How to study consciousness: Three paradigms for psychology

A large part of the existing confusion in contemporary psychology could be reduced with an integration of the existing paradigms. Up to now, classical physics has been the model to follow in science, and the concept of consci ousness is not necessary in that area, except maybe in quantum mechanics; h owever this concept could be indispensable to conceptually solve the majori ty of psychological issues. A conceptual metaphor is proposed that assumes that all psychological phenomena (i.e. the expression of consciousness) sho uld be studied simultaneously from three viewpoints or paradigms: physiolog ical, behavioral, and cognitive. As an example, emotion (a form of consciou sness) should be investigated with three kinds of measures: physiological c orrelates, verbal responses and video recording for observing behavior. Eac h category of data should be treated using the appropriate methodology, der ived from its paradigm, in this way the congruence among the three aspects of the individual consciousness could be verified. It is also important to place the system that we are interested in (for instance emotion) in its ap propriate level in the evolutionary scale, in order to find the sub-systems and context. A geometric metaphor is proposed, a tetrahedre, that visually shows the paradigms and evolutionary levels of consciousness. The sphere a round the tetrahedre represents the context of human consciousness: the soc ial environment.