1.2: history of psychology

<<Structuralism<<

psychology is a scientific study of conscious experience, with the goal of identifying components of consciousness. Structuralism is focused on the contents of mental processes, as opposed to their function.

key figures: $Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)$

introspection: formerly “internal perception.” When someone analyzes their own conscious experience as objectively as possible

Wundt believed in voluntarism — the idea that, because they have free will, people should know and understand the intentions of the experiments they participate in

Influenced by his beliefs, Wundt’s student $Edward Titchener$ went on to formally develop ^^structuralism^^

<<Functionalism<<

natural selection leads to organisms that are adapted (behaviorally and otherwise) to their environment. According to $*James*$ , the purpose of psychology is to study function of behavior in the world.

key figures: $William James$ , $John Dewey$ , $Charles Sanders Pierce$

^^functionalism^^ differed from ^^structuralism^^ in that it placed more emphasis on objective measures as opposed to introspection.

While structuralism focused more on the individual parts of the brain, functionalist psychologists were more interested in the brain as a whole.

<<Freud & Psychoanalytic Theory<<

the unconscious mind is a repository for feelings and urges which the subject lacks awareness of. One can gain access to the unconscious through dream analysis, the first words that come to one’s mind, and innocent slips of the tongue.

key figures: $Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)$

$Freud$ was fascinated with patients suffering from “hysteria” and neurosis. “Hysteria” was (back then) a real diagnosis, mostly for women. Symptoms were mostly related to emotional distress. Thus, $Freud’s$ theory was that these problems stemmed from issues of the unconscious

^^psychoanalytic theory ^^is focused on the role of the unconscious and early childhood experiences

}}%%influence: %% $Freud’s$ theories were immensely popular and thus “dominated clinical psychology for decades.” Some therapists swear by the power and influence of the subconscious. However, in some circles his theories—especially his early writings—are considered controversial.}}

<<Gestalt Psychology<<

Although a sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how they relate to each other as whole is much more important.

key figures: $Max Wertheimer (1880-1943)$ , $Kurt Koffka (1886-1941)$ , $Wolfgang Köhler (1887-1967)$

$Wertheimer$ , $Koffka$ and $Köhler$ were German scientists who brought their theories to the U.S. after escaping Nazi Germany. ^^Gestalt^^ translates roughly to “whole.”

^^Gestalt psychology^^ is contradictory to ^^structuralism^^ in its stance on the value of the whole vs the individual parts of the brain’s reaction to an experience

}}influence: when immigrating, the three scientists had to give up much of their work and could no longer conduct thorough experiments. Due to this and to some other factors. ^^Gestalt psychology^^ did not become as influential in the states as it did back in Germany. ^^Gestalt psychology^^ later influenced ^^humanistic theory^^ and research on sensation and perception.}}

^^structuralism^^, $Freud$ and ^^Gestalt psychology^^ all wanted to describe and understand the inner experience. However, others were more preoccupied with understanding behavior and the observable outcomes of mental processes.

<<Behaviorism<<

the goal of psychology should be to study the interaction between learned behavior and the inborn qualities of an organism. Psychology should focus more on behavior than on the mind.

key figures: $Ivan Pavlov (1848-1936)$ , $John B. Watson (1878-1958$ ), $B.F Skinner (1904-1990)$

$Pavlov$ is best known for his studies of the conditioned reflex and classical conditioning. For his experiments, $Pavlov$ identified a reflex associated with a stimulus and then trained an animal subject to react similarly to a different stimulus.

most test subjects in ^^behaviorist^^ experiments were animals.

contrary to the work of $Wundt$ and $James$ , $John Watson$ believed that the consciousness was flawed and that objective analysis of the mind was impossible.

$Watson$ was a major proponent of shifting the focus of psych from mind to behavior—thus, ^^behaviorism.^^

$B.F Skinner$ studied the principles of modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment. To do so, he created an operant conditioning chamber, also known as a “Skinner box.”

}}influence: ^^behaviorism^^ is largely credited with establishing psychology as a scientific discipline, and its influence can be seen in modern-day behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Behavior modification is commonly seen in classrooms.}}

<<Humanism<<

each human possess the innate potential for “good.”

key figures: $Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)$ , $Carl Rogers (1902-1987)$

^^Humanism^^ evolved out of growing sentiment that $Freud’s$ theories can be pessimistic and deterministic, and ^^behaviorism^^ can be reductionist (and a bit deterministic, too)

A key principle of ^^humanism^^ is the rejection of reductionist experimentation that focused mainly on the physical and biological sciences. ^^Humanistic^^ research is largely qualitative, though there are some quantitative research subjects (e.g. level of happiness, self-concept, etc)

$Maslow$ is best known for proposing the hierarchy of needs, which asserts that once basic survival needs are met, higher-level needs (social needs) will begin to drive and motivate behavior.

$Rogers$ popularized client-centered therapy, where the patient takes a lead role in the session. To execute this successfully, $Rogers$ believed a therapist must demonstrate three features:

unconditional positive regard
genuineness
empathy

}}influence: Roger’s client-centered approach can still be seen in modern psychotherapeutic settings.}}