3. Aristotle (384BC - 322BC)

1. Aristotle was a student of Plato. Aristotle is considered to the first psychologists ever.
2. Aristotle rejected the idea of dualism of soul and the body and put forward the view that these two are not separate but one entity.
3. Aristotle was of the view that ideas in the human beings tend to become associated with each other and there are three reasons for the association of ideas which he gave:
   • Similarity - Similarity means that the mind tends to see certain similar patterns between two things and relates them together.
   • Contiguity - Contiguity refers to two things or events happening close to each other so that the person is able to relate them to each other.
   • Contrast - Contrast means that two events or ideas are completely opposing to each other, which results in the formation of a link between the two.
4. According to Aristotle, man is a biological being whose functions include:
   • Eating (It eats to fulfil the requirements for the nourishment of its body and its growth)
   • Perceiving (It perceives and responds to stimuli according to its perception)
   • Having children (It has the ability to procreate and expand its species)
   • Thinking (Higher form of living beings such as humans has the ability to use their mind to think and analyze objects and happenings around them)
   • And doing things (humans are involved in various activities which they perform throughout their lives).
5. Aristotle rejected his teacher’s views on introspection and said that true knowledge can only be gained through observation and empiricism. As human beings observe the phenomenon going on around them and the world around them, they tend to make judgments and decisions that are based on their objective perception rather than their subjective biases. Therefore, instead of looking to the mind, one needs to look at the world around in order to gain knowledge.
6. Aristotle also described two types of human motives which are:
   • Primary motives: Primary motives are basic motives which are the desires of all human beings and are mostly bodily desires such as such as hunger, sex, thirst, anger and need for rest. Such motives are not just possessed by human beings but may also be possessed by other living beings. An important aspect of such motives is that they are not learnt by the organisms; rather they are a part of the genetic make-up of all organisms.
   • Secondary Motives: Secondary motives are those motives which are learnt by organisms and these become habits of the individuals. For example, it is the habit of certain people to socialize with others.
7. Another great contribution was that he recognized that there are individual differences in various respects in people. These differences may be in the intelligence level, in certain abilities, sports, math etc. For example, one individual may be a very good sportsman but not a very good musician, while another may be a very good musician but not a sports man. Therefore, differences exist in all individuals as far as their personal characteristics are concerned. Aristotle further suggested that these individual differences are created during the life span of a person, but they are inherited by the person. He is born with these differences which may although be discovered in later in life.
8. Apart from these individual differences that are inherited and are a part of the genetic makeup of all individuals, Aristotle was of the view that the early childhood experiences and training of an individual have a profound impact on him or her. Childhood is the time when the mind is open to all influences from the environment.
9. Aristotle also gave the concept of Catharsis. Catharsis is the sudden release of emotions by a person when he sees, hears or feels something. For example a person may start crying when he hears about a tragedy that someone else has encountered.