Pioneers of Psychology and their respective psychological principals

Structuralism

Willelm Wundt and Titchener - believed psychology should study the brain in its constituent parts (look at each area of the brain individually), and alongside the study of introspection (subjective experiences)

Functionalism

William James - believed psychological studies should shift to looking at how human experiences shaped and adapted the mind to its present psychological traits (adaptability)

Gestalt Theory

Kohler and Wertheimer - believed psychology should NOT be studied in constituent parts or with introspection (because this was subjective), but thought that the brain should be studied as a whole, looking at how all the moving parts came together to function as the brain and mind

Psychoanalytic Theory (early 1900’s)

Sigmund Freud - believed that psychology was the study of conscious and unconscious operations of the brain, that which formed in childhood and infancy and often dealt with sexual suppression

Behaviorism (1920’s - 1950’s)

Watson and Skinner - believed unconscious or conscious studies were unscientific because they could not be directly observed. Instead, stressed sole emphasis on the study of observable behaviors (this view severely limited the field of psychology and was quickly gotten rid of, however, it did make advancements in understanding how individual learn/retain new information)

Cognitive Recognition

Miller and Neisser - suggested that subjective experiences influenced the way individuals behave. Went against behaviorism, and instead, looked at perception, memory, and decision making as they related to observable actions.

Biopsychosocial Theory

Current principal of psychology - looks at the biological aspects of the individual (hormones and neuron functions, etc.), the psychological/individual aspect (subjective experiences, personality traits, etc.), and the social/cultural aspects (how has the surrounding culture shaped this individual).