PSYCHE PSYCHOLOGY PSYCHIATRY

Idiom Idea Idiot Anima Animal Soul

Cupid and Psyche.

An overview of PSYCHE, PSYCHOLOGY and PSYCHIATRY is inherently linked with ideas in MIND, MANIA, MADNESS and other ideas concerned with CONSCIOUSNESS and EMOTION.

Male evasiveness.	Feminine curiosity.

The focus here is on ideas inherent in PSYCHE or PSYKHE, Greek for SOUL. In classic mythology PSYCHOPOMP or Mercury, also known as Hermes, was the guide of lost SOULS which implicitly refers to the souls of the dead. In modern times, lost souls also include those of the PSYCHOTIC but instead of calling for help from Hermes we hope that PSYCHIATRISTS and PSYCHOANALYSTS may help them find a way out of their insanity.

Bonding.

All human souls aspire to love and immortality as personified by Psyche. Lucius Apuleius, the author of the "Golden Ass", was inspired by ancient artistic depictions of Psyche as a beautiful tender maiden with delicate butterfly wings. His story of Eros and Psyche is about how love rescued Eros or Cupid from the hell of unrelenting erotism and cupidity. Later, Cupid rescued Psyche from Hades. Venus, the adoptive mother of Cupid, rejected Psyche but later relented and Psyche was granted  immortality. Since Apuleius, other poets perpetuated the idea that love cures lust and that profound love transcends death. Further ideas in "love" and "mind" are given in other illustrated overviews but it is relevant here to point out Plato who stressed that "Amor like Dementia is a Powerful God".

Psyche rescued.

In the coarser world of science, the soul is called MIND. Most scientists who understand genetics, biology, and medicine, consider "mind and body" to be one. The ancient maxim - "In corpora sano, mens sana" or "in a healthy body, a healthy mind" stresses the unity of health by linking physical with mental sanity. Later, Biblical religions introduced the dogma that non-human animals do not have a soul and lack the ability to experience "true pain". Some theologians even interpreted the painful cries of injured animals as mechanical in nature. In any case, a good education of the mind includes physical education, a fact so far not challenged by "Biblical" schools.

It is self-evident that our conscience reminds us that reason and desires rarely are  in perfect harmony. The psychological "tone" or "background feelings" or personality, color the sensitivity and reactions of our psyche. Common terms such as "tired", "bored", "excited", "confused", "optimist" or "pessimist" describe psychological overtones.

Pessimist Heraclitus

Pessimists tend to feel as if "the sky is falling" and tend to react PEJOratively. Such feelings are consonant with ideas in PEIOR, PEDYOS, PADAY or PADYATE which in Latin, Ukrainian and Sanskrit convey ideas related to "falling". PEOR in Spanish refers to worse. A prototype of a pessimist is the great philosopher and astronomer Heraclitus who felt insecure because "all is in flux".

Optimist Democritus

An opposite psychologic tone was characteristic of Leibnitz. He was an extreme OPTimist mathematician who invented the method of calculus and held the view that "which exists is the best".

Optimism is a property of  youth.

Most people have OPTions between extremes of optimism and pessimism. Otherwise a person may  become a social alien or even alienated. In any case, most people fail to recognize that choosing OPTions without knowledge, implies a reliance on desires. OPTare in Latin is desire. The task of Psyche is to harmonize the pull of Athena toward reason and the desires or cupidity promoted by Cupid.

It is self evident that most people are limited regarding notions or sound opinions, or to put it another way, have no IDEA about most of what goes on . In this sense, most people are  IDIOTS which means "no idea". The Greek root IDEIN is for "to see" and does suggest that in fact, everybody is an IDIOT regarding some subject or another. Because the OPTics of OPTimists may help forming visions or ideas, perhaps IDIOsyncratic OPTimists may also have healthier IDEAS about life and living.