Energy and Personality: A Bridge between Physics and Psychology

Antonio Caselles,Joan C Micó,Salvador Amigó

doi:10.3390/math9121339

Antonio Caselles, Joan C Micó + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/math9121339

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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present a mathematical formalism that states a bridge between physics and psychology, concretely between analytical dynamics and personality theory, in order to open new insights in this theory. In this formalism, energy plays a central role. First, the short-term personality dynamics can be measured by the General Factor of Personality (GFP) response to an arbitrary stimulus. This GFP dynamical response is modeled by a stimulus–response model: an integro-differential equation. The bridge between physics and psychology appears when the stimulus–response model can be formulated as a linear second order differential equation and, subsequently, reformulated as a Newtonian equation. This bridge is strengthened when the Newtonian equation is derived from a minimum action principle, obtaining the current Lagrangian and Hamiltonian functions. However, the Hamiltonian function is non-conserved energy. Then, some changes lead to a conserved Hamiltonian function: Ermakov–Lewis energy. This energy is presented, as well as the GFP dynamical response that can be derived from it. An application case is also presented: an experimental design in which 28 individuals consumed 26.51 g of alcohol. This experiment provides an ordinal scale for the Ermakov–Lewis energy that predicts the effect of a single dose of alcohol.

Highlights

Can personality be “dynamic”, i.e., changing through time, and opposed to an unchanging “structure”? The term “structure” as applied to personality has come to connote stability and relative permanence of organization as opposed to states in flux or change, which have been termed “dynamic” [1].On the one hand, research on personality has been based almost entirely on the study of the subject differences in stable traits, which are temporally invariant and can be slightly influenced by situations
This new formulation provides an epistemological validation of the stimulus–response model because not all second order differential equations can be derived from a minimum action principle
The conclusion is that we can apply the energy conservation principle of physics to obtain the state-level personality dynamics produced by some environmental stimuli; we can consider some psychological mechanisms as analogous to those of physics

Summary

Introduction

Can personality be “dynamic”, i.e., changing through time, and opposed to an unchanging “structure”? The term “structure” as applied to personality has come to connote stability and relative permanence of organization as opposed to states in flux or change, which have been termed “dynamic” [1] (page 293). The objective of this paper is to present a bridge between physics and psychology, concretely between analytical dynamics and personality theory, playing a main role in this objective in the concept of energy This objective tries to answer the question stated at the beginning of the paper: Can personality be “dynamic”, i.e., changing through time, and opposed to an unchanging “structure”? Note that the cause–effect approach given by the integro-differential equation is widened toward the approach given by the minimum action principle for which the dynamics minimize a global function, the action, between two arbitrary times This new formulation provides an epistemological validation of the stimulus–response model because not all second order differential equations can be derived from a minimum action principle.

The Stimulus–Response Model and Its Newtonian Form

The Minimum Action Principle and the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Functions

Getting the Invariant Ermakov–Lewis Energy

An Application Case: A Stimulus Given by a Dose of Alcohol

Findings

Conclusions and Future Work