History of Psychology Flashcards

Why Study History of Psychology?

• Provides insights into the nature of psychology today.

• Orders disorder, providing meaning and perspective (Schultz, 2008).

Origins of Psychology

• Evolved from philosophy and biology/physiology.

• Rooted in early Greek thinkers like Aristotle and Socrates.

• Psychology derived from Greek word 'psyche' meaning 'soul' or 'mind'.

Dominant Schools of Thought

• Psychology's establishment stemmed from debates on describing the human mind and behaviour.

• Different schools represent major theories, offering varied perspectives.

• Some schools discarded/evolved (Feldman, 1996).

Major Perspectives in the History of Psychology

• Structuralism (1880s-1920s):

  • Focuses on conscious mental processes.

  • Key People: Wilhelm Wundt & Edward B. Titchener

• Functionalism (1890s-1920s):

  • Focuses on conscious mental processes.

  • Key Person: William James

• Psychoanalysis (1890s-Present):

  • Focuses on unconscious mental processes.

  • Key Person: Sigmund Freud

• Behaviorism (1900s-Present):

  • Focuses on observable behavior.

  • Key People: Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F. Skinner

• Humanism (1950s-Present):

  • Focuses on conscious mental processes.

  • Key People: Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

Structuralism

• Focuses on the building blocks of the mind & conscious experience.

• Trained observers describe thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

• Focus on basic sensory and perceptual processes.

• Measured reaction times to study conscious experience.

• Key People:

  • Wilhelm Wundt:

    • Father of Psychology/Experimental Psychology.

    • Established first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany (1879).

    • Focused on thoughts, images, & feelings.

  • Edward B. Titchener:

    • Father of Structuralism (Wundt’s student).

    • Used introspection (looking inward) to report elements of experience.

• Legacy:

  • First school of thought.

  • Paved the way for experimental & cognitive psychology.

• Limitation:

  • Subjective; results varied.

Functionalism

• Focuses on how consciousness functions to adapt to environment.

• Principal interest was studying the mind's function for organism adaptation.

• Focus: How does behavior allow people to satisfy needs?

• Influenced by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

• Key Person:

  • William James:

    • Thinking developed because it was adaptive for survival (Myers, 2013).

• Legacy:

  • Expanded psychological research focus.

  • Included research with animals, children, and those with mental health problems.

  • Paved way for Evolutionary Psychology.

• Limitation:

  • Difficult to test some conclusions/predictions.

Determinism vs. Free Will

• Determinism: Behaviors determined by external forces (genetics, experiences).

• Free Will: Ability to decide without restrictions.

Psychoanalysis

• Focuses on unconscious thought processes and childhood experiences.

• Behavior motivated by inner forces/conflicts (psychic determinism).

• Key Person:

  • Sigmund Freud:

    • Father of Psychoanalysis.

    • Early experiences and unconscious impulses shape adult behavior.

• View of Psychological Illness:

  • Caused by psychological rather than physical factors.

  • Result of unconscious desires, conflicts, & childhood experiences.

  • Unresolved conflicts cause fixations.

• Goal of Psychology:

  • Understand unconscious factors and improve daily function.

  • Unconscious thoughts expressed through slips of the tongue & dreams.

• Helping People Through Therapy:

  • Free association: Say everything that comes to mind.

  • Dream analysis: Therapist interprets unconscious meanings.

• View of Human Nature:

  • Negative and pessimistic.

• Legacy:

  • Influence on pop culture.

  • Recognized childhood as critical.

  • Influence on psychodynamic theory.

• Limitations:

  • Doesn't focus on observable behavior.

  • Cannot be scientifically proven.

  • Deterministic

Behaviorism

• Focuses on observable behaviors.

• Rejects emphasis on inner workings of the mind.

• Emphasizes the learning process.

• Key People:

  • Ivan Pavlov:

    • Discovered classical conditioning (Stimulus-Response theory).

  • John B. Watson:

    • Father of Beha viorism.

    • Applied classical conditioning to humans (Little Albert experiment).

  • B. F. Skinner:

    • Associated with Operant Conditioning

    • Used the 'Skinner box'

• Legacy:

  • Influence on Education

  • Understanding of how humans learn

  • Practical applications such as dog training

• Limitations:

  • Mechanistic, Deterministic

Humanism

• Focuses on free will and self-determination.

• Individuals decide their mental health.

• Role of psychology is to help people reach self-fulfillment.

• Key People:

  • Carl Rogers:

    • All people strive for perfection

  • Abraham Maslow:

    • Human beings are basically good

    • Hierarchy of needs

• Legacy:

  • Positive view of human nature

  • Power to change lies within the individual

• Limitations:

  • Mostly subjective and vague, difficult to test

Cognitive Psychology

• Focuses on mental processes.

• Explains how information processing influences behavior (Feldman, 1996).

• Legacy:

  • We can use scientific research here

  • Practical applications

• Limitations:

  • Mechanistic view of human nature: similar to a computer

Biological Psychology

• Focuses on behavior in terms of biological functioning.

• Influenced by evolution.

• Legacy:

  • Biological explanations have been found for various mental disorders.

• Limitations:

  • Deterministic view of human behaviour