A short introduction to the idea of the soulful self.
The soul can return to psychology as a significant concept if the facts of
mysticism are noted (Hood, 2002). After reflecting upon the construct of the soulful self, psychology can affect a return to positivity that is no longer transcendentally naïve (Davidson; Cosgrove, 2002). If psychology as a science wishes to be genuine – that is, if it demands insight in all matters - it must turn to transcendental subjectivity as a matter of primary concern, “for it is the [soulful self],” writes Smith, “that harbors the ultimate sources of meaning” (Smith, 2003). William Earle, too, agrees with this conclusion when he reminds us forcefully that “only […] the most naïve and incoherent empiricism would imagine that it can begin with ‘psychological facts’ of common life, hoping to end with a clearer notion or even refutation of the very soulful self which is their origin and active source (Earle, 1981). In James’ notes for Varieties, he states, “Remember that the whole [idea] lies in really believing that through a certain point or in part you coalesce and are identical with the Eternal.” As Ralph Hood suggests in his conclusion, "psychologists need not have that belief as a statement of faith, but it is not bad as an empirical hypothesis." (Hood, 2002)
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