William James Psychology

William James undertakes a tremendous task in this journey: he seeks to combine religious experiences into the psychology field of his time. James provides a unique perspective due to his education as a physician but he also provides sufficient experience as a psychologist and philosopher. During this time period, scholars of different fields of study were just starting to communicate with each other. This collection of lectures is James’ attempt to integrate religion and spirituality into psychology. This was unheard of for his time because psychology was brand new in its title as a science. Many psychological founders shied away from religion because it seemed to invalidate their scientific study. James realized the necessity of spirituality in the field of psychology, in order to counsel every aspect of a person’s life. James is very accommodating in his lectures, perhaps in an effort to invite more scholars into the conversation. He utilizes specific cases of varying religions, cases of non-religious but “spiritual” occurrences, and scientific processes. The different ideological forms that James draws from speaks to his pluralism, he does not identify to one idea and he wants to consider all of the possibilities. All of these factors make James’ lectures a thought-provoking read.

In the lecture, The …show more content…
They are totally aware that their lives are missing that “something there” and they are searching for the thing that will fill the void. There is a greater force beyond wealth, fame, success, and love that people desire. Where does that disconnect lie between a man’s dreams and the realities of his life? James quotes Tolstoy in the phrase “that by which men live,” the force that drives their innermost longings and the idea that something greater is yet to be found. This is the true drive of a man’s life: to find that which gives him purpose and