Introduction to Psychology of Consciousness

Goran Kardum

Course description

Interdisciplinary, drawing on material from philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, religion and artificial intelligence

Why Psychology of Consciousness

• one of the most important topics for the twenty-first century.
• combines the best of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, as well as requires other disciplines and natural sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology).
• is the most mysterious of all things
• consciousness by its very nature is subjective (qualia).
• we exist within our consciousness, and so do all thoughts / investigations of consciousness.

Why Psychology of Consciousness

• investigation of consciousness absolutely requires a complex and integrative approach blending many fields of study and scholarship
• I think, therefore I am? (Anglin, 2014)
• Consciousness itself, of course, is the most mysterious of all things that we contend with as human beings (Hashim & Alexiou, 2022).

Content, topics

• Definition of consciousness
• What is consciousness?
• History of consciousness
• Methodology / research of consciousness
• The philosophical foundations of consciousness science

Content, topics

• Neuroscience / neuropsychology of consciousness
• Empirical theories of consciousness
• Sleep and dreaming
• Meditation, contemplation, religion and consciousness
• Altered states of consciousness
• Mental disorders and consciousness
• Psychoactive substances and consciousness

Literature

Anglin, S. M. (2014). I think, therefore i am? Examining conceptions of the self, soul, and mind. Consciousness and Cognition, 29, 105–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2014.08.014

Hashim, H. T., & Alexiou, A. (2022). The psychology of consciousness: Theory and practice. Springer.