Introduction to the Study of the Mind, Mental Activity, and Behavior

Abstract

A short overview of the literature about the study of the mind and behavior is presented. The overview also includes the discussion of clinical applications, in particular the diagnosis and classification in clinical psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy. The main problems with the clinical utility of the two most important classification systems are described. After that, it is explained why new knowledge about mental activity is the basis for solving the main problems of clinical applications. Furthermore, it is shown that the starting point for the analysis of mental activity, which can be subdivided into mental states and mental processes, is a simple but realistic model (S-O-R-model). Finally, it is made clear, why this book extends existing knowledge considerably.