2006-11-28
System
Imagine your car has got a technical problem. Not just cosmetic damage like my car had after it had been hit by some idiot who could not park his own and didn’t leave a note. (I’m still angry about it! I could have bought a nice telly for that money.)
No, I mean some problem with the engine. Let’s say it gets heated from time to time. It is a very rare model and there is no obvious solution. What could you do with it? You could
A. spend a lot of time tuning the engine to reduce the heat production,
B. add a bigger fan to improve the cooling circuit,
C. stop speeding,
D. not use the car on hot summer days.
From the system point of view these are all good solutions. People will advise you to do one or the other, but no one would argue that you’re doing it wrong if you prefer another solution. From the car designer’s point of view there could be one best solution, since the car has been designed for a certain use and one could point out the abuse or malfunction.
Of course the example above is a metaphor. As usual it’s a bad one; I’m good in bad metaphors. What if you don’t have a problem with the engine of your car, but with your head? Sometimes under certain conditions you get overheated. What could you do? You could
A. spend time with a psychotherapist,
B. take some medication to soften your temper,
C. take a break when necessary,
D. move to an environment that suits you better,
E. go running for an hour every day.
In this case most people have very strong opinions. They say it’s really bad to go running, or take medication, or move to another environment. "You should face the real problem, the source of your anger."
The mind into a body is much more complex than the engine of a car. It’s hard to say what the real problem is. Maybe the 'cooling circuit' in your head is not functioning properly. Maybe you’ve got very much physical energy that needs to be burned; otherwise it will heat up your nerves. Maybe you’re always extremely eager. But does it matter that much what the ‘real’ problem is. The mind-body system is not functioning properly and since we don’t know much about our design, we don’t know whether it's abuse or some malfunctioning. Anything that makes it function better would be good. Or not?
No, I mean some problem with the engine. Let’s say it gets heated from time to time. It is a very rare model and there is no obvious solution. What could you do with it? You could
A. spend a lot of time tuning the engine to reduce the heat production,
B. add a bigger fan to improve the cooling circuit,
C. stop speeding,
D. not use the car on hot summer days.
From the system point of view these are all good solutions. People will advise you to do one or the other, but no one would argue that you’re doing it wrong if you prefer another solution. From the car designer’s point of view there could be one best solution, since the car has been designed for a certain use and one could point out the abuse or malfunction.
Of course the example above is a metaphor. As usual it’s a bad one; I’m good in bad metaphors. What if you don’t have a problem with the engine of your car, but with your head? Sometimes under certain conditions you get overheated. What could you do? You could
A. spend time with a psychotherapist,
B. take some medication to soften your temper,
C. take a break when necessary,
D. move to an environment that suits you better,
E. go running for an hour every day.
In this case most people have very strong opinions. They say it’s really bad to go running, or take medication, or move to another environment. "You should face the real problem, the source of your anger."
The mind into a body is much more complex than the engine of a car. It’s hard to say what the real problem is. Maybe the 'cooling circuit' in your head is not functioning properly. Maybe you’ve got very much physical energy that needs to be burned; otherwise it will heat up your nerves. Maybe you’re always extremely eager. But does it matter that much what the ‘real’ problem is. The mind-body system is not functioning properly and since we don’t know much about our design, we don’t know whether it's abuse or some malfunctioning. Anything that makes it function better would be good. Or not?
# posted by Sander @ 23:02 
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Hi Sander,
This topic asks for a long reply!
Let's see what your retoric is: First: you introduce a machine metaphor. Then, analyse human problems in terms of this metaphor. Good! You are starting to become a cognitive scientist. Now of course I am perfectly comfortable with this line of thought, but some people would argue right away that the metaphor simply doesn't apply to human beings and there problems. The big issue would be to assess what it means for a human mind-body system to 'have a function'. Is 'machine function' the same as 'mind function'? It is a manner of speech, but what does it mean? Does the word 'function' have multiple meanings? Perhaps this is related to what Michael is referring to, as well?
Anyway, I do not have that problem: I like machine metaphors. (Although car's are only one kind of (simple) machines, so let's keep that caveat in mind.)
To me, the four solutions for 'overheated minds' you present are not 'strange' to psychology at all. Perhaps *some* group of lay-persons would hold that you *always* need to get to the 'mechanistic' source of your heating problem, but this is definitely not therapeutic practice today. Moreover, most people, I think, are actually very afraid of getting 'to the core of the problem' and feel strongly that some physical exercise and a good night's sleep will be enough to cure their problems. And very often, this is actually true! The value of psychotherapy sometimes, in some subcultures, is heavily overstated.
To put things into perspective I will connect your four options with standard practices today. So this is what psychologists actually *do*:
A. spend time with a psychotherapist,
Psycho-analysis is becoming rare. Of course, there are sessions, in which you talk with a therapist. But the goal of these sessions is increasinly becoming such that the client gaines enough self-trust and positive energy in order to 'start working on themselves'. This will take 8 - 12 sessions. Ensurance companies do not pay more. Long lasting therapy relations are of a dying race.
B. take some medication to soften your temper
A growing body of mental problems is being treated with medicine. The aversion to medicine is grounded in the fact that most medicine today very course-grained. But the expectation is that medicine will become more targeted in the future. In fact, engineers that build in a fan in order to avoid overheating often do so 'by design'. The fan is part of the control system that keeps the car in acceptible regions . So medicine can be seen as part of a 'real cure', not just a superficial, temporary help.
C. take a break when necessary,
In the car-metaphor you said: stop speeding. The more general phrase would be: change your behavior. There is a strong line of therapy that is called 'behavioral therapy'. It is heavily opposed (explicitly) to analysis. It originated in behaviorism, that rejected all kinds of talk of the 'inner mental life', on grounds of it being subjective and therefore not scientific (and therefore bad). But although behaviorism is being abandoned, behavioral therapy florishes. Especially for people who have trouble explicating themselves verbally and are less able to analyse complex situations verbally, behavioral therapy is a welcome alternative. It is simply a training in starting to behave differently, step by step (involving keeping diaries, making realistic plans, reflecting on the results, etc). Take it to be pragmatic, guided project-management of your own life.
D. move to an environment that suits you better,
Nothing wrong with this, is there? Counselers often go for this option. For example, a lot of energy is put in finding suitable work for people who are not happy in their current jobs. Or take marital counseling, in which the solution could be divorce. This type of job- or personal coaching is becoming more and more popular. It is nothing more than providing somebody with the tools to find this environment for itself. On the extreme side: lately TBS clinics have started to build "Long Stay" sections in which notorious psychopaths are held captive 'for life'. If you cannot change the person, change the environment.
E. go running for an hour every day.
We've known for a long time that physical health is a prerequisite for mental health. Physical exercise is standard part of most kinds of therapy for depression, for example.
This topic asks for a long reply!
Let's see what your retoric is: First: you introduce a machine metaphor. Then, analyse human problems in terms of this metaphor. Good! You are starting to become a cognitive scientist. Now of course I am perfectly comfortable with this line of thought, but some people would argue right away that the metaphor simply doesn't apply to human beings and there problems. The big issue would be to assess what it means for a human mind-body system to 'have a function'. Is 'machine function' the same as 'mind function'? It is a manner of speech, but what does it mean? Does the word 'function' have multiple meanings? Perhaps this is related to what Michael is referring to, as well?
Anyway, I do not have that problem: I like machine metaphors. (Although car's are only one kind of (simple) machines, so let's keep that caveat in mind.)
To me, the four solutions for 'overheated minds' you present are not 'strange' to psychology at all. Perhaps *some* group of lay-persons would hold that you *always* need to get to the 'mechanistic' source of your heating problem, but this is definitely not therapeutic practice today. Moreover, most people, I think, are actually very afraid of getting 'to the core of the problem' and feel strongly that some physical exercise and a good night's sleep will be enough to cure their problems. And very often, this is actually true! The value of psychotherapy sometimes, in some subcultures, is heavily overstated.
To put things into perspective I will connect your four options with standard practices today. So this is what psychologists actually *do*:
A. spend time with a psychotherapist,
Psycho-analysis is becoming rare. Of course, there are sessions, in which you talk with a therapist. But the goal of these sessions is increasinly becoming such that the client gaines enough self-trust and positive energy in order to 'start working on themselves'. This will take 8 - 12 sessions. Ensurance companies do not pay more. Long lasting therapy relations are of a dying race.
B. take some medication to soften your temper
A growing body of mental problems is being treated with medicine. The aversion to medicine is grounded in the fact that most medicine today very course-grained. But the expectation is that medicine will become more targeted in the future. In fact, engineers that build in a fan in order to avoid overheating often do so 'by design'. The fan is part of the control system that keeps the car in acceptible regions . So medicine can be seen as part of a 'real cure', not just a superficial, temporary help.
C. take a break when necessary,
In the car-metaphor you said: stop speeding. The more general phrase would be: change your behavior. There is a strong line of therapy that is called 'behavioral therapy'. It is heavily opposed (explicitly) to analysis. It originated in behaviorism, that rejected all kinds of talk of the 'inner mental life', on grounds of it being subjective and therefore not scientific (and therefore bad). But although behaviorism is being abandoned, behavioral therapy florishes. Especially for people who have trouble explicating themselves verbally and are less able to analyse complex situations verbally, behavioral therapy is a welcome alternative. It is simply a training in starting to behave differently, step by step (involving keeping diaries, making realistic plans, reflecting on the results, etc). Take it to be pragmatic, guided project-management of your own life.
D. move to an environment that suits you better,
Nothing wrong with this, is there? Counselers often go for this option. For example, a lot of energy is put in finding suitable work for people who are not happy in their current jobs. Or take marital counseling, in which the solution could be divorce. This type of job- or personal coaching is becoming more and more popular. It is nothing more than providing somebody with the tools to find this environment for itself. On the extreme side: lately TBS clinics have started to build "Long Stay" sections in which notorious psychopaths are held captive 'for life'. If you cannot change the person, change the environment.
E. go running for an hour every day.
We've known for a long time that physical health is a prerequisite for mental health. Physical exercise is standard part of most kinds of therapy for depression, for example.
Hi Jelle,
A long reply indeed. It's a nice elaboration and analysis of my five options. And as usual you're giving me some food for thought. Mental food is always good for your health.
First, I like your summary "The value of psychotherapy sometimes, in some subcultures, is heavily overstated". I would like to call this belief Psychologicism. A belief that our mental state can be explained by psychology and that neurology is only secondary.
Your remark on 'function' made me think. Does a mind-body system 'have a function'? I don't know. And just because I don't know its function I can't say which remedy is the right one. Asking for its function is going into the direction of its purpose, or asking for the meaning of life. That has something to do with 42. However, 42 does not give me any clue for the function of our mind-body system.
Anyway, without knowing what it's function is, I know it is functioning. When I've got a headache it is malfunctioning and when I'm suffering from strange moods it's also malfunctioning. Unless someone can explain that people with depressions, anxiety and bad tempers have their function in society. But that would be a sad conclusion. Should a doctor say to a patient 'congratulations, you are one of the valuable people with a phobia'?
A long reply indeed. It's a nice elaboration and analysis of my five options. And as usual you're giving me some food for thought. Mental food is always good for your health.
First, I like your summary "The value of psychotherapy sometimes, in some subcultures, is heavily overstated". I would like to call this belief Psychologicism. A belief that our mental state can be explained by psychology and that neurology is only secondary.
Your remark on 'function' made me think. Does a mind-body system 'have a function'? I don't know. And just because I don't know its function I can't say which remedy is the right one. Asking for its function is going into the direction of its purpose, or asking for the meaning of life. That has something to do with 42. However, 42 does not give me any clue for the function of our mind-body system.
Anyway, without knowing what it's function is, I know it is functioning. When I've got a headache it is malfunctioning and when I'm suffering from strange moods it's also malfunctioning. Unless someone can explain that people with depressions, anxiety and bad tempers have their function in society. But that would be a sad conclusion. Should a doctor say to a patient 'congratulations, you are one of the valuable people with a phobia'?
Hi Sander
Semi-long reply
Gee, what is the function of 'a human'? The ultimate question indeed. Though 42 is only a crude approximation of the real answer of course (in fact it is 42,377558, I think).
I think there are different possible definitions / perspectives.
1) Biological function: if your mental processes are keeping you healthy and alive, you're functioning allright.
2) Mechanical functioning: given an analysis of the 'normal' input-output relations of some system, malfunctioning is defined as any system that deviates from the norm. Normal is what 'most people do', so when you do not do what most people do you are not functioning 'ok'.
3) Psychological functioning (I don't like this one): Given a *story* in "psycholo-language" about psychological 'health', any person can decide for himself, or some expert can decide for you, whether or not you are psychologically 'healthy' (and thereby functioning). This one has no objective ground so that is why I do not like it, but it is closest to our everyday lay-man's introsprective experience. (I feel bad, I am sick, I am depressed, etc).
4) Functioning in society (in the broader context of the system). It can be that, isolated, the system is not biologically functioning ok and not even mechanically/systematically functioning ok but still 'has a function' in society. Some (all?) of the greates writers are depressive. Some of the best scientists are autistic. Some of the most succesful managers have a personality disorder. Some of the best pop-artists commit suicide. I do not think it is a sad conclusion, instead it is optimistic: it says that there is a place for everyone of us, as long as you find the right 'niche' in our large, complex world.
In conclusion: sometimes you can/need to change yourself a bit, sometimes you can/need to change your environment, sometimes both a bit. What counts is the resulting 'fit'. The 'fit' between system and environment determines the quality of functionality, I guess. (Which still doesn't explain how to determine the fit, of course, so in the end we are back at square one..)
And put that television back up in the attic, TV's are bad!
Semi-long reply
Gee, what is the function of 'a human'? The ultimate question indeed. Though 42 is only a crude approximation of the real answer of course (in fact it is 42,377558, I think).
I think there are different possible definitions / perspectives.
1) Biological function: if your mental processes are keeping you healthy and alive, you're functioning allright.
2) Mechanical functioning: given an analysis of the 'normal' input-output relations of some system, malfunctioning is defined as any system that deviates from the norm. Normal is what 'most people do', so when you do not do what most people do you are not functioning 'ok'.
3) Psychological functioning (I don't like this one): Given a *story* in "psycholo-language" about psychological 'health', any person can decide for himself, or some expert can decide for you, whether or not you are psychologically 'healthy' (and thereby functioning). This one has no objective ground so that is why I do not like it, but it is closest to our everyday lay-man's introsprective experience. (I feel bad, I am sick, I am depressed, etc).
4) Functioning in society (in the broader context of the system). It can be that, isolated, the system is not biologically functioning ok and not even mechanically/systematically functioning ok but still 'has a function' in society. Some (all?) of the greates writers are depressive. Some of the best scientists are autistic. Some of the most succesful managers have a personality disorder. Some of the best pop-artists commit suicide. I do not think it is a sad conclusion, instead it is optimistic: it says that there is a place for everyone of us, as long as you find the right 'niche' in our large, complex world.
In conclusion: sometimes you can/need to change yourself a bit, sometimes you can/need to change your environment, sometimes both a bit. What counts is the resulting 'fit'. The 'fit' between system and environment determines the quality of functionality, I guess. (Which still doesn't explain how to determine the fit, of course, so in the end we are back at square one..)
And put that television back up in the attic, TV's are bad!
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