Pierre Janet and His Contribution to Psychology. Introduction
As the twentieth century dawned, Pierre Janet stood as a central figure, seamlessly blending philosophy and psychology. His legacy endures through his contributions to psychological analysis, his role in shaping French psychology, and his enduring impact on the understanding of mental disorders.
While it’s impossible to encapsulate all of Janet’s contributions to psychology in this brief overview, let’s delve into some intriguing aspects of his research. We’ll explore Janet’s pioneering work on fixed ideas and dissociation, his insights into mental trauma and coping mechanisms, his terms of mental force and mental tension, and his exploration of how personality influences mental illness.
Janet’s Theories
Janet was one of the first people to assert a connection between events in a subject’s past life and their present trauma, coining the terms “dissociation” and “subconscious.” His investigation of the “magnetic passion” or “relationship” between the patient and the hypnotist anticipated later accounts of the transference phenomenon.
In the 20th century, Janet developed an extensive model of the mind concerning energy, efficiency, and social competence, which he elaborated on in publications such as “Obsessions and Psychasthenia” (1903) and “From Anguish to Ecstasy” (1926). His focus on the construction of personality in social contexts led to comparisons with the social behaviorism of George Herbert Mead, which explains Lacan’s early praise of Janet for admirably demonstrating the significance of persecutory feelings as phenomenological moments in social behavior.
Janet’s Observations on Hysteria
Most of Janet’s contemporaries believed that hysteria was solely linked to sexual trauma, but Janet proposed a more nuanced understanding. He suggested that dissociation could result from different origins such as trauma, overwhelm, the incapability to integrate information, and the presence of rigid ideas about the world he referred to as fixed ideas. This holistic view on hysteria and dissociation laid the foundation for Janet’s therapeutic technique, which focused on uncovering and resolving underlying stressful experiences.
A significant contribution of Janet to psychology was his observations on hysteria and exploration of dissociation. Whilst working for Jean-Martin Charcot, Janet observed patients affected by hysteria. This condition was characterized by paralysis, seizures, and amnesia without observable or measurable physical cause. It was in these patients that Janet observed the phenomenon of dissociation.
Janet’s Concept of Dissociation
Dissociation is described as a mental process where parts of information are separated from the individual´s conscious awareness. In other words, these people are not consciously aware of the things they experience in the present moment but mentally dissociate from the here and now. For example, he experienced patients with hysteria displaying gaps in memory of specific events, especially those related to trauma. Also, he observed patients exhibited trance-like states where patients seemed to be disconnected from their environment.
Janet’s Notion of “Fixed Ideas”
Fixed Ideas
A pivotal concept in Janet’s psychology is the notion of “fixed ideas” which are cognitive-emotional complexes that can impair mental processes biologically. He believed that fixed ideas can lead to mental problems. Fixed ideas can be distorted memories, experiences, imaginations, or appraisals of traumatic events, often leading to the emergence of a rigid-thought complex when views cannot be altered, or alternatives considered. For this reason, the integration of new information or experiences can fail. Because the brain is not able to accurately integrate this information, distortions in consciousness can occur.
Dissociation
The distortions caused by fixed ideas and the resulting inability to integrate information are for example the alteration of the information and memory or a disconnection in consciousness called dissociation, a symptom Janet first observed in patients diagnosed with hysteria. During dissociation, the patient is not aware of what is happening in the present moment. Janet believed that fixed ideas could not only narrow consciousness but also hamper the synthesis of ideas. These fixed ideas, when left unaddressed, can infiltrate the unconscious, significantly influencing conscious mental activity.
Traumatic Events, Coping Mechanisms, Mental Force and Mental Tension
Trauma and Coping Mechanisms
In Janet’s work, he proposed that traumatic experiences could result in mental problems like disturbances in memory, dissociative states, or an altered perception of reality. Janet argued that dealing with traumatic events can be difficult without using the appropriate coping tools or tendencies, as Janet called them. He structured coping mechanisms hierarchically, with disorganized movements and reflexes at the lowest level, followed by social tendencies and language. The highest level is comprised of beliefs and rationality. However, nowadays the view on coping mechanisms has evolved, with rationality belonging to the lower-level coping mechanisms.
Mental Force
The term, mental force, was coined by Janet. He used this term to describe how traumatic events can overpower coping mechanisms and become problematic. Janet stated that in these cases the traumatic event has more mental force than the coping strategies the patient has available to deal with, process, and understand these events. In this case, effective coping strategies have not yet been developed in a person, potentially activating lower-level coping mechanisms.
Mental Tension
Janet described mental tension as the ability to execute high-level mental functions. According to Janet, the concept of mental tension refers to a state of psychological arousal or readiness for action. He stated that high-level tendencies, or coping mechanisms, require a high level of mental tension while low-level coping mechanisms demand lower mental tension. Janet introduced the notion of “constriction of consciousness,” wherein reduced mental tension leads to the disappearance of higher-level coping mechanisms. This impairs patients’ ability to adapt to new and unexpected situations, reflecting a significant aspect of mental illnesses.
Lower-level Coping Mechanisms
When the mental force and the mental tension of a person are low and trauma overwhelms, lower-level coping strategies replace incompletely activated higher ones. When higher coping strategies fail, lower-level coping strategies like denial, dissociation, projection, or avoidance may be used to alleviate mental distress. Janet believed fixed ideas, which could contribute to the failure of traumatic information to be accurately processed in the brain, contribute to dissociative and posttraumatic disorders. He extended this concept, claiming that all hysterical illnesses stem from fixed ideas, creating a comprehensive framework for understanding mental disorders.
The influence of personality on Mental Illness
“Werdenshemmung”
In Janet’s framework, personality plays a pivotal role alongside trauma in shaping mental disorders. He coined the term “Werdenshemmung” for the neurotic’s inability to adapt to new obstacles, attributing it to both inherent traits and the reduction of mental force and tension resulting from trauma.
Vicious Cycle
“Werdenshemmung” manifests as a hindrance to adapting, causing neurotic tendencies when exposed to traumatic events. This perpetuates a vicious cycle of trauma, mental exhaustion, and personality disturbances, creating a complex interplay between these factors in neurotic patients.
Complexity of the Human Psyche
Janet’s exploration of the human mind provides a comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics influencing the development and perpetuation of mental disorders. These themes display the complexity of the human mind.