HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY


BELL RINGER: What branch of the social sciences would classify teenagers into subgroups? The branch of the social sciences that classifies teenagers into subgroups would be Sociology.


  1. HISTORY

a. Pre-Scientific

Socrates and Plato- knowledge is born within us.

  - Introspection - Examining one’s own thoughts and feelings

 Aristotle - knowledge grows from experiences stored in our memories.

Francis Bacon- developed the scientific method 

   - Modern Psych relies on this method


 b. Psychology is Born - 1879

Wilhelm Wundt- establishes the 1st psych experimental lab. 

• introspection & lab observations

• With Edward Titchener developed Structuralism- conscious experience is broke into  

1)__objective__ sensations &    

2)__subjective__ feelings.

• The mind functions by combining the two.

Gestalt- consciousness can be best understood by observing it as a total experience rather than breaking it down.

William James/Functionalism - consciousness works to help people adapt to their environments.

• Wrote the 1st Modern book of Psychology in 1890 - The Principles of Psychology.

Sigmund Freud- Psychoanalysis

unconscious motives & internal conflicts determine behavior.

• most famous psychologist 

• part of pop culture

John B. Watson- Behaviorism

The study of Psych should be limited to observable behavior

Psychology - scientific study of observable behavior 

B.F Skinner__ - Behaviorism

Introduced the concept of reinforcement to control & maintain behavior - (good doggy)

Approaches

BELL RINGER: What is the first book of modern psychology called and when was it first published?

The Principles of Psychology was published in 1890 and written by William James.

THE BIG DEBATE

  • Nature vs. Nurture

- debate about the extent to which particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (nature, genetic) or acquired (nurture, learned) characteristics.


  • BIOLOGICAL: inside, internal

behavior and mental processes are largely shaped by the Nervous system: Brain, hormones, genes.

  • EVOLUTIONARY

- Darwinism

- emphasizes ways in which behavior & mental processes are adaptive for survival.

  • PSYCHODYNAMIC / PSYCHOANALYTIC: Unconscious

- Founded by Freud

- behavior comes from unconscious drives, usually stemming from childhood.

  • BEHAVIORAL: rewards and punishments

- founded by Watson

- Emphasizes learning, especially each person’s experience with rewards and punishments

- focuses on Observable behavior

  • COGNITIVE: keep it

- Emphasizes ways in which people receive, store, retrieve, and process info

- how we see the world

- how we react to sad and happy events

  • HUMANISTIC: free will

- Emphasizes individual potential for growth & stress individual choice & free will

- people’s choices 

- people seek self-actualization

  • SOCIAL-CULTURAL: cultural

- Focuses on how culture influences the way we think & act.

- Examples: gender, race, age.


Subfields

  1. Subfields (Careers)

    1. A.BASIC RESEARCH

      1.   pure knowledge aimed to increase psychology’s__knowledge__ base.

    2. 1. Biological Psychologists- 

      1. explores link between physical brain&__mind__

    3. 2. Developmental Psychologists- aging

      1. changes from womb to tomb

    4. Cognitive Psychologists- 

      1. experiments on how we perceive, think & solve probs

    5. Personality Psychologists

      1.  investigate our persistent traits 

    6. Social Psychologists- 

      1. explores how people influence one another

    7. Industrial/Organizational Psychologists- working in HR and management positions, organizational change

      1. study & advise on behavior in the workplace

  2. APPLIED RESEARCH

    1.  study that aims to solve practical problems

    1. Counseling Psychologists- work,life challenges, marriages

      1. help people w/challenges-vocational, marriages

    2. Clinical Psychologists- 

      1. treat mental, emotional & behavioral disorders

    3.  Psychiatrist

      1. Medical Doctors who can prescribe medicine

    4. Other Specialists

      1. Environmental - studies the effects of the environment on behavior. Ex: extreme temperature, noise

      2. Consumer - study behavior of shoppers to explain & predict behavior

      3. School  Psychologist - help students w/__problems learning__

      4. Forensic - expert witness to testify at in trials

      5. Health psychology and health - study the link between psychology & our physical health

      6. Educational - Studies & helps students AND teachers in schools