This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (September 2022) |
Energy is a concept in some psychological theories or models of a postulated unconscious mental functioning on a level between biology and consciousness.
Philosophical accounts
The idea harks back to Aristotle's conception of actus et potentia. In the philosophical context, the term "energy" may have the literal meaning of "activity" or "operation". Henry More, in his 1642 Psychodia platonica; or a platonicall song of the soul, defined an "energy of the soul" as including "every phantasm of the soul". In 1944 Julian Sorell Huxley characterised "mental energy" as "the driving forces of the psyche, emotional as well as intellectual [...]."
Psychoanalytic accounts
In 1874, the concept of "psychodynamics" was proposed with the publication of Lectures on Physiology by German physiologist Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke who, in coordination with physicist Hermann von Helmholtz, one of the formulators of the first law of thermodynamics (conservation of energy), supposed that all living organisms are energy-systems also governed by this principle. During this year, at the University of Vienna, Brücke served as supervisor for first-year medical student Sigmund Freud who adopted this new "dynamic" physiology. In his Lectures on Physiology, Brücke set forth the then-radical view that the living organism is a dynamic system to which the laws of chemistry and physics apply.
In The Ego and the Id, Freud argued that the id was the source of the personality's desires, and therefore of the psychic energy that powered the mind. Freud defined libido as the instinct energy or force. Freud later added the death drive (also contained in the id) as a second source of mental energy. The origins of Freud's basic model, based on the fundamentals of chemistry and physics, according to John Bowlby, stems from Brücke, Meynert, Breuer, Helmholtz, and Herbart.
In 1928, Carl Jung published a seminal essay entitled "On Psychic Energy" which dealt with energy Jung claimed was first discovered by Russian philosopher Nikolaus Grot. Later, the theory of psychodynamics and the concept of "psychic energy" was developed further by those such as Alfred Adler and Melanie Klein.
A pupil of Freud named Wilhelm Reich proponed a theory construed out of the root of Freud's libido, of psychic energy he came to term orgone energy. This was very controversial and Reich was soon rejected and expelled from the Vienna Psychoanalytical Association.
Psychological energy and force are the basis of an attempt to formulate a scientific theory according to which psychological phenomena would be subject to precise laws akin to how physical objects are subject to Newton's laws. This concept of psychological energy is separate and distinct from (or even opposed to) the mystical eastern concept of spiritual energy.
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator divides people into 16 categories based on whether certain activities leave them feeling energized or drained of energy.
Neuroscientific accounts
Mental energy has been repeatedly compared to, or connected with, the physical quantity energy.
Studies of the 1990s to 2000s (and earlier) have found that mental effort can be measured in terms of increased metabolism in the brain. The modern neuroscientific view is that brain metabolism, measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography, is a physical correlate of mental activity.
Criticism
The concept of psychic energy has been criticized because it lacks empirical evidence and there is not a neurological or neuropsychological correlate,: 54 unlike with the neural correlates of consciousness.
Shevrin argues that energy may be a systems concept. He theorizes that the strength of an emotion can remain the same, while an emotion changes. He argues that this intensity, can be understood separately from emotion and that this intensity might be considered energy.: 54
However, a significant volume of empirical research on energy psychology has emerged over several decades, much of it published in peer-reviewed medical and psychology journals. It includes a large body of randomized controlled trials; extensive noteworthy uncontrolled trials in which subjects served as their own controls, with measurements taken over time to assess client progress; as well as small pilot studies and collections of case histories that are suggestive of future research directions.
Thus, as of the date of this citation, there have been over 200 review articles, research studies, and meta-analyses published in professional peer-reviewed journals. This includes over 70 randomized controlled trials, 50 clinical outcomes studies, 5 meta-analyses, 4 systematic reviews of various energy psychology modalities, and 9 comparative reviews of energy psychology with other therapies such as EMDR and cognitive behavioral therapy. All but one of the experimental studies have documented the effectiveness of energy psychology modalities. Also, the studies document the efficacy of energy psychology methods for the treatment of physical pain, anxiety, depression, cravings, trauma, PTSD, and peak athletic performance.
Concerning meta-analyses, four revealed a large effect size and one a moderate effect size. The Gilomen & Lee (2015) meta-analysis indicated a moderate effect size of tapping on psychological distress (utilizing Hedge's g as compared to the standard Cohen's h), although they opined that the results could be due to factors common to other therapeutic approaches, and not necessarily due to tapping. Nelms & Castel (2016) found a large effect size on tapping for depression, Clond's (2017) revealed a large effect size for treating anxiety, and Sebastian & Nelms (2017) also indicated a large effect size for PTSD. Regarding the question of acupoint tapping as an active therapeutic ingredient, the meta-analysis by Church, Stapleton, Kip & Gallo (2020) revealed a large effect size in this regard, supporting tapping as an active therapeutic ingredient.
See also
- Cathexis
- Cognitive load
- Death drive
- Energy (esotericism)
- Energy psychology
- Humorism
- Id, ego and superego
- Libido
- Mental energy
- Mind
- Motivation
- Psyche (psychology)
- Spoon theory
- Theory of mind
References
- Huxley, Julian (1944). On Living in a Revolution. Harper. p. 237. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
In what follows, I shall use the term mental energy in the broad popular sense, as denoting the driving forces of the psyche, emotional as well as intellectual [...].
- Hall, Calvin, S. (1954). A Primer in Freudian Psychology. Meridian Book. ISBN 0-452-01183-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Hall, Calvin S.; Nordby, Vernon J. (1999). A Primer of Jungian Psychology. New York: Meridian. ISBN 0-452-01186-8.
- Bowlby, John (1999). Attachment and Loss: Vol I, 2nd Ed. Basic Books. pp. 13–23. ISBN 0-465-00543-8.
- Bishop, Paul, ed. (1999-03-11). Jung in Contexts. doi:10.4324/9780203360910. ISBN 9780203360910.
- Benton, D., Parker, P. Y., & Donohoe, R. T. (1996). The supply of glucose to the brain and cognitive functioning. Journal of Biosocial Science, 28, 463–479. Fairclough, S. H., & Houston, K. (2004). A metabolic measure of mental effort. Biological Psychology, 66, 177-190. Gailliot, M.T., Baumeister, R.F., et al. (in press). Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
- Shevrin, Howard (January 1984). "The fate of the five metapsychological principles". Psychoanalytic Inquiry. 4 (1): 33–58. doi:10.1080/07351698409533530. ISSN 0735-1690.
- Feinstein, David (December 2012). "Acupoint Stimulation in Treating Psychological Disorders: Evidence of Efficacy". Review of General Psychology. 16 (4): 364–380. doi:10.1037/a0028602. ISSN 1089-2680. S2CID 13929941.
- "ACEP The Home of Energy Psychology". www.energypsych.org. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- Church, Dawson; Stapleton, Peta; Kip, Kevin; Gallo, Fred (August 2020). "Corrigendum to: Is Tapping on Acupuncture Points an Active Ingredient in Emotional Freedom Techniques: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies". Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease. 208 (8): 632–635. doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001222. ISSN 1539-736X. PMID 32740561. S2CID 220945898.
Further reading
- Jung, C.G. (1960). On the Nature of the Psyche. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01751-4.
- Laplanche, J.|Jean Laplanche and Pontalis, J.B. (1974). The Language of Psycho-Analysis. Trans. Donald Nicholson-Smith. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1974.
- Furman, M., and Gallo, F. (2000). The Neurophysics of Human Behavior: Explorations at the Interface of Brain, Mind, Behavior, and Information. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Gallo, F. (2005). Energy Psychology: Explorations at the Interface of Energy, Cognition, Behavior, and Health. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Gallo, F. (2007). Energy Tapping for Trauma. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
- Gallo, F., and Vincenzi, V. (2008). Energy Tapping. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
- Clond, M. (2016). Emotional freedom techniques for anxiety: A systematic review with meta-analysis. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 204(5), 388-395.
- Gilomen, S. A. & Lee, C. W. (2015). The efficacy of acupoint stimulation in the treatment of psychological distress: A meta-analysis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 48, 140-148.
- Johnson, C., Shala, M., Sejdijaj, X., Odell, R., Dabishevci, K. (2001). Thought field therapy: Soothing the bad moments of Kosovo. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(10), 1237-1240.
- Nelms, J. & Castel, D. (2016). A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and nonrandomized trials of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) for the treatment of depression. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 12(6), 416-26.
- Sebastian, B., & Nelms, J. (2017). The effectiveness of emotional freedom techniques in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 13(1), 16-25.
External links
- Psychic Energy & Psychoanalytic Theory Archived 2013-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
This article s factual accuracy is disputed Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message Energy is a concept in some psychological theories or models of a postulated unconscious mental functioning on a level between biology and consciousness Philosophical accountsThe idea harks back to Aristotle s conception of actus et potentia In the philosophical context the term energy may have the literal meaning of activity or operation Henry More in his 1642 Psychodia platonica or a platonicall song of the soul defined an energy of the soul as including every phantasm of the soul In 1944 Julian Sorell Huxley characterised mental energy as the driving forces of the psyche emotional as well as intellectual Psychoanalytic accountsIn 1874 the concept of psychodynamics was proposed with the publication of Lectures on Physiology by German physiologist Ernst Wilhelm von Brucke who in coordination with physicist Hermann von Helmholtz one of the formulators of the first law of thermodynamics conservation of energy supposed that all living organisms are energy systems also governed by this principle During this year at the University of Vienna Brucke served as supervisor for first year medical student Sigmund Freud who adopted this new dynamic physiology In his Lectures on Physiology Brucke set forth the then radical view that the living organism is a dynamic system to which the laws of chemistry and physics apply In The Ego and the Id Freud argued that the id was the source of the personality s desires and therefore of the psychic energy that powered the mind Freud defined libido as the instinct energy or force Freud later added the death drive also contained in the id as a second source of mental energy The origins of Freud s basic model based on the fundamentals of chemistry and physics according to John Bowlby stems from Brucke Meynert Breuer Helmholtz and Herbart In 1928 Carl Jung published a seminal essay entitled On Psychic Energy which dealt with energy Jung claimed was first discovered by Russian philosopher Nikolaus Grot Later the theory of psychodynamics and the concept of psychic energy was developed further by those such as Alfred Adler and Melanie Klein A pupil of Freud named Wilhelm Reich proponed a theory construed out of the root of Freud s libido of psychic energy he came to term orgone energy This was very controversial and Reich was soon rejected and expelled from the Vienna Psychoanalytical Association Psychological energy and force are the basis of an attempt to formulate a scientific theory according to which psychological phenomena would be subject to precise laws akin to how physical objects are subject to Newton s laws This concept of psychological energy is separate and distinct from or even opposed to the mystical eastern concept of spiritual energy The Myers Briggs Type Indicator divides people into 16 categories based on whether certain activities leave them feeling energized or drained of energy Neuroscientific accountsMental energy has been repeatedly compared to or connected with the physical quantity energy Studies of the 1990s to 2000s and earlier have found that mental effort can be measured in terms of increased metabolism in the brain The modern neuroscientific view is that brain metabolism measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography is a physical correlate of mental activity CriticismThe concept of psychic energy has been criticized because it lacks empirical evidence and there is not a neurological or neuropsychological correlate 54 unlike with the neural correlates of consciousness Shevrin argues that energy may be a systems concept He theorizes that the strength of an emotion can remain the same while an emotion changes He argues that this intensity can be understood separately from emotion and that this intensity might be considered energy 54 However a significant volume of empirical research on energy psychology has emerged over several decades much of it published in peer reviewed medical and psychology journals It includes a large body of randomized controlled trials extensive noteworthy uncontrolled trials in which subjects served as their own controls with measurements taken over time to assess client progress as well as small pilot studies and collections of case histories that are suggestive of future research directions Thus as of the date of this citation there have been over 200 review articles research studies and meta analyses published in professional peer reviewed journals This includes over 70 randomized controlled trials 50 clinical outcomes studies 5 meta analyses 4 systematic reviews of various energy psychology modalities and 9 comparative reviews of energy psychology with other therapies such as EMDR and cognitive behavioral therapy All but one of the experimental studies have documented the effectiveness of energy psychology modalities Also the studies document the efficacy of energy psychology methods for the treatment of physical pain anxiety depression cravings trauma PTSD and peak athletic performance Concerning meta analyses four revealed a large effect size and one a moderate effect size The Gilomen amp Lee 2015 meta analysis indicated a moderate effect size of tapping on psychological distress utilizing Hedge s g as compared to the standard Cohen s h although they opined that the results could be due to factors common to other therapeutic approaches and not necessarily due to tapping Nelms amp Castel 2016 found a large effect size on tapping for depression Clond s 2017 revealed a large effect size for treating anxiety and Sebastian amp Nelms 2017 also indicated a large effect size for PTSD Regarding the question of acupoint tapping as an active therapeutic ingredient the meta analysis by Church Stapleton Kip amp Gallo 2020 revealed a large effect size in this regard supporting tapping as an active therapeutic ingredient See alsoCathexis Cognitive load Death drive Energy esotericism Energy psychology Humorism Id ego and superego Libido Mental energy Mind Motivation Psyche psychology Spoon theory Theory of mindReferencesHuxley Julian 1944 On Living in a Revolution Harper p 237 Retrieved 29 May 2023 In what follows I shall use the term mental energy in the broad popular sense as denoting the driving forces of the psyche emotional as well as intellectual Hall Calvin S 1954 A Primer in Freudian Psychology Meridian Book ISBN 0 452 01183 3 a href wiki Template Cite book title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Hall Calvin S Nordby Vernon J 1999 A Primer of Jungian Psychology New York Meridian ISBN 0 452 01186 8 Bowlby John 1999 Attachment and Loss Vol I 2nd Ed Basic Books pp 13 23 ISBN 0 465 00543 8 Bishop Paul ed 1999 03 11 Jung in Contexts doi 10 4324 9780203360910 ISBN 9780203360910 Benton D Parker P Y amp Donohoe R T 1996 The supply of glucose to the brain and cognitive functioning Journal of Biosocial Science 28 463 479 Fairclough S H amp Houston K 2004 A metabolic measure of mental effort Biological Psychology 66 177 190 Gailliot M T Baumeister R F et al in press Self control relies on glucose as a limited energy source Willpower is more than a metaphor Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Shevrin Howard January 1984 The fate of the five metapsychological principles Psychoanalytic Inquiry 4 1 33 58 doi 10 1080 07351698409533530 ISSN 0735 1690 Feinstein David December 2012 Acupoint Stimulation in Treating Psychological Disorders Evidence of Efficacy Review of General Psychology 16 4 364 380 doi 10 1037 a0028602 ISSN 1089 2680 S2CID 13929941 ACEP The Home of Energy Psychology www energypsych org Retrieved 2022 01 20 Church Dawson Stapleton Peta Kip Kevin Gallo Fred August 2020 Corrigendum to Is Tapping on Acupuncture Points an Active Ingredient in Emotional Freedom Techniques A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis of Comparative Studies Journal of Nervous amp Mental Disease 208 8 632 635 doi 10 1097 nmd 0000000000001222 ISSN 1539 736X PMID 32740561 S2CID 220945898 Further readingJung C G 1960 On the Nature of the Psyche Princeton Princeton University Press ISBN 0 691 01751 4 Laplanche J Jean Laplanche and Pontalis J B 1974 The Language of Psycho Analysis Trans Donald Nicholson Smith New York W W Norton amp Company 1974 Furman M and Gallo F 2000 The Neurophysics of Human Behavior Explorations at the Interface of Brain Mind Behavior and Information Boca Raton FL CRC Press Gallo F 2005 Energy Psychology Explorations at the Interface of Energy Cognition Behavior and Health Boca Raton FL CRC Press Gallo F 2007 Energy Tapping for Trauma Oakland CA New Harbinger Gallo F and Vincenzi V 2008 Energy Tapping Oakland CA New Harbinger Clond M 2016 Emotional freedom techniques for anxiety A systematic review with meta analysis The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 204 5 388 395 Gilomen S A amp Lee C W 2015 The efficacy of acupoint stimulation in the treatment of psychological distress A meta analysis Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 48 140 148 Johnson C Shala M Sejdijaj X Odell R Dabishevci K 2001 Thought field therapy Soothing the bad moments of Kosovo Journal of Clinical Psychology 57 10 1237 1240 Nelms J amp Castel D 2016 A systematic review and meta analysis of randomized and nonrandomized trials of emotional freedom techniques EFT for the treatment of depression Explore The Journal of Science and Healing 12 6 416 26 Sebastian B amp Nelms J 2017 The effectiveness of emotional freedom techniques in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder A meta analysis Explore The Journal of Science and Healing 13 1 16 25 External linksPsychic Energy amp Psychoanalytic Theory Archived 2013 08 28 at the Wayback Machine
