Human Behavior > Man Exists as a Physical Entity
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Man Exists as a Physical EntityMan Exists as a Physical Entity
In contrast with the scholars of ancient Greece who proclaimed that the body was the prison of the true man (spirit or soul) for the duration of his mundane existence, modern Psychology believes that man's physical composition is an integral part of his functioning. The psychical and physical aspects of that functioning are seen as a interwoven and interdependent whole.
This means, in the first place, that the psychical function hinges on the developmental stage of the physical functions (especially the brain and ne rvous system). Hence the functioning-configuration of the child differs from that of the adult - the erratic functioning patterns we find in the child, for example, causes the latter to be more susceptible to change and moulding of the self via an education process, while there is already a fair measure of rigidity in the functioning-configuration of the adult. In the second place, in man's day-to-day existence he is obliged to function with this dependency as point of departure. For instance, it is interesting to observe the effect of varying tension on someone's functioning. The nervous system creates a natural basic neuromuscular which is describable as a kind of watchfulness, state of activation or state of readiness. This condition fluctuates from low-level (sleep) to high-level (optimal functioning). This type of tension also varies according to the activity in which the person is involved at any given moment, whether he or she is thinking, being emotional, undergoing physical exertion or is lying down and relaxing peacefully. The age and gender of the individual concerned, as well as physical factors, temperature, atmospheric pressure and bodily illnesses can also play a part. The level of tension may well rise so high that the normal patterns of man's functioning becomes disorganized. This in its turn may impact on the perceptions of awareness. The physical, visible, dimension of being human - the human body - is the active organ of man's functioning. His words, actions, facial expressions et cetera reflects the Psychological interaction within him. Man exists and functions as a psycho-physical unit. We cannot understand man and his life without taking his body and the functioning thereof into account. |