that there were countless other cases very similar to it. I think it would be interesting to see what happened and how these cases brought forward a clearer understanding of how our brains really worked through the years.

Word Count: ___275___