How old is the field of modern psychology? It really has its beginnings in the early 20th century, and was born out of 3,000 years of philosophy.
Compared to philosophy, psychology is a mere fledgling. The man principally responsible for birthing this science was William James (1842-1910). He lived during an important era of our country, when philosophizing was probably needed to help us understand ourselves as a people.
In his career, he overlapped medicine, religion, morality and philosophy as he shaped what we know of today as psychology. There was no distinction of the different disciplines. One man/woman could speak and write legitimately about all of those rolled into one, with little scientific research to back it up. But what he said then about the importance of relaxation is still relevant to America 100 years later.
Based mostly on his observations, he saw a too-tense population, rushing to self-improvement, and creating a lot of worry for itself. Does this sound up to date or what?
He made a name for himself traveling around the post-Civil War country by train from east to west. He made canned speeches to a variety of audiences. His oratory style was quirky by today's standards. He once suggested that our problems stemmed from an overly dry climate. You have to wonder where he would fit in with the climate change debate.
Today we would probably find these talks boring and hard to listen to. Yet he spoke to his times. Industrial America was changing rapidly in its character, and needed someone to help it reflect on what was happening subtly. More than one educated lecturer spoke about "nervous diseases." All this before Freud's influence came to American medicine.
James, in his talks, had his finger on the pulse of a growing American lifestyle and philosophized on human nature. Certain attitudes, he thought, could make us morally flabby, and at the same time mentally unhealthy. He loved to berate his audience for living "excitedly and hurriedly" and exuding tension like "bottled lightning." He thought we got too excited over trivial events. Having observed the cultures of Europe in his travels, he actually advocated we Americans become more like the reserved British, as if that were the path to relaxation.
He was famous for proposing a "Gospel of Relaxation," hinting that easing lifestyle tension was a new creed we could subscribe to.
In saying that Americans, especially, as a nation should exercise more, he was ahead of his time. Exercise, he thought, could burn off too many over-reactive feelings that led to stress and maybe moral depravity. He proposed we adopt more quiet ways and hold calmness as an ideal.
Much later in his career he experimented with different means of relaxation, and documented the different kinds of religious experiences that might have the practical value of providing inner peace and joy. He, himself, took mind-altering drugs to discover their beneficial effect. Here he was also paving the way for scientific experimental research. Yet he never let a scientific world view cancel out the human value of religion
His heritage is to champion a spiritual and moral dimension that could, in addition to things like exercise, make our nation a healthier place.
Was he ahead of his time? We only have to sift through his lecture topics and private correspondence to see that stress-reduction and relaxation were important to him.
What have we learned in 100 years about taking our American way of life a little less intensely? In any case, you have to admire James' "inter-disciplinary" approach to strengthen the moral fiber of our evolving country.
Dr. William Morrow is a Florida licensed marriage and family therapist, with offices in Cape Coral and Fort Myers. He is the author of "The Rain Doesn't Fall Straight Down." Learn more at WilliamRMorrow.blogspot.com.