Psychology is of the mind, a thinking and analytical process the mind goes through. It can be an interaction between two people, as we have come to think of it given the medical profession in which we generally think of psychology. But, that is not necessarily the totality of it and when first professional was labelled as a “psychologist” psychology did not begin at that point in time.
Although the word “psychology” is not found in Strong’s Concordance, the word “mind” is and has a diverse number of meanings and intentions. One of the key meanings of the word “mind” based on the original Hebrew is, “a breathing creature.” Thus it is a noun, but used figuratively it speaks of the mental state (of a person or being).
Thus, if one were to render a “guess” as to the “origins of psychology” one could quite accurately, without any guess work involved, conclude that psychology began at that very moment when YHWH breathed the breath of life into man; not when man was fashioned or formed, for man had not life until that moment when the Creator shared His life giving breath with the created.
Psychology began when man took his/her first breath; when the human mind began to function. We may not have labeled it psychology. Perhaps back then it was called psychology but using another term, like the Hebrew word for mind, which is “hephesh.”
Words, like man, have evolved over time. Psychology therefore has always existed, just bearing differing labels of words at differing times. It came to the forefront with the publication of literature by people such as Freud.
If you read any psychological or philosophical literature, you will find in those works, works taken from another time, another era. I refer to the Bible and as a Christian use it as guidline or handbook, if you will, for living my life. Personally speaking, there isn’t a piece of literature that I have read that is of a psychological or philosophical nature, that does not have key concepts that can’t be traced back to writings in Scripture.
And who is to say that such writings did not exist before the recording of the first Scriptures found in what is commonly known as the Tanakh or Old Testament? There are frequent reports of new writings being “uncovered” as man digs to find out more about his origins. When I say new writings I mean new discoveries of old writings.
Psychology has existed since the time of the first man. Was that man (I use the term generically) Adam? If so, then psychology existed or was birthed with him. I dare to say that if it was not Adam, then it existed with the first thinking creation, whenever that creation came into being.
If psychology is or can be interchanged with the mind, then I guess that would make each and every one of us psychologists, right?
