A much needed macro level view: a commentary on Henriques' "psychology defined".
To develop greater coherence, psychology must develop its macro and integrative approaches to the mind. In this illuminating paper, Henriques (this issue) outlines the kind of thinking that is needed. He skillfully illuminates the levels of emergence of mind from the material world and argues that the recursive self-regulative abilities of self-awareness set us apart from other animals. The interaction between an evolved mind, adapted to pursue strategic goals, while also being phenotypically shaped by both environment and our recently evolved cognitive competencies, is a core focus of psychology.
Gilbert
Paul
P
Mental Health Research Unit, Kingsway Hospital, Derby DE22 3LZ UK. p.gilbert@derby.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D001364:Awareness; D001519:Behavior; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D010684:Philosophy; D011584:Psychology / Q000145:classification / Q000639:trends*; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment