Aristotle’s Psychology

Abstract

Aristotle was the first antient philosopher who systematically represented the doctrine of the soul (psychology) in the treatise "On the Soul" (De Anima) and in the minor natural science works called Parva naturalia, among which the most significant treatises are "De Sensu et Sensibilibus" and "De Memoria et Reminiscentia". Aristotle considers psychology as the doctrine that explores the soul and its properties. He defines the soul as the principle of life, but the notion of life varies greatly depending on whether we are talking about a plant, an animal or a person. This Aristotle’s approach distinguishes his psychology from modern ones. Aristotle’s psychology considers all animate entities, and not just those who possess mind, that is, human beings. Aristotle gave a general definition of the soul as the first entelechy of the organic body. He also identified three types of souls depending on their functions: nutritive, perceptive and intellective. Each type of soul has certain properties and capacities. The nutritive soul nourishes, due to which a living being grows and lives, the perceptive soul perceives, and the intellective soul thinks.