The Principles of Psychology Volume 1 of 2 William James 9781420938227 Books
Download As PDF : The Principles of Psychology Volume 1 of 2 William James 9781420938227 Books
Brother of novelist Henry James and godson of eminent philosopher, essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James earned his own reputation for the monumental contributions he made in the field of Psychology. Here is the first volume of James' two part "Principles of Psychology," a textbook which took James twelve years to complete, and which is still prevalent in contemporary psychology texts. James' writings were influenced by Charles Darwin's ideas about adaptive evolutionary change, philosophical pragmatism, and various German psychologists who focused on the study of psychological processes. These two volumes delve into James' assumption that developmental processes involve an interaction of nature and nurture, a view that almost all contemporary developmental psychologists hold. His fundamental theories on brain processes and abstract thought, behavioral tendencies and states of consciousness, all of which he presented a decade before Sigmund Freud, have become integral to the framework of modern social psychology.
The Principles of Psychology Volume 1 of 2 William James 9781420938227 Books
Battered copy purchased at a garage sale for $1.00 several years ago."Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." These words capture the essence of the teachings of Simone Weil on how to enhance interpersonal relationships. See her wonderful essays in First and Last Notebooks: Supernatural Knowledge (Simone Weil: Selected Works).
Henry James makes the same point analyzing the value of paying attention:
"Attention … is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought, localization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatter brained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German."
He emphasizes this point, one that I seem to forget from time ever since my childhood, when all the world was new and I was devoted to exploration. (The truth is the world is still new, always changing, and still worth exploring with all of the additional tools I've learned over the years.)
"Millions of items of the outward order are present to my senses which never properly enter into my experience. Why? Because they have no interest for me. My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos. Interest alone gives accent and emphasis, light and shade, background and foreground intelligible perspective, in a word. It varies in every creature, but without it the consciousness of every creature would be a gray chaotic indiscriminateness, impossible for us even to conceive."
James's insights permeate my life -- support for my belief that multi-tasking leads to chaos and bad results:
"Sustained attention is the easier, the richer in acquisitions and the fresher and more original the mind. In such minds, subjects bud and sprout and grow. At every moment, they please by a new consequence and rivet the attention afresh. But an intellect unfurnished with materials, stagnant, unoriginal, will hardly be likely to consider any subject long. A glance exhausts its possibilities of interest. Geniuses are commonly believed to excel other men in their power of sustained attention… Their ideas coruscate, every subject branches infinitely before their fertile minds, and so for hours they may be rapt."
Other practitioners of awareness make the same point. Amy E. Herman teaches cops how to improve their investigatory skills by studying art at the Frick in New York City: see "Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life". A.O. Scott's wonderful Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think about Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth uses these principles throughout his analysis of literature and art.
It is worth re-reading William James from time to time to help keep alive your sense of wonder.
Robert C. Ross
March 2016
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The Principles of Psychology Volume 1 of 2 William James 9781420938227 Books Reviews
Excellent book. A classic in the field.
a classic - holds up very well over the decades!
great
Great basic and fundamental information on the subject of psychology. Recommended for those interested in collecting William James writings. These are true pioneer work.
This master work is essential to anyone who's studying psychology or neurology areas !
In my searches about vision this is essential too.
Very well written and very easy to understanding, even for a foreigner english reader.
Excellent organization, where the index explains every chapter and is very easy to find matters.
Vol I and vol II are inseparable.
His ideas remain current today, learning to take care of yourself is the hardest thing you will ever do, this book will help you.
must have book for any psychologist. this is classic. James is father of american psychology
Battered copy purchased at a garage sale for $1.00 several years ago.
"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." These words capture the essence of the teachings of Simone Weil on how to enhance interpersonal relationships. See her wonderful essays in First and Last Notebooks Supernatural Knowledge (Simone Weil Selected Works).
Henry James makes the same point analyzing the value of paying attention
"Attention … is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought, localization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatter brained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German."
He emphasizes this point, one that I seem to forget from time ever since my childhood, when all the world was new and I was devoted to exploration. (The truth is the world is still new, always changing, and still worth exploring with all of the additional tools I've learned over the years.)
"Millions of items of the outward order are present to my senses which never properly enter into my experience. Why? Because they have no interest for me. My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos. Interest alone gives accent and emphasis, light and shade, background and foreground intelligible perspective, in a word. It varies in every creature, but without it the consciousness of every creature would be a gray chaotic indiscriminateness, impossible for us even to conceive."
James's insights permeate my life -- support for my belief that multi-tasking leads to chaos and bad results
"Sustained attention is the easier, the richer in acquisitions and the fresher and more original the mind. In such minds, subjects bud and sprout and grow. At every moment, they please by a new consequence and rivet the attention afresh. But an intellect unfurnished with materials, stagnant, unoriginal, will hardly be likely to consider any subject long. A glance exhausts its possibilities of interest. Geniuses are commonly believed to excel other men in their power of sustained attention… Their ideas coruscate, every subject branches infinitely before their fertile minds, and so for hours they may be rapt."
Other practitioners of awareness make the same point. Amy E. Herman teaches cops how to improve their investigatory skills by studying art at the Frick in New York City see "Visual Intelligence Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life". A.O. Scott's wonderful Better Living Through Criticism How to Think about Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth uses these principles throughout his analysis of literature and art.
It is worth re-reading William James from time to time to help keep alive your sense of wonder.
Robert C. Ross
March 2016
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