Psychology: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:34, 6 January 2025

Psychology is another huge topic that will be distilled to a few paragraphs that can't possibly do it justice. Keep in mind we're here to put the pieces together, not to provide all the background information.

Since a primary goal of this wiki is to provide scientific grounding for valid spiritual concepts, psychology is naturally the field of study most relevant to this endeavor. The vast majority of religious belief and practice has to do with the study of the self, the mind, and how we work together in societies. Research into the brain has given us ample evidence for how and why they work to produce happiness. This helps deepen your ethical convictions without reliance on faith.

Psychology Pages

Related wiki pages about mental stuff.

Brain and Neurophysiology
Consciousness and Subjective Mind
Free Will
Happiness and Well-Being
Finding Meaning and Wonder
Optimism and the God Concept
Spirituality, Religion, In-Group, and Rituals
Psychedelics
Self-Awareness
Cognitive Dissonance
Language, Humor, and Persuasion
Art, Music, Poetry, and Dance
Emotions
Outrage, Contrarianism, and Trolling
Lying, Cheating, and Misinformation
Motivational Salience
Delayed Gratification and Temptation
Variety and Neuroplasticity
Addiction
Safety
Placebo Effect

Positive Psychology

metaculture acknowledges the need to diagnose and treat mental illness and anxiety. However, the study of the human mind should not focus exclusively on its problems. In a healthy culture, the majority of people need to focus on finding greater happiness and meaning in life, not treating debilitating conditions. Positive Psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on improving the subjective experience of consciousness, not just making it tolerable enough to continue participating in capitalism.

There is also evidence that pathologizing and focusing attention on psychological traits that are probably within the boundaries of normal human behavior is also damaging. That is why this wiki doesn't spend much time ruminating on things that are bad.

The focus of this wiki is not to replicate the DSM. It is to give you practical insights in to how the brain and consciousness work, and how to construct a belief system that provides meaning and maximizes happiness. By doing so, you can inoculate yourself against many of the disorders that you'll find in the DSM. But if you've got serious problems, see a therapist, not a wiki.

For more information, check out these Positive Psychology Resources.

What Is Psychology?

Learn the basics. There's one for kids, one for adults, and the complete intro course from Yale for you to choose from.

Introduction to Psychology

Crash Course Psychology #1 - Intro

Yale Introduction to Psychology (Complete Course)

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

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 For more [[information]], check out these [[Organizations#Positive Psychology|Positive Psychology Resources]].
-== Resolving Core Cognitive Dissonance ==
-Jung identified the search for [[meaning]] as a central dilemma behind many psychological issues of the modern era.[https://www.dreampositive.info/jung-and-frankl-on-the-meaning-of-life/]
-This key problem faced in the field of [[psychology]] is complicated by the [[cognitive dissonance]] resulting from the differences between our [[religion]] and [[spiritual]] [[belief systems]] and the [[scientific]] [[reality]] of the [[universe]] that we exist in. [[metaculture]] offers a novel solution.
-As [[science]] and [[technology]] progresses, more and more of what we learn comes in conflict with [[scripture]] [[literalism]]. There are a few mental strategies for dealing with this:
-# Ignore all of it and take a deep dive into superficiality and [[consumerism]]
-# Adopt the position that [[science]] is wrong and [[literalism]] is right start a [[war]] with [[reality]]
-# Adopt the position that [[science]] is right and [[religion]] is wrong and start a [[war]] with your [[culture]] and your ancestors
-# Interpret [[scripture]] as [[allegory]] to find a [[belief system]] where both can be true
-is the choice that would be best for anyone's [[mental health]] due to the obvious [[cognitive dissonance]] benefits of resolving such a deep conflict that sits at the [[Generating equation|very core of our souls]]. However, most people choose 1, 2, or 3 and this is the root cause of a lot of unnecessary mental anguish in modern [[society]] that manifests itself in any number of debilitating disorders and general anxiety. Even those that choose option 4 may not be able to fully resolve these concepts on their own without an example to emulate.
-Part of the problem is that [[religion]] is the system that humans have constructed to create [[rituals]] that harness the [[placebo effect]] to regulate our [[emotions]]. Without the ability to believe and practice these [[rituals]] fully, we no longer experience their benefits. And even if we try our hardest to believe, the [[placebo effect]] is still diminished due to the mountain of [[scientific]] [[reality]] that you are forced to ignore or rationalize.
-[[metaculture]] will provide a framework for a [[belief system]] that provides [[meaning]], and [[rituals]] that will allow modern and [[future people]] to harness the power of the [[placebo effect]] with [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926 full awareness of what they are doing]. This will allow [[rituals]] and sugar pills to replace many expensive and ineffective medicines that can never treat the issue of fundamental conflict between one's core [[belief system]] and [[reality]].
-Part of this is the internalized [[ritual]] of the [[god concept]], which creates a built-in sense of [[optimism]] about the [[Universe|world]] and positive interpretations of all of [[life]]'s [[Emotions|ups and downs]].
 == What Is Psychology? ==