General Psychology

questions

• how has psych’s definition changed?

• were structuralist ideas used in different areas of psychology?

• how did this breakthrough influence other types of psychology?

notes

• “Psychology” comes from the Latin word “study of the soul”

• modern-day definition: the science of behavior and mental processes

• Aristotle thought consciousness came from the heart

• Development: Chinese rulers created the world’s first IQ tests, early psych wards

• Psych as a science started in 1879 in Germany, by Wilhelm Wundt, who established the first psychological lab and is known as the father of psychology.

  • This allowed psych to transition from philosophy to a formal science!

• Sigmund Freud was an influential yet controversial thinker of psych, he garnered support and opposition

  • The monumental impact of psychoanalysis is still important and practiced today, while other psychological ideas have fallen away

  • Started med career in 1891

  • He saw a colleague using a “talking cure”

  • Encouraged patients to use this method, inspired a whole branch of psych

  • Introduced theory of psychoanalysis (Interpretation of Dreams, 1900)

    • ‘Unconscious motives shape personalities’

    • Subconscious could still be understood through therapy, dreams, and self-insight

    • Mental disorders could be healed (a breakthrough)

    <aside> 💡

    • What is psychoanalysis?

      • it is a theory that explores your hidden desires, memories, and feelings (subconscious) using different therapies to help you understand these experiences and how they affect you.

      • ChatGPT aided example: “Imagine your mind is like an iceberg. The part you can see above the water is your thoughts and feelings that you're aware of, like what you're thinking right now. But under the water is a much bigger part of the iceberg—this is your unconscious mind, where hidden feelings, memories, and desires live.” </aside>

• Psych is a very diverse science

• During Freud’s time, there were many different schools of thought (structuralism, psychoanalysis, and functionalism)

• Structuralism: relied too much on introspection; how do you feel, what does this make you think? Edward Titchener (a student of Wundt) headed it but it was a short-lived idea

• William James proposed questions on functionalism, inspired by Charles Darwin’s evolutionary behavioral ideas. He explored how mental and behavioral patterns helped people and animals to adapt.

• Behaviorism: driven by Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner

• Other theories gleaned from psychoanalysis were psychodynamic theories: which were focused on the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping the unconscious, and how that affects us

• Humanist psychology: focused on personal growth and self-actualization

• Why is psychology important? It is an integrative science, creating different ways to answer questions and gaining data to answer these hard questions

• The human brain is very complex and we all have one! Psychology helps us to understand things in our heads better.

summary

• This video discusses the development of the field of psychology, Sigmund Freud's and many other psychologists’ influences on science, briefly explores the different psychological fields and ideas, and how they will continue to delve into psychology in the coming videos.