Sigmund Freud is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial figures in psychology during the 20th century. His theories provided some important contributions to modern psychology but his ideas stretch beyond this, as surprisingly they can even be applied to the world of recruitment software…
One of Freud’s most famous theories is his concept of the unconscious mind. Essentially Freud believed that our motivations and values run much deeper than the conscious mind, stating “the mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.” Our unconscious mind is outside of our conscious awareness, yet it is a valve of feelings, thoughts, memories and urges that dictates and influences our behavior much more than we realise. So by now you’re probably asking how does this apply to recruitment software?
Like software, the unconscious mind can be programmed by the information we take in. If we manipulate the way we experience life, our unconscious mind will also change. Similarly if we change the information we input to software, the software also changes.
Also, recruitment software is similar to the mind – it has two parts to it – the unconscious and conscious. The unconscious part of the software is the data being analysed in the background, the timesheets and invoices consolidated using complex algorithms that the software user does not interact with directly or consciously but is still an important part of the process that influences the final results. The conscious part of the software is the data that the user directly interacts with, most of it being processed by the unconscious, in a similar way to the human mind. Both parts of the software are vital to the overall usefulness of the program and need to work together cooperatively. If both parts are not working cohesively, then the software will not produce the right results, similar to how the human mind would create symptoms of anxiety or stress.
Overall, Freud has taught us a remarkable amount about software and his theory of the human mind is very relevant to the way computer programs operate. Obviously, computers cannot yet think quite as independently or uniquely as humans but as technology develops there’s no doubt this area will progress. How do you think software relates to the human mind? Can Freud’s theories teach us anything else about software? Join in with the debate on LinkedIn by clicking here.
Phil McDonald is the Managing Director of Flo Software Solutions, a cloud based software provider, designed and built specifically for the temporary recruitment industry.