--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To trace the development of mind from…" description: "\"“To trace the development of mind from earliest times...requires...not a categorical concept, but a functional one… The most promising operational prin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg" --- # To trace the development of mind from earliest… ![“To trace the development of mind from earliest times...requires...not a categorical concept, but a functional one… The most promising operational principle for this purpose is the principle of individuation.[p. 310]" "[yet she also says:]...we have no physical model of this endless rhythm of…” quote by Susanne K. Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg) > ““To trace the development of mind from earliest times...requires...not a categorical concept, but a functional one… The most promising operational principle for this purpose is the principle of individuation.\[p. 310\]" "\[yet she also says:\]...we have no physical model of this endless rhythm of individuation and involvement, we do have its image in the world of art, most purely in dance;...this dialectic of vital continuity...\[p. 355\]”” [Susanne K. Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-k-langer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote discusses mind development as a functional process of individuation, illustrated through art and dance, emphasizing continuous vital rhythm. **In simple terms:** Mind develops through functional individuation, seen in art and dance. Key Takeaway Explore functional individuation via creative expression. Themes philosophy psychology art Mood analytical inquisitive Type theoretical interpretive When to use this quote - education - creative workshops - psychotherapy - research studies Key Concepts individuation functionalism continuity Questions to Reflect On - How does dance reveal mental individuation? - What other media show functional mind development? A Different Perspective Art may not fully capture complex processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Categorical Concept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categorical-concept-1044519/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Individuation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuation/) [Individuation Involvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuation-involvement-1044518/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Principle Individuation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-individuation-1044516/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rhythm Individuation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm-individuation-1044517/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [To trace the development of mind from earliest times ... requires ... not a categorical concept, but a functional one… The most promising operational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-katherina-langer/to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-earliest-times-requires-not-a-2/) [Susanne Katherina Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-katherina-langer/) > [We have no physical model of this endless rhythm of individuation and involvement, we do have its image in the world of art, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-katherina-langer/we-have-no-physical-model-of-this-endless-rhythm-of-individuation-and/) [Susanne Katherina Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-katherina-langer/) > [God should not be called an individual substance, since the principle of individuation is matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/god-should-not-be-called-an-individual-substance-since-the-principle/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [So that individuation may be compared to a pyramid in that it is only achieved by the placement of the top stone… The Jews,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-that-individuation-may-be-compared-to-a-pyramid-in-that-it-is-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The paradox of individuation is that we best serve intimate relationship by becoming sufficiently developed in ourselves that we do not need to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hollis/the-paradox-of-individuation-is-that-we-best-serve-intimate/) [James Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hollis/) > [“The work of a lifetime, the process of individuation, is widening of that spotlight so much that everything is illuminated and you are conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/the-work-of-a-lifetime-the-process-of-individuation-is-widening-of/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“Jung came to understand that in this regard, we are all fragmented, and that the work of individuation is to fuse our disparate parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-valentine-lachman/jung-came-to-understand-that-in-this-regard-we-are-all-fragmented-and/) [Gary Valentine Lachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-valentine-lachman/) > [I saw that everything, all paths I had been following, all steps I had taken, were leading back to a single point - namely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/i-saw-that-everything-all-paths-i-had-been-following-all-steps-i-had/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I hold the view that the alchemist’s hope of conjuring out of matter the philosophical gold, or the panacea, or the wonderful stone, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/i-hold-the-view-that-the-alchemist-s-hope-of-conjuring-out-of-matter/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“This assumption of the intrinsically repressive nature of collective experience and redemptive power of individuation is a staple of contemporary art theory and criticism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-h-kester/this-assumption-of-the-intrinsically-repressive-nature-of-collective/) [Grant H. Kester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-h-kester/) > [“To become—in Jung’s terms—individuated, to live as a released individual, one has to know how and when to put on and to put off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/to-become-in-jung-s-terms-individuated-to-live-as-a-released/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The God-image in man was not destroyed by the Fall but was only damaged and corrupted (“deformed”), and can be restored through God's grace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-god-image-in-man-was-not-destroyed-by-the-fall-but-was-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [It looks as if there were a single ultimate goal for mankind, a far goal toward which all persons strive. This is called variously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/it-looks-as-if-there-were-a-single-ultimate-goal-for-mankind-a-far/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [“Individuation is an attainment of spiritual maturity frighteningly seldom attained in today's mono-cultures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/individuation-is-an-attainment-of-spiritual-maturity-frighteningly/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The act of consciousness is central; otherwise we are overrun by the complexes. The hero in each of us is required to answer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hollis/the-act-of-consciousness-is-central-otherwise-we-are-overrun-by-the/) [James Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hollis/) ## More by Susanne K. Langer > [“The reaction on the part of the apes, limited as it was to about one subject in every three or four, has just that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-k-langer/the-reaction-on-the-part-of-the-apes-limited-as-it-was-to-about-one/) [Susanne K. Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-k-langer/) > [ “The assignment of meanings \[in music\] is a shifting, kaleidoscopic play, probably below the threshold of consciousness, certainly outside the pale of discursive thinking.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-k-langer/the-assignment-of-meanings-in-music-is-a-shifting-kaleidoscopic-play/) [Susanne K. Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-k-langer/) [Explore all 3 Susanne K. Langer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-k-langer/) ## More Dance quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [I like Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. I love pop music, but I also like Sam Smith's slow songs. That would be more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddie-ziegler/i-like-sam-smith-and-taylor-swift-i-love-pop-music-but-i-also-like/) [Maddie Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddie-ziegler/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [My body was so instrumental to how I took pictures: it was practically a dance. I used to use my legs a lot; now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/my-body-was-so-instrumental-to-how-i-took-pictures-it-was-practically/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/if-you-dance-you-dance-because-you-have-to-every-dancer-hurts-you-know/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-du-beke/being-fit-is-the-easiest-part-of-being-a-dance-professional-i-used-to/) [Anton du Beke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-du-beke/) > [I'm a horrible dancer, but I wanted to record songs that made me want to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lane/i-m-a-horrible-dancer-but-i-wanted-to-record-songs-that-made-me-want/) [Chris Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lane/) [Browse all 9,682 Dance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To trace the development of mind from earliest times...requires...not a categorical concept, but a functional one… The most promising operational principle for this purpose is the principle of individuation.[p. 310]\" \"[yet she also says:]...we have no physical model of this endless rhythm of individuation and involvement, we do have its image in the world of art, most purely in dance;...this dialectic of vital continuity...[p. 355]”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susanne K. Langer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-k-langer/to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-earliest-times-requires-not-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-k-langer/to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-earliest-times-requires-not-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/susanne-k-langer-83242_dance_to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-ea_1689889.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To trace the development of mind from earliest times...requires...not a categorical concept, but a…” — Susanne K. Langer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susanne K. Langer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-k-langer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To trace the development of mind...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-k-langer/to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-earliest-times-requires-not-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-k-langer/to-trace-the-development-of-mind-from-earliest-times-requires-not-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```