Purpose In Psychology

“The whole point of knowledge is to produce both meaning and purpose in our personal lives.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

How is knowledge used in psychology and religion to provide comfort to people?

Firstly, to define both meaning and purpose, purpose will be the reason for which something is done or created. Meaning comes from the philosophical and spiritual question to the significance of one life, often using the questions “Why are we here?” “What is life about?” “Does life even exist?” etc.

Using these definitions, I will prove how humans attempt to achieve these answers by the same means as not only are they the most used but also the most effective. Humans are classified as intelligent beings once imagination

As seen before in the example of his depressed patient, by analyzing dreams, and the universally accepted images and meanings (archetypes) Carl Jung was able to help a patient which was in a stagnate state of depression. This method can be used to anyone with mental illness or healthy humans, who are hoping to understand their place in the world. In this case, the tool to connect the dots, psychology is knowledge. People who are religious do the same by using Joseph Campbell’s theory of the “Monomyth” and “The Hero’s Journey” by giving examples of how to live life, giving a sense of completeness. This time, the tool for connection, religion is knowledge. For example, the story line of all hero’s, Jesus, Mohammed, Hercules and even Beowulf follow the same structure for a reason. There is a call to adventure, some supernatural help, threshold guardians that the hero must pass, there is a sort of “death” to which the hero must come back in an enlightened state an atonement and a return journey. Campbell’s theory, is that each hero represents humanity, and the individual who must in turn make the same journey, and these hero’s are just guides to what must be done, which is why myths are so relatable, and are so wildly used to provide answers for people in religion or in different

If this is true, then the meaning coming with these archetypes are also false. Following this line of thought, if all religions, sciences and societies are relaying false information, then that makes up a false world and ideals. This also brings into question certain aspects of ethnocentrism, in which we value and weigh another culture through comparison of our own. As such, it could be very possible that these archetypes are viewed through a western point of view. For example, when speaking of death, western culture identifies it with the colour black, and was used in the creation of the archetypes, however in Japan, the colour of death is white. However I believe that this is irrelevant, because knowledge is the connection between two sets of information, not the information itself and therefore, by interpreting your own thoughts, religion or psychology you will come to a conclusion based on your own culture/religion etc.

Following the definitions set up in the beginning, then even if the information is false, if it bring a purpose or a meaning to someone’s life then it is always valid. As such, both religion and psychology bring comfort to people by giving answers. Answers which may be false and heavily bias over time, but answers nonetheless. I believe these answers are the most important aspects of the human condition, for all knowledge, in any