Foundation

Psychology

The scientific study of the mind and behavior.

Level of the Brain

Focus on the brain, the neurons, hormones, and genes.

Level of the Person

Focus on mental events, the contents (knowledge, ideas, feelings, desires) and mental processes (including attention, perception, and memory).

Level of the Group

Focus on how interactions with others may shape the mind and behavior.

Structuralism

Focuses on the building blocks of consciousness; founded by Wilhelm Wundt and advanced by Titchener.

Functionalism

Focuses on how the mind and behavior help people adapt in their world; founded by William James and influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution.

Gestalt

Focuses on how the mind makes sense of what it experiences; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; founded by Max Wertheimer.

Behaviorism

Focus on observable behavior only; founders include BF Skinner, Pavlov, and Thorndike.

Psychodynamic Theory (Psychoanalysis)

Focus on the unconscious (feelings, urges we are not aware of) and conflicting parts of our personality; founded by Sigmund Freud.

Humanistic Psychology

Focuses on the potential of humans, free will, positive value, and self-actualization; founders include Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.