#12 - The Speciality of Psychology

To study the mental processes behind the actions and inactions of an individual is such a thought-provoking experience. It's an aspect of knowledge that exposes one to a deep level of awareness. One, which gives a broad perspective on the dynamics of human nature.  

It's a ride you will always like to jump on if at all you have a mind that is fueled by curiosity. That is, a mind that continually craves for logical explanations with regard to why people behave in the way they do. 

Isn't it amazing how you could study your mind and find a scientific explanation as to why you're so addicted to ice cream? Or, why your best friend whom you love is not in good terms with you for a reason you don't know? Or, why you stay up all night pressing your phone even though you know it has health effects? 

Well, even if you've never asked such questions openly, I suppose you've done so secretly within yourself. If not once, maybe twice or probably countless times. And that is largely because with or without knowing, we humans are always trying to find possible explanations behind our experiences.

It's the law of human nature to do so. And since it's part of human nature, we must treat it with wariness and importance.

It is unfortunate to note that, in this part of the world (here in Nigeria), most people think psychology is not all that important. As such they negate it to this level of lowness when compared to other areas of knowledge.

That's a flawed perspective. Knowledge, in it's entirety is interlinked. One can't do without the other. Had it been hunters and gatherers in the olden days weren't fueled by curiosity to understand human nature, we all would have been dead by now. 

They probably, at some point, would have stabbed themselves to death as a result of not understanding their differences and acknowledging their contrasting views. 

That's just it. We all would have vanished long time ago due to ignorance made by our forefathers. Living with one another has a lot to do with understanding our individual differences as humans.

Psychology shouldn't be considered as nontrivial. In fact, it is one of the important fields we ought to be concerned about. 

It doesn't take a genius to know that the advances in sciences are a result of man's awareness of his cognitive power. 

Would there have been a theory of relativity if at all Albert Einstein never settled to study his mind, tap into his web of imaginations and channel his highly powered thoughts through a scientific approach? 

Please, pause awhile and ask yourself that question. 

Obviously, there would have been no Einstein to remember today if at all he was quick to jettison the speciality of psychology. 

What about advances made in other respective fields? Would it have been possible if those who came before us distanced themselves from studying the mental processes of man? The answer is quite clear. And that is no.

You can't harness the potentials of what you don't know. Consider eating a dish made by someone who has never cooked before. Will the food be tasty?  Apparently no! And that is because you can't cook an excellent dish without understanding the basics of what it takes to make a good dish. 

Simply put, you can't make advances in any field without understanding who you are and what you are capable of as a person. The basics of that understanding comes from studying yourself coupled with the understanding of any other relevant aspect of knowledge.  

Several instances apart from the ones above could be drawn from many occurrences in order to illustrate the indispensability and speciality of studying one's mental processes.

Thus, it is important to note that, psychology, just like any other field, is important. And yes, you need to fall in love with it if at all you want to understand yourself on a basic level and make the world a better place.