Psychological Perspectives

During the early Greek period the word psyche was introduced. Psyche meant soul. Soul was considered something beyond human experience, belonging to the realm of the goddesses and gods; therefore, soul transcended human nature.

Over the centuries, as psychology developed, the word psyche took on a more expansive meaning. It didn’t just mean soul but now included all of psychology. So, soul became associated with psychology and not the realm of goddesses and gods, yet the transcendent association remained. This meant that human psychology included a transcendent side, which was not easy to describe. Often religious overtones were used, describing soul and the transcendent side of human nature.

The question became: What is the transcendent soul? A more disciplined study of psychology began in the nineteenth century. Researchers and practitioners focused on deeper aspects of human nature, referring to this level as unconscious or subconscious. In my columns, I often have described this level as the hidden psychology because most people are unaware of the unconscious side of their psychology. This side of human psychology is not directly experienced. As a result, researchers considered the unconscious to be “below” or hidden from the conscious (awareness), while without intention or will influencing consciousness. Soon, in an attempt to describe and become conscious of this deeper level, the unconscious or subconscious, this discipline of psychology became known as depth psychology.

What followed was an understanding of the transcendent aspect of the soul. Since the soul was still associated with the psyche, it now was also associated with the unconscious or subconscious. The transcendent soul became part of the unconscious. This made sense since consciousness, or awareness, was directly experienced, while the rest of psychology was unknown, mysterious, and therefore, transcended consciousness. The soul, some aspects of the personality, and more, were now understood as transcendent aspects of the psyche.

Depth psychology attempted to understand human nature and all its psychological mysteries from the depths of psyche to the level of consciousness. Consciousness, although not found in the depths of psyche, is psychological and part of psyche. You and I move through life thinking, imagining, planning, being emotional, believing, fantasizing, and so much more. Our conscious psychology is responsible for many of these expressions, but often the remainder of these expressions originate within the unconscious level.

Everyone is endowed with a body and a psychology, or psyche. Human nature combines our physical and psychological abilities and traits. Each day, we function within a mysterious integration or wholeness without knowing it, without being aware of the depths of psyche.