Mental management is a concept in the field of cognitive psychology that explores the cognitive, cerebral or thought-based processes in their different forms. Originally developed during the 1970s by French educator and philosopher Antoine de La Garanderie, mental management was developed for individuals to use their own mental activities and processes more effectively.
History Developed during the 1970s, mental management theory has expanded on several previous academic dialogues. Having first emerged for educational purposes, the mental management approach has been developed on the research of French educator and philosopher Antoine de La Garanderie who identified distinct mental processes that support learning. His research builds on several previous theories, including the works on introspection by Jean Martin Charcot, Alfred Binet, Maine de Biran and Albert Burloud, who was La Garanderie's professor. Today, its studies are used in four domains systematically; individual functioning; education; therapy; and business. There have been developments over the past century that have combined original and newfound scientific techniques and studies to further our understanding of mental processes and hence, improve mental management. This includes the following activities and processes to manage the mind well: attention; retrieval; comprehension; thinking; and imagining. Managing the mind well involves maximising the effectiveness and efficiency of cognitive processes associated through applying deliberate approaches, processes and activities. The computer revolution of the 1950s led in turn to a ‘cognitive revolution’ in psychology during the 1960s and 1970s with the focus upon information processing (via analogies to computers and programs) leading to an interest in internal mental processes, rather than just in the overt human behaviour. This led to the development of the cognitive mental process model, which is compared to the behaviourist model to outline the distinction of the scope of cognitive psychology in which the components of mental management will be explored in more detail.
Theory French philosopher and educator Antoine de La Garanderie's research led to creating awareness in individuals on their own mental activities and processes and to make them develop and use them effectively. His theory aimed to establish educational profiles based on the "mental gestures of learning" specific to each child. According to him, each individual's understanding, memorising and reproducing techniques for information are differentiated. This concept can show the different cognitive mechanisms which play a part in thinking and learning, and ultimately make up mental management. The three main components of mental management include project; evocation; and mental gestures. By defining a project, the learning strategy will differ and the requirements will enable them to implement an effective and appropriate method. Evocation is the voluntary mental reconstruction procedure of all perceptions coming from the external world through senses. Evocation is the foundation stone of La Garanderie's theory, allowing individuals to reproduce what they learn at a later point in time. There are three specific profiles of evocation corresponding to a particular channel that the child uses to imagine the information: 1. Visual evocation includes the transformation of textual information into visual information, for example drawings, diagrams and the use of colour in underlining. 2. Auditory evocation includes oral or mental repetition of information, for example listening to lessons on an audio device. 3. Kinaesthetic evocation includes movements, feelings, smells and tastes, for example the use of gestures and movements to learn. Constituting mental management is the organisation, improvement and use of these activities and processes.
Cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology is the study of the mind as an information processor. It rose to great importance in the mid-1950s due to the dissatisfaction with the behaviourist psychological models. The emphasis of psychology shifted away from studying the mind in favour of understanding human information processing, relating to perception, attention, language, memory, thinking, and consciousness. The main concern of cognitive psychology is how information is received from the senses, processed by the brain and how this processing directs how humans behave. It is a multifaceted approach in which various cognitive functions work together to understand not only individuals and groups, but also society as a whole.
Behaviourist model vs. cognitive model Mental Management falls within the cognitive model of psychology and needs to be distinguished from the behaviourist model, which considers mental processes to be unobservable and therefore akin to a ‘black box’. More specifically, the behaviourist model assumes that the process linking behaviour to the stimulus cannot be studied. It therefore describes the conceptualisation of psychological disorders in terms of overt behaviour patterns produced by learning and the influence of reinforcement contingencies. Treatment techniques associated with this approach include systematic de-sensitisation and modelling and focusing on modifying ineffective or maladaptive patterns. In contrast, the cognitive model represents a theoretical view of thought and mental operations, provides explanations for observed phenomena and makes predictions about behavioural consequences. Specifically, it describes the mental events that connect the input from the environment with the behavioural output. The approach assumes that people are continually creating and accessing internal representations (models) of what they are experiencing in the world for the purposes of perception, comprehension, and behaviour selection (action). Treatment techniques associated with this approach include cognitive behavioural therapy which involves defining, observing, analysing and interpreting patterns, and reframing these as more optimal ways of thinking.
Processes of mental management There are five different processes of mental management, which La Garanderie distinguishes as different types of mental gestures.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
