History of Psychology (Certificate of Completion)

Lecture Title: Intro to History of Psychology

Psychology as a scientific discipline emerged in the late 19th century, with the establishment of the first psychology laboratory by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. However, the exploration of the human mind and behavior has roots stretching back to ancient civilizations.

Early Influences:

• Ancient Greece: Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle explored the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body.

• Other Ancient Civilizations: Ancient Egypt, Persia, India, and China also contributed to early psychological thought through philosophical and religious texts.

Transition to Scientific Psychology:

• 19th Century Developments: The 19th century saw a shift towards scientific approaches to understanding the mind. Wilhelm Wundt is widely regarded as the founder of psychology as a separate scientific discipline.

Why Study the History of Psychology?

Courses in the history of psychology have been taught since 1911, and many colleges require them for psychology majors.

There is no single form, approach, or definition of psychology on which all psychologist agree. There is an enormous diversity, even divisiveness, in the subject matter.

Only by exploring psychology’s origins and development can we understand the nature of psychology today.

The Beginning of Modern Psychology

Defining psychology and it’s origins can be traced to two different time periods, 2000 years apart. Psychology is both on of the oldest of all scholarly disciplines and one of the newest.

We can trace ideas and speculations about human nature and behavior back to the fifth century BC, when Plato, Aristotle, and others grappled with many of the same issues that concerned psychologists today.

For example: 17th century British philosopher John Locke believe that children were born into the world with minds like “blank slates.” His views contrasted with those of Plato and Rene’ Descartes, who argued that some knowledge was inborn in humans.

Modern psychology began about 200 years ago. It emerged from philosophy and other early scientific approaches to claim its own unique identity as a formal field of study.

The formal beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline is generally considered to be in the late 19th century (1879), in Germany, when Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental laboratory. His aim was to study the building blocks of the mind.

At the same time, William James was setting up his laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Conceptions of Scientific History

Two ways to view the historical development of scientific psychology are:

1) The personalistic approach – the person who developed it.

2) The naturalistic approach – the times in which the idea is put forth.

Psychology is a Science

A major transformation occurred when we began applying tools and methods already successful in the biological and physical sciences to explore questions about human nature.

Only when researchers came to rely on carefully controlled observation and experimentation to study the human mind did psychology begin to attain an identity separate from its philosophical roots.

The majority of psychologists agree that psychology is a science, surveys of the general population indicate that up to 70 percent remains skeptical of it’s scientific status.

Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology

During last quarter of the nineteenth century, psychology evolved as a distinct scientific discipline.

Direction of the new field was influenced by Wilhelm Wundt.

By 1900, several different systematic positions and schools of thought coexisted uneasily.

The term school of thought refers to a group of psychologists who become associated ideologically, and sometimes geographically, with the leader of a movement.

A paradigm (a model or pattern) is an accepted way of thinking within a scientific discipline that provides essential questions and answers.

Structuralism

E.B. Titchener’s system of psychology, which dealt with conscious experience as dependent on experiencing persons.

Wundt’s approach, which focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of perception, consciousness, thinking, emotions, and other kinds of mental states and activities.

Over time, psychologists challenged Wundt’s approach (they didn’t view structuralism / introspection as truly scientific).

The perspective that replaced structuralism is known as functionalism.

Functionalism

A system of psychology concerned with the mind as it is used in an organism’s adaptation to its environment.

An early approach to psychology that concentrated on what the mind does, the functions of mental activity, and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments.

Lead by the American psychologist William James, the functionalists examined how behavior allows people to satisfy their needs and how our “streams of consciousness” permits us to adapt to our environment.

Behaviorism

--John B. Watson

--B. F. Skinner

--Focuses on observable behavioral acts that could be described in objective terms.

--Describe behavior in response to environmental stimuli

--Behaviors are learned (classical, operant, observational learning)

--What is learned can be unlearned

Gestalt Psychology

--Focuses on learning and perception

--Emphasizes how perception is organized

--Combing sensory elements produces new patterns

Psychoanalytic Perspective

--Sigmund Freud

--Childhood Experiences

--Unconscious Conflicts

--Behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control.

--Understand how unconscious thoughts cause psychological disorders.