HISC122 Week 1: Introduction to the psyche by Won Jeon

szvyt6cbkf — 2025-07-22 23:00:29 UTC

Ask a question about something that feels confusing or unresolved in your attempt to define the psyche.

szvyt6cbkf — 2025-07-22 23:02:13 UTC

Ask a question about something you’ve learned in science, psychology, or AI that either supports or contradicts this idea.

szvyt6cbkf — 2025-07-22 23:02:44 UTC

Ask a question about why this question matters to you—personally, politically, or intellectually.

szvyt6cbkf — 2025-07-22 23:03:09 UTC

Ask a question about how language, memory, or interpretation shapes what we know (or don’t know) about ourselves.

2025-07-28 22:01:26 UTC

I think science can explain human thought and behavior, to a degree; it's like asking a test subject to answer the research question.

Q: If AI is supposed to simulate human intellect, how is subjectivity accounted for?

2025-07-28 22:02:04 UTC

Sofia P. - I think the word psyche is related to the unconscious. It goes beyond the external aspects we see or understand. Psyche is aspects that make us who we are but that we do not necessarily know/show those aspects. I think the mind can be explained in biological and behavioral components. The mind can be compared to working like a computer, while the psyche goes beyond that.

2025-07-28 22:02:10 UTC

I think the word psyche is a word to describe the parts of our mind and our inner selves that is hidden from the day to day awareness and thought processes. It is easier to access psyche thought during sleep than awake

2025-07-28 22:02:50 UTC

The word psyche reminds me of how the human mind, soul, or spirit operates unconsciously. It differs from mind since mind revolves around memory or thinking.

2025-07-28 22:04:11 UTC

I think people do know what they want but it is shaped by what is wanted by others as well. By this I mean, that if you see an individual having something that made them happy you might want it too, to make you happy as well (so it is very shaped by others). Desire relates to self understanding because what you want even if it is shaped by others is still what you are attracted to, it's still your preference/personality even if it is composed by fractions of other individuals desires.

2025-07-28 22:04:22 UTC

Not totally. Science is useful in understanding systems and patterns, but I think it is impossible to understand the depth of human perception, emotion, and consciousness.

2025-07-28 22:04:32 UTC

Aster - I think that while both psyche and mind relate to a person's way of thinking and their personality, psyche is more like the whole mind if that makes any sense. What I'm attempting to say is that I personally feel like the mind is more of a conscious thing (like when you ask someone "do you mind," it's getting them to actually think about their opinion on something, I guess), while the psyche is both consciousness and unconsciousness.

nbaweja — 2025-07-28 22:04:48 UTC

Nishka B. - Science cannot fully explain human thought and behavior because it's near impossible to predict the multitude of factors which impact how we feel and what leads us to make decisions. Every person has a different set of experiences and memories. We all think and behave differently based on those, leaving it near impossible to determine the response of two separate people to the same event.

2025-07-28 22:05:08 UTC

How does dysfunction occur between the psyche and cognition for a person with heavy trauma? I believe that all traumas have some sort of root in psychological experience- how can psychoanalysis help us identify this?

2025-07-28 22:05:12 UTC

Angelica G.- If psychologists use inferences to explain human thought, do they account for the individual's experiences and perspectives?

2025-07-28 22:05:57 UTC

I think science tries to fully explain human behavior but at the end of the day I do not think it is that clearly defined. Each human individual is extremely different. We are built up out of our experiences and immediate people we surround ourselves with build onto our characters and behavior. I feel like focusing on only science based ways of understanding will not let us access the full knowledge of human behavior.

rguerre9 — 2025-07-28 22:07:12 UTC

I feel as though science is able to explain a lot about human thought and behavior, but not to it's fullest extent. Some thoughts, actions, and behaviors can be theorized upon and can be discussed by many different people but can never be truly explained. I fell like its something that would be incredibly difficult to be able to achieve with high accuracy across every person, especially since everyone thinks and does things differently.

cposton7 — 2025-07-28 22:07:25 UTC

I think people can want things, but it doesn't always mean that's truly what they want. They can't directly access their desires because it's part of their unconscious, but through self-understanding and translation of their psyche, they may be able to come closer to their true desires.

2025-07-28 22:08:21 UTC

I think the level of knowing what you truly want out of life goes hand in hand with how much you know yourself and have made the effort to understand your psyche. Many people who aren’t honest with themselves have a hard time being content with what they’re doing or what they actually want in life.

psingh87_1 — 2025-07-28 22:09:57 UTC

Yes, with further understanding.

We can say for sure that we as humans have not truly understood all the mind has to offer, a marvel that it is already.

Most behaviours or actions an individual does are based on previous or past experiences. The method our brain stores and perceives the same is yet an aspect of biology that is not completely realised or understood.

In the current growth spectrum of human personality, the idea of being right is far more valuable than learning from a wrong; in this pursuit, the flourishing of ego has made man neglect that they have made a wrong, cutting off the stem of growth or learning, a barrier that is far harder for a mass population to overcome at this current state of affairs.

2025-07-28 22:10:17 UTC

I think it’s very important for everyone to have a clear accessible definition of psyche. In this day of miscommunications and media confusion especially with AI i think it’s more important than ever to be in touch with our inner selves and our psyche.

rguerre9 — 2025-07-28 22:10:20 UTC

I feel as though science is able to explain a lot about human thought and behavior, but not to it's fullest extent. Some thoughts, actions, and behaviors can be theorized upon and can be discussed by many different people but can never be truly explained. I feel like this would be incredibly difficult to achieve in a way were its applicable to everyone, especially since everyone does and thinks things differently.

2025-07-28 22:10:38 UTC

Most people don’t fully know what they want or their desires change over time. People usually chase something but eventually realize it doesn't actually satisfy anything.
Trends can distract people from understanding their true desires by pushing what's in. People follow trends just to belong, not becuase they genuinely like it.

Example: Tankini trend, people criticize it, others defend it by saying “just wear what you want”
People forget there's something called free will.
If we’re constantly influenced by trends and group pressure, how can we tell when our desires are truly our own?

- Angie Castillo