This week I have an abnormal psychology exam so I have been looking over material that I have already covered. One thing I think that is going to be on the test and is interesting is the different historical perspectives of abnormal psychology. Around the period of 500 to 600 B.C. Greek philosophies were created with the thought of a "rational analysis" in the field of psychology. Plato believed that "human beings gained knowledge rationally" and Aristotle believed that human beings "analyzing perceived events can lead to an empirical view on particular events". So it is true that Plato was trying to find the ultimate truth" and Aristotle was trying to find "one's perception of the truth". Hipprocrates (B.C. 460-377) was the father of medicine and he believed that mental health was related to 4 biological problems or humors, which were the imbalance of blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Galen (A.D. 129-198) was a Roman physician who helped to develop Hipprocrates humoral theory of disorders. The biological theory in psychology was treated with different levels of seriousness during the centuries after Hippocrates and Galen. Today in the 19th century it is taken seriously because of the further understanding of the nature and cause of syphilis and because of the influence of the knowledge of American psychiatrist John P. Grey. The Egyptians had discovered today what is known as a somatoform disorder. A somatoform disorder is a disorder where physical symptoms appear to be the result of an organic pathology in which no organic cause can be identified such as paralysis and certain kinds of blindness. I think it is amazing to think about how far back in time psychological research goes and how now some of these concepts from long ago can be relevant to what is understood about psychology in today's day and age.