The Voice Of The Mind

In Voices of the Mind, James Wertsch outlines an approach to mental functioning that stresses its inherent cultural, historical, and institutional context. A critical aspect of this approach is the cultural tools or mediational means that shape both social and individual processes. In considering how these mediational means--in particular, language--emerge in social history and the role they play in organizing the settings in which human beings are socialized, Wertsch achieves fresh insights into essential areas of human mental functioning that are typically unexplored or misunderstood. Although Wertsch's discussion draws on the work of a variety of scholars in the social sciences and the humanities, the writings of two Soviet theorists, L. S. Vygotsky (1896-1934) and Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1975), are of particular significance. Voices of the Mind breaks new ground in reviewing and integrating some of their major theoretical ideas and in demonstrating how these ideas can be extended to address a series of contemporary issues in psychology and related fields. A case in point is Wertsch's analysis of voice, which exemplifies the collaborative nature of his effort. Although some have viewed abstract linguistic entities, such as isolated words and sentences, as the mechanism shaping human thought, Wertsch turns to Bakhtin, who demonstrated the need to analyze speech in terms of how it appropriates the voices of others in concrete sociocultural settings. These appropriated voices may be those of specific speakers, such as one's parents, or they may take the form of social languages characteristic of a category of speakers, such as an ethnic or national community. Speaking and thinking thus involve the inherent process of ventriloquating through the voices of other socioculturally situated speakers. Voices of the Mind attempts to build upon this theoretical foundation, persuasively arguing for the essential bond between cognition and culture.

Our inner voice is a powerful compass that helps us navigate the world. At its worst it can seem like a demoralising critic, hellbent on sabotaging our potential; but if it is positively harnessed, it will become an inspiring coach and lifelong guide. In this book, psychology professor Ethan Kross brings more than 20 years of research to demystify the voice inside our head. Weaving cutting-edge science with compelling true stories, he shares powerful but simple tools to make your brain's musings work for you.

Tone of Voice and Mind is a synthesis of findings from neurophysiology (how neurons produce subjective feeling), neuropsychology (how the human cerebral hemispheres undertake complementary information-processing), intonation studies (how the emotions are encoded in the tone of voice), and music perception (how human beings hear and feel harmony). The focus is on the psychological characteristics that distinguish us from other primate species. At a neuronal level, we are just another mammalian species, but the functional specialization of the human cerebral hemispheres has resulted in three outstanding, uniquely-human talents: language, tool-usage and music. To understand how the human brain coordinates those behaviors is to understand who we are. (Series B)

The mind is a set of cognitive faculties of perception, thinking, judgement and reflection. There is no doubt that the mind does speak and sometimes in volume. Every time you have an experience in whatever capacity, your mind speaks. This book is a collection of personal quotes birthed from the mind; ideal for every individual as we travail on this road called life. It is a book everyone needs, to remind them of who they are; why they exist and much more.

Introduction: Personally speaking -- Baby talk -- Origins -- Emotion -- Language -- Sex and gender -- The voice in society -- The voice of leadership & persuasion -- Swan song.

Maintains that each person possesses an internal voice of wisdom and intuition and provides a series of exercises for accessing it, explaining how it can be used to solve everyday problems and promote emotional and physical healing.