The dualism of psychology

Abstract

Dualism (the separation of the mind from the body) as related to psychology, particularly the division of disorders into organic and functional and how these terms are related to a tendency toward dualism in various schools of psychology, is explored in this article. The possibility of biological substratums for dualistic thinking is proposed, and this biological tendency is related to religion and mythology. Despite this biological tendency, the inadequacy of the dualistic concept is discussed and an alternative perspective is offered that attempts to satisfy the proposed function that dualism serves: self-preservation. This perspective is identified as monism or the idea that mind and body reflect an identical reality. This proposition is explored historically, and monism is explored as a perspective that has the potential of uniting us with nature and each other, making struggle, competition, and strife meaningless.