Bhakti is the Hindu term that signifies a blissful, selfless and overwhelming love of God as the beloved Father, Mother, Child, or whatever relationship or aspect of God that finds appeal in the devotee's heart. The philosophy of Bhakti seeks to tap into the universal divinity through personal form, which explains the proliferation of so many gods and Goddesses in India, often reflecting the personal inclinations of small regions or groups of people. This also explains Hinduism's pluralism and ability to absorb other faith-based religions. However, the bhakti movements are monotheistic movements that has be ...

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Bhakti yoga, Bhakti yoga - The Philosophy and Development of Bhakti, Bhakti yoga - The Bhagavad Gita

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Some of the theories and topics within social psychology address issues which apply to individuals within an interaction, and some discuss the internal makeup and behavior of groups. Social psychology - Social elements of the individual. To many theorists, the locus of interest lies in actors, actions, and interactions between persons. But before any research can be done on those issues, the basic points of discussion that are involved in the above topics need to be laid out ...

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Social psychology, Social psychology - Subfields, Social psychology - SP's three angles of research, Social psychology - The concerns of social psychology, Social psychology - Empirical methods and Social philosophy, Social psychology - Methodology, Social psychology - The Methodology Wars and social philosophy, Social psychology - Relation to other fields, Social psychology - Relevant issues in social philosophy, Social psychology - Relevant issues in psychology, Social psychology - Relevant issues in sociology, Social psychology - Major perspectives in social psychology, Social psychology - Social psychological theories, Social psychology - Social elements of the individual, Social psychology - The social psychology of interaction, Social psychology - The psychological elements of collectives, Social psychology - Well-known cases studies and related works, Social psychology - Related topics

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Some of the theories and topics within social psychology address issues which apply to individuals within an interaction, and some discuss the internal makeup and behavior of groups. Social psychology - Social elements of the individual. To many theorists, the locus of interest lies in actors, actions, and interactions between persons. But before any research can be done on those issues, the basic points of discussion that are involved in the above topics need to be laid out ...

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Social psychology, Social psychology - Subfields, Social psychology - Angles of research, Social psychology - The concerns of social psychology, Social psychology - Empirical methods and Social philosophy, Social psychology - Methodology, Social psychology - The Methodology Wars and social philosophy, Social psychology - Relation to other fields, Social psychology - Major perspectives in social psychology, Social psychology - Social psychological theories, Social psychology - Social elements of the individual, Social psychology - The social psychology of interaction, Social psychology - The psychological elements of collectives, Social psychology - Well-known cases studies and related works

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Psychology is an extremely broad field, encompassing many different approaches to the study of mental processes and behavior. Below are the major areas of inquiry that comprise psychology. A comprehensive list of the sub-fields and areas within psychology can be found at the list of psychological topics and list of psychology disciplines. Psychology - Biological basis: the brain. Main articles: Behavioral neuroscience, Cognitive neurosci ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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Psychology is an extremely broad field, encompassing many different approaches to the study of mental processes and behavior. Below are the major areas of inquiry that comprise psychology. A comprehensive list of the sub-fields and areas within psychology can be found at the list of psychological topics and List of psychology disciplines. Psychology - Biological basis: the brain. Main articles: Behavioral neuroscience, Cognitive neurosci ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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Psychology is conducted both scientifically and non-scientifically, but is to a large extent wholly rigorous. Mainstream psychology is based largely on positivism, using quantitative studies and the scientific method to test and disprove hypotheses, often in an experimental context. Psychology tends to be eclectic, drawing on scientific knowledge from other fields to help explain and understand behavior. However, not all psychological research methods strictly follow the empirical positivism philosophy. Qualitative research utilizes interpre ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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A Theosophical definition of Psychology :

Psychology

This word is ordinarily used to signify in our days, and in the seats of learning in the Occident, a study mostly beclouded with doubts and hypotheses, and often actual guesswork, meaning little more than a kind of mental physiology, practically nothing more than the working of the brain-mind in the lowest astral-psychical apparatus of the human constitution.

But in the theosophical philosophy, the word psychology is used to mean something very different and of a far nobler character: we might call it pneumatology, or the science or the study of spirit and its rays, because all the inner faculties and powers of man ultimately spring from his spiritual nature. The term psychology ought really to connote the study of the inner intermediate economy of man, and the interconnection of his principles and elements or centers of energy or force  - what the man really is inwardly.

In days of the far bygone past, psychology was indeed what the word signifies: "the science of soul"; and upon this science was securely based the collateral and subordinate science of genuine physiology. Today, however, it is physiology which serves as the basis for psychology because of a mistaken view of man's constitution. It is a case of hysteron proteron  - putting the cart before the horse.

See also: Psychology, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

Although modern mainstream psychology largely endeavors to be a scientific endeavor, the field has a history of controversy. Some criticisms of psychology have been made on ethical and philosophical grounds. Some have argued that by subjecting the human mind to experimentation and statistical study, psychologists objectify persons; because it treats human beings as things, as objects that can be examined by experiment, psychology is sometimes portrayed as dehumanizing, ignoring o ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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Although modern mainstream psychology largely attempts to be a scientific endeavor, the field has a history of controversy. Some criticisms of psychology have been made on ethical and philosophical grounds. Some have argued that by subjecting the human mind to experimentation and statistical study, psychologists objectify persons; because it treats human beings as things, as objects that can be examined by experiment, psychology is sometimes portrayed as dehumanizing, ignoring o ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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The Ebers papyrus (ca 1550 BC) contains a short description of clinical depression. Though full of incantations and foul applications meant to turn away disease-causing demons and other superstition, it also evidences a long tradition of empirical practice and observation. The Dead Sea Scrolls Manual of Discipline (ca. 100 BC) notes the division of human nature into two temperaments. From its inception, a great deal of work in philosophy, especially in the field of epistemology, dealt with the nature of the mind, its processes, and its ...

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History of psychology, History of psychology - Overview, History of psychology - Prescientific psychology, History of psychology - Scientific psychology

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Psychology In philosophy, the systematic study of mind, as opposed to physics or the study of matter. Applied in theosophy to the attributes, qualities, and powers of the human intermediate nature, contrasted with physiology.

In ancient times psychology was the science of soul; and this science being the causative, and physiology the effective or consequential, no one was considered an informed or expert physiologist who was not previously trained in psychology.

In modern days, due to an almost utter ignorance of the inner nature of man, psychology has largely been based on physiology, if indeed not a vague type of physiology itself.

(See also: Psychology, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Psychology - Mind and brain. Psychology does not necessarily refer to the brain or nervous system and can be framed purely in terms of phenomenological or information processing theories of the mind. Increasingly, though, an understanding of brain function is being included in psychological theory and practice, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, neuropsychology, and cognitive neuroscience.

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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The word "yoga" - from the Sanskrit root yuj ("to yoke") - is generally translated as "union" or "integration." This may be understood as union with the Divine, or integration of body, mind, and spirit. One who practices yoga is called a yogi or in Sanskrit, a yogin (masculine) or yogini (feminine). These designations are sometimes reserved for advanced practitioners. The word "yoga" may also be written יוגה, योग, ಯೋಗ, Joga, Ioga, Joog ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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Yoga (Sanskrit) Union; one of the six Darsanas or schools of philosophy of India, founded by Patanjali, but said to have existed as a distinct teaching and system of life before that sage. Yajnavalkya, a famous and very ancient sage of pre-Mahabharatan times, to whom the White Yajur-Veda, the Satapatha-Brahmana, and the Brihadaranyaka are attributed, is credited with inculcating the positive duty of religious meditation and retirement into the forests, and therefore is believed to have originated the yoga doctrine. Patanjali's yoga, however, is more definite and precise as a philosophy, and imbodies more of the occult sciences than any of the extant works attributed to Yajnavalkya.

The objective of the Yoga school is attaining union or at-one-ness with the divine-spiritual essence within which is virtually identical with the spiritual essence or Logos of the universe. True yoga is genuine psychology based on a complete philosophical understanding of the entire inner human constitution.

There are several states leading to spiritual powers and perception. The eight stages of yoga usually enumerated are:

1)    yama (restraint, forbearance);

2)    niyama, religious observances such as fastings, prayer, penances;

3)    asana, postures of various kinds;

4)    pranayama, methods of regulating the breath;

5)    pratyahara (withdrawal), withdrawal of the consciousness from external objects;

6)    dharana (firmness, steadiness, resolution) mental concentration, holding the mind on an object of thought;

7)    dhyana, abstract contemplation or meditation freed from exterior distractions; and

8)    samadhi, complete collection of the consciousness and its faculties into union with the monadic essence.

There are several types of yoga such as karma yoga, hatha yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga, and jnana yoga. "Similar religious aspirations or practices likewise exist in Occidental countries, as, for instance, what is called 'Salvation by Works,' somewhat equivalent to the Hindu Karma-Yoga, or, again, 'Salvation by Faith -- or Love,' somewhat similar to the Hindu Bhakti-Yoga; while both Orient and Occident have, each one, its various forms of ascetic practices which may be grouped under the term Hatha-Yoga.

"No system of Yoga should ever be practiced unless under the direct teaching of one who knows the dangers of meddling with the psycho-mental apparatus of the human constitution, for dangers lurk at every step, and the meddler in these things is likely to bring disaster upon himself, both in matters of health and as regards sane mental equilibrium. The higher branches of Yoga, however, such as the Raja-Yoga and Jnana-Yoga, implying strict spiritual and intellectual discipline combined with a fervid love for all beings, are perfectly safe. It is, however, the ascetic practices, etc., and the teachings that go with them, wherein lies the danger to the unwary, and they should be carefully avoided" (OG 183).

The various forms of yoga from the standpoint of theosophy when properly understood are not distinct, separable means of attaining union with the god within; and it is a divergence of the attention into one or several of these forms to the exclusion of others that has brought about so much mental confusion and lack of success even in those who are more or less skilled. Every one of these forms of yoga, with the probable exception of the lower forms of hatha yoga, should be practiced concurrently by the one who has set his heart and mind upon spiritual success.

Thus one should carefully watch and control his acts, acting and working unselfishly; he should live so that his daily customs distract attention as little as possible away from the spiritual purpose; his heart coincidentally should be filled with devotion and love for all things; and he should cultivate, all at the same time, his will, his capacity for self-sacrifice and self-devotion to a noble cause, and his ability to stand firm and undaunted in the face of difficulties whatever they may be; and, finally, in addition and perhaps most importantly, he should do everything in his power to cultivate his intuition and intellectual faculties, exercising not merely his ratiocinative mind, but the higher intuitive and nobly intellectual parts.

Combining all these he is following the chela path and is using all the forms of yoga in the proper way. Yet the chela will never obtain his objective if his practice of yoga is followed for his own individual advancement. He will never reach higher than the superior planes of the astral world even in consciousness; but when his whole being follows this yoga as thus outlined with a desire to lay his life and all he is on the altar of service to the world, he is then indeed on the path.

(See also: Yoga, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Yoga is often mentioned in company with Tantra. While the two have deep similarities, most traditions distinguish them from one another. They are similar in that both amount to families of spiritual texts, practices, and lineages with origins in the Indian subcontinent. (Coincidentally, both have been popularized to some extent in the West, with perhaps a shallower understanding of their nature.) It should be noted however that ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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Yoga - Bhagavad Gita. Main article: Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita famously distinguishes several types of "yoga", corresponding to the duties of different nature of people. Capturing the essence and at the same time going into detail about the various Yogas and their philosophies, it constantly refers to itself as such, the "Scripture of Yoga" (see the final verses of each chapter). The book is thought to have been written some time between the 5th and the 2nd century BC. In it, Krish ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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Within the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism yoga likewise holds a central place, though not in the form presented by Patanjali or the Gita. (For example, physical postures are rarely practiced.) An example would be "guru yoga," the union with the mind of the spiritual teacher which must be done at the beginning of the spiritual path and regularly throughout. In the tantric traditions a number of practices are classified with the name "yoga", for example, the two of the four general classification of tantras--"Y ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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Over the long history of yoga, different schools have emerged, and there are numerous examples of subdivisions and synthesis. It is common to speak of each form of yoga as a "path" to enlightenment. Thus, yoga may include love and devotion (as in Bhakti Yoga), selfless work (as in Karma Yoga), knowledge and discernment (as in Jnana Yoga), or an eight-limbed system of disciplines emphasizing meditation (as in Raja Yoga). These practices occupy a continuum from the religious to the scientific. They need not be mutually exclusive. (A person who ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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In the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain traditions, the spiritual goals of yoga are seen as inseparable from the religions of which yoga forms a part. Some yogis make a subtle distinction between religion and yoga, seeing religion as more concerned with culture, values, beliefs and rituals; and yoga as more concerned with Self-Realization, i.e., direct perception of the ultimate truth. In this sense, religion and yoga are complementary. Sri Ramakrishna likened religion to the husk, and direct experience to the kernel. Both are needed, "but if one wants to get at the kernel itse ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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Modern yoga practice often includes traditional elements inherited from Hinduism, such as moral and ethical principles, postures designed to keep the body fit, spiritual philosophy, instruction by a guru, chanting of mantras (sacred syllables), quietening the breath, and stilling the mind through meditation. These elements are sometimes adapted to meet the needs of non-Hindu practitioners. Proponents of yoga see daily practice as beneficial in itself, leading to improved health, emotional well-being, mental clarity, and joy in living. ...

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Yoga, Yoga - Yoga practice and intention, Yoga - The word yoga, Yoga - Diversity of yoga, Yoga - Yoga and religion, Yoga - Common themes, Yoga - Origins, Yoga - Hindu yoga, Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, Yoga - Patanjali, Yoga - God in Yoga philosophy, Yoga - Hatha yoga, Yoga - Natya yoga, Yoga - Buddhist yoga, Yoga - Yoga and tantra, Yoga - Notable Yogis

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Main article: History of psychology Rudolf Goclenius, a German scholastic philosopher, is credited with inventing the term 'psychology' (1590). The root of the word psychology (psyche) means "soul" or "spirit" in Greek, and psychology was sometimes considered a study of the soul (in a religious sense of this term). Psychology as a medical discipline can be seen in Thomas Willis' reference to psychology (the "Doctrine of the Soul") in terms of brain function, as part of his 1672 anatomical treatise "De Anima Brutorum" ("Two Discourses on the Souls of Brutes"). Until about the end of the 19th century, psychology w ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

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Main article: History of psychology The late 19th century marks the start of psychology as a scientific enterprise. The year 1879 is commonly seen as the start of psychology as an independent field of study, because in that year German scientist Wilhelm Wundt founded the first laboratory dedicated exclusively to psychological research in Leipzig, Germany. Other important early contributors to the field include Hermann Ebbinghaus (a pioneer in studies on memory), the Russian Ivan Pavlov (who discovered the learning process of cl ...

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Psychology, Psychology - History, Psychology - Principles of psychology, Psychology - Mind and brain, Psychology - Schools of thought, Psychology - Scope of psychology, Psychology - Biological basis: the brain, Psychology - Information processing: the mind, Psychology - Change over time: development, Psychology - Interaction with others, Psychology - Study of animals in psychology, Psychology - Mental health, Psychology - Applied psychology, Psychology - Research methods, Psychology - Controlled experiments, Psychology - Correlational studies, Psychology - Longitudinal studies, Psychology - Neuropsychological methods, Psychology - Computational modeling, Psychology - Criticisms of psychology

Read more here: » Psychology: Encyclopedia II - Psychology - History