History of Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards about the history of psychology, covering various schools of thought and key figures.

Why study the history of Psychology?

By exploring its origins and studying its development we can see clearly the nature of psychology today; brings order to disorder and meaning to what appears to be chaos, putting the past into perspective to explain the present (Schultz, 2008)

The Origins of Psychology

Evolved out of philosophy and biology/physiology. Discussions of these two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers including Aristotle and Socrates.

Psychology

Derived from the Greek word psyche, meaning 'soul' or 'mind.'

Dominant schools of thought

The establishment of psychology as a discipline was born out of the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior.

Structuralism

Focuses on Conscious Mental Processes; Key People: Wilhelm Wundt & Edward B. Titchener.

Functionalism

Focuses on: Conscious Mental Processes; Key Person: William James

Psychoanalysis

Focuses on: Unconscious Mental Processes; Key Person: Sigmund Freud

Behaviorism

Focuses on: Observable behavior; Key People: Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F. Skinner

Humanism

Focuses on: Conscious Mental Processes; Key People: Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

The focus of Structuralism

Supported the idea that psychology was the science of conscious experience and that trained observers could accurately describe thoughts, feelings, and emotions

Wilhelm Wundt

Regarded as the father of Psychology/Experimental Psychology; interested in measuring ‘atoms of the mind’ by applying laboratory techniques; established the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879

Edward B. Titchener

Considered the father of Structuralism, was one of Wundt’s students in the US; advocated the use of introspection.

The importance of Structuralism

First school of thought; paved the way for experimental and cognitive psychology.

Limitation of Structuralism

Subjective; it required smart, verbal people and its results varied from person to person.

The focus of Functionalism

Moved away from structuralism; its principal interest was in studying how the mind worked so that an organism could adapt to its environment: the functions of mental activity.

William James

American philosopher-psychologist, working at Harvard University.

The importance of Functionalism

Helped expand the focus of psychological research; made it possible for psychologists to consider research with animals, children and people with mental health problems as worthwhile and significant.

Limitation of Functionalism

Some of the conclusions and predictions concerning mental phenomena are difficult to test.

Determinism

The idea that our behaviors are determined by other forces operating on us, e.g., genetics, past experiences, etc. – we are pre-determined to act in specific ways.

Free will

The idea that we are free and that we can decide from a number of options which life presents to us without restrictions.

The Focus of Psychoanalysis

Emphasized the ways our unconscious thought processes and our emotional response to childhood experiences affect our behavior.

Sigmund Freud

Considered the father of Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis: The view of psychological illness?

According to Freud, psychological disorders are caused by psychological rather than physical factors; If unresolved conflicts occur in childhood, they will cause ‘fixations’ later on in life: the conflict between the impulse and the prohibition.

Psychoanalysis: The Goal of Psychology

According to Freud, the goal of psychology was to understand the unconscious factors that lead to problematic feelings, thoughts and behaviours and learn to work through them to improve daily function.

Free association

A method ‘in which a patient is instructed to say everything that comes to mind, regardless of how trivial or embarrassing it may seem’ (Atkinson et.al., 1996; p.448).

The importance of Psychoanalysis

Influence on “pop culture”; was the first approach to recognise childhood as a critical period of development; focused mainly on the individual

Limitations of Psychoanalysis

Does not focus on observable behaviour; negative perspective of human beings because actions are provoked by aggressive and sexual impulses; cannot be scientifically proven or disproven.

The focus of Behaviorism

Focuses on the study of the human being through behaviors which can be visibly observed.

The focus of behaviorism cont…

Emphasises the learning process. It attempts to explain how we learn and retain new forms of behaviour through experience.

Ivan Pavlov

A Russian physiologist discovered classical conditioning - also called Stimulus-Response (S-R) theory - in dogs

John B. Watson

Is considered the father of Behaviorism.

B. F. Skinner

Was also a behaviorist. He is associated with another branch of behaviorism: Operant Conditioning.

The importance of Behaviorism

Influence on Education; a focus on how humans learn and how we learn to associate different stimuli together; is research oriented – can be tested.

Limitations of Behaviorism

Mechanistic and reductionist view of human nature; does not explain differences in human learning/acquisition of knowledge; it is deterministic in its explanation of behaviour.

The focus of Humanism

Believe strongly in the power of free will and self-determination; emphasizes the role of individuals in deciding their state of mental health.

Carl Rogers

Believed that all people strive for perfection; some are interrupted by a bad environment.

Abraham Maslow

Suggested that human beings are basically good; proposed that human beings have needs: from the most basic biological ones to the more complex psychological ones – the hierarchy of needs

The importance of Humanism

Positive view of human nature; power to change lies within the individual; influences many areas of human life: education, therapy, healthcare etc.

Limitations of Humanism

It is mostly subjective and vague and therefore difficult to test via research; concepts such as ‘self- actualization’ are very subjective.

The focus of Cognitive Psychology

Focuses on mental processes (e.g., perception, attention, memory, decision making, problem solving).

The importance of Cognitive Psychology

We can use scientific research to explore and examine this field; many practical applications, e.g., improving memory and attention span, validity of eye witnessing testimony, etc.

Limitations of Cognitive Psychology

Mechanistic view of human nature: similar to a computer; gives little importance to free will; most studies are taking place in laboratories and therefore may not be applicable in the real world.

The focus of Biological Psychology

According to this approach, behaviour is to be considered in terms of biological functioning.

The importance of Biological Psychology

Biological explanations have been found in relation to various mental disorders; an understanding of hormones and chemicals in the nervous systems has led to various successful drug treatments for a variety of psychological problems.

Limitations of Biological Psychology

Deterministic view of human behaviour: behaviour is heavily dependent on genetics; a belief that behaviours could be controlled through genetic engineering; medication based on chemical understanding is only helpful to treat the symptoms not the original problem.