1. René Descartes
By Ms. Grant

2. Descarte

3. Biological Information
Born March 31, in LaHaye
Father was a lawyer, mother died shortly after childbirth
Attended the Royal College of LaFleche
Not married, 1 daughter who died at the age of 5
Lived most of his life in France and Holland
Died in 1649 in Sweden

4. Contributions to Psychology
Began with his work in mathematics, physiology and was considered a “natural philosopher”
During Descartes’ time humans were believed to consist of two distinct entities; the body and the “soul”
Descarte was the first to clearly distinguish the soul as the mind, capable of consciousness and self-awareness.
“I think, therefore I am”

5. Contributions to Psychology
Descartes developed a thesis on “interactive dualism” which stated that the mind and body are separate but interact in the brain.
This was the first time anyone had considered that the mind was capable of reasoning, deciding, and initiating voluntary action
This led to investigation of concepts such as sensation, memory, and emotions as products of an actively working brain

6. Resources (and how to format them)
Bradley (no date). Rene Descartes. Retreived from:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Psychology (2014). Rene Descartes. Retreived from:
Skirry (n.d.). Rene Descartes: The Mind-Body Distinction. Retreived from:
Author (date). Title of webpage. Retreived from:
Author (date). Title of Chapter. Title of book or article.