Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Ways of Humans: Modelling the Fundamentals of Psychology and Social Relations

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present paper comprises a set of theoretical suppositions concerning three major subjects: the fundamentals of psychology (psycho-logics), the fundamentals of sociology (socio-logics) and the relationship between psycho-logics and socio-logics. First, it is argued that intentionality is the founding unit of psychology. On the basis of this supposition, three phylogenetic steps: sense, mind, and consciousness are identified and modelled. Subsequently it is argued that sociology builds upon five and only five fundamental types of relations: competition, transference, coordination, dependence and control. It is stated that any sociological network is composed by sets of these relations. Finally it is argued that psychology and sociology form a complex micro macro system in which psychological processes give rise to sociological networks that in turn constrain psychological processes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The term ‘psycho-logics’ refers to any theoretical supposition concerning the psyche and ‘socio-logics’ to suppositions concerning social systems.

  2. The work cycle encompasses the reproduction of the individual as well as the species. Offspring form part of the work cycle of the parent. I shall return to reproduction of the species later.

  3. The concepts of indicational and specificational information is based on the works of the ecological psychologist James j. Gibson (1904–1979).

  4. I think that it is the strange phenomenon of the now that the British mathematician sir Robert Penrose (Penrose, 1994) tries to fix when he points to the fundamental physical determinant of consciousness in the form of microtubules.

  5. The qualifier ‘m’ in Om stands for material. Later, virtual objectives are introduced.

  6. For an elaborate description of the phylogeny of the transition from sense to mind see (Engelsted, 1977).

  7. Labour refers to a split between production and consumption while work refers to the concrete activity of generating a product.

  8. The idea that slower sociological processes can control faster ones has been generated by my colleague and friend Dr. Ton van Asseldonk from the Netherlands.

References

  • Bennis, W. G., & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, H., & Barnes, N. S. (1989). Biology. New York: Worth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1872). The origin of species by means of natural selection or, The preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. Available via: http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/charles_darwin/origin_of_species/Chapter3.html. Cited 27. Jan. 2008.

  • Durkheim, E. (1973a). Les règles de la méthode sociologique. Paris: Presses Universitaire de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1973b). De la division du travail sociale. Paris: Presses Universitaire de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Einstein, A., & Infeld, L. (1956). Die evolution der Physik. Von Newton biz zur Quantentheorie. Hamburg: Rowohlt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelsted, N. (1977). Evolution, søvn og depression. (Evolution, sleep and depression). Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelsted, N. (1984). Springet fra dyr til menneske—en argumentationsskitse (The leap from animal to human being—an outline of argumentation). Copenhagen: Dansk Psykologisk Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelsted, N. (1989). What is the psyche and how did it get into the world? In N. Engelsted, L. Hem & J. Mammen (Eds.), Essays in general psychology. Seven Danish contributions (pp. 13–48). Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hegel, G.W.F. (1970). Enzyklopädie der philosophischen Wissenschaften im Grundrisse. In Werke (Vol. 8). Frankfurth am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag. (First published 1830)

  • James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. Available via: Classics in the history of psychology. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/James/Principles/index.htm. Cited 17. Feb. 2006

  • Kugler, P. N., & Turvey, M. T. (1987). Information, natural law, and the self-assembly of rhythmic movement. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Köhler, W. (1927). The mentality of apes. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Li, X. (2009). The integration of psychological researches under the scheme of subjectivity psychological system. (Manus) Shanghai.

  • Penrose, R. (1994). Shadows of the mind. A search for the missing science of consciousness. Oxford: Oxford university press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prigogine, I., & Stengers, I. (1984). Order out of Chaos—Man's new dialogue with nature. Toronto: Bantam Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, E. (1968). Parts and wholes in physics. In I. W. Buckley (Ed.), Modern systems research for the behavioral scientist. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka, M. (2001). Discrimination and categorization of photographs of natural objects by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Animal Cognition, 4, 201–211. doi:10.1007/s100710100106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaleznik, A. (1977). Managers and leaders: Are they different. Harvard Business Review, 55, 67–78.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Ole Elstrup

Authors
  1. Ole Elstrup
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ole Elstrup.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Elstrup, O. The Ways of Humans: Modelling the Fundamentals of Psychology and Social Relations. Integr. psych. behav. 43, 267–300 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-009-9095-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-009-9095-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation