The Gavelyte, December 1909

CEDARVILLE COLLEGE. 177 Psychology Series--Nutnber One. W. R. M'CHESNEY, Ph. D. P:--ychology is the science of life as manifested in consciousness. It is a science because it investigates, gathers and arranges its facts in a scien– tific way. ft is a science uf life because it treats of phenomena belonging to life rather than to matter, and it treat only of the phase of life which is exhibited in the conditions and processes of consciousness. These con– ditions and processes are both neural and me11tal, physiological and psychical. Hence a fair knowledg~ of physiology is necessary before undertaking the , tudy of psychology. Consciousness i::; a broad term and includes all such states as sensation, perception, memory, imagination, reason ing, conception emotions, desires, volitions, etc. It is ft und in \·arious degrees in the animal kingdom from mere sensation as in the amoeba up to abstract thought in man . We 1'hall treat of consciou ness as one ,)f the manifestations of human life only. Consequently our series will deal merely with human ps) chology, and, owing to limited space, in an abbreviated form. While a whole volume might be \Hitten on the value of psychology alone, suffice it to say that if one would learn his own powers and possi– l,ilities; if he would become acquainted with the nature and needs of man– kind; ;f he would appreciate what humanity says and writes; if he would learn to control himself and aid other ; if he would make a success of life and attain a full-orbed manhood; psychology has the key to all these desire– able ends. Pi-ycho!ogy has passed the apologetic stage and is now an ac:knowh,dged science of the fir~ t, class, and it is related direetly or indirectly with every phase c,f human experience. We shall open the subject definitely with the manifestation of consciousness usually treated first by ::ill psy-chologists, ,' .... n. ation, not because it comes fir t in the liooks, but because it is the first experience of con. ciousness. It is always oecasioned uy some excitement of the physical organism. Thi. timulation iR conducted along the afferent nervous , vstem to the hemi . pheres of t be brain \\11e1 e it is changed into rnotM activity and pad. ing ot1t from the brain through the effer::·nt nervous 1-y:-;tem eithn becomes extinct in the body or if strong enough impels to 11111.·<·nlar :t('ti\'it,v on ~omP ohjPrt ont:-iidP thr body. The fir~t ~PnRntion iR