Chapter 1: Psychology's Early History (Engage Slide)

Psychology greek root

psyche= soul. logos= study of

literal meaning of psychology

study of the mind

16th century psyche

the soul, spirit, or mind is seperate from the body

Who created the first reserch lab in 1879

Wilhelm Wudnt

Wilhellm Wundt (1832-1920)

• believed that psychology should be rooted in physics and chemistry, with the focus being placed on consciousness

• wanted psychology to be a field independent from philosophy or

  physiology.

• viewed as the founder of psychology

Structuralist

the goal of psychology is to identify the basic components of conscious experience.

• aim to examine consciousness through introspection

Functionalism

• The goal of psychology is to investigate the function, or purpose, of consciousness, rather than its structure.

• interested in how people’s behaviors adapt to the

  demands of the real world

Introspection

the careful, systematic self-observation of one’s own conscious experience

(requires participants to be more self aware)

William James (1842–1910)

• argued that structuralism failed to acknowledge the conscious experience.

• Consciousness is a continuous flow of thoughts

Fuctionalist investigate

• Mental testing

  − Patterns of development in children

  − Effectiveness of educational practices

  − Behavioral differences between the sexes

Sigmund Freud ( 1856-1939)

Austrian physician

• Focused on the existence of the unconscious

• used psychoanalysis to treat psychological problems such as anxieties,

  fears, and obsessions

Psychoanalytic theory

explains personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior

• believed that psychological disturbances are caused by

  unconscious conflicts

• used to support the idea of the unconscious

  include slips of the tongue and dreams.

The impact of Freud’s theory of unconsciousness

It challenges the idea that people control their own minds.

John B. Watson (1878–1958)

introduced behaviorism

Behaviorism

psychology should study observable behaviors

-Believed that focusing on observable, measurable behaviors made

psychology more scientific

-Study of psychology without a focus on consciousness