History of Psychology

Lecture Overview

• What is Psychology?

• History of Psychology

• Early views of Mental Disorder

• Origins of Psychological Science

• Psychological Science Today– Levels of analysis

What is Psychology?

• Psychology is the study of the

– Mind -- mental activity such as thoughts, feelings, and subjective experiences

– Brain – an organ in the skull that produces mental activity and behavior

– Behavior – any observable action or response

History of Psychology

• Interest in understanding human behavior and mental processes has existed for centuries

• Areas of interest:– Consciousness– Madness or Mental Disorder

History of Psychology

• Written documents addressing these issues date back 25 centuries to the Greek Philosophers Socrates, Aristotle, & Plato

• In Asia, evidence of interest in exploring consciousness and in controlling it with meditation and yoga

• In Africa, personality and mental disorder explained based on traditional spiritual beliefs

Early Views of Mental Disorder

• Earliest conceptions of mental disorder – displeasure of the gods or demonic possession – E.g., Ancient Babylonians – insanity resulted

from possession by the demon Idta

Early Views of Mental Disorder

• Treatment developed out of conception of mental disorders

– Flogging– Starvation– Drinking “unpalatable brews”– Trephining

Trephining

Trephining

Early Views of Mental Disorder

• Evidence of Humane Treatment– Sleeping in the temple of the deity of healing– Artistic endeavors– Bathing in hot springs– Exercise

– Those who were not cured, however, were chased from the temples and/or stoned

Early Views of Mental Disorder

• Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)– Earliest proponent of somatogensis

• Mental disorder resulted from disturbances of the body NOT demonic possession

• Stress can also damage the mind and body

Early Views of Mental Disorder

• Hippocrates

– Normal Functioning depended on delicate balance of four “humors” or body fluids

– Mental Disorder resulted from an imbalance of these “humors”

• Blood – changeable mood

• Black Bile -- melancholia

• Yellow Bile (choler) – irritable; anxious

• Phlegm – sluggish or dull

Early Views of Mental Disorder

• Treatment– Looked for natural remedies– E.G., For melancholia

• Tranquility• Sobriety• Care in choosing food and drink• Abstinence from sexual activity

History of Psychology

• Galen (1st Century AD) – autopsy of apes lead to his belief in the role of the brain in mental function

• 3rd Century AD -- Return to demonology; mentally ill as witches (?); Church had responsibility for care of mentally ill

• 1700’s -- move toward Psychogenesis – mental disorders attributed to psychic malfunctions

• 1850’s -- Return to Somatogenesis with publication of Kraeplin’s classification system

Origins of Psychological Science

Nature -vs-

Nurture Debate

Ongoing debate since the time of the Greeks about causes of psychological characteristics

Nature psychological characteristics are biologically determined or innate; that is, we are born with it

Nurture psychological characteristics are acquired through learning, experience, or culture

Origins of Psychological Science

Nature -vs-

Nurture Debate

E.G., Schizophrenia; intelligence

Current thinking all behavior is some combination of Nature and Nurture

Implications of the Nature/Nurture Debate

• Thinking, feeling, experiencing, behavior have multiple causes

• Biology is NOT destiny

Origins of Psychology as a Science

1637

CartesianDualism

Nature -vs-

Nurture Debate

Religious doctrine the mind and the brain were separate entities

Descartes – mind and brain were separate but related

Current conception – the mind is what the brain does!

Implications of Mind-Body Debate

1637

CartesianDualism

Nature -vs-

Nurture Debate

Brain

Mind Behavior

Origins of Psychology as a Science

1637

CartesianDualism

1859

Darwin –Theoryof Natural selection

Species evolve through a process known as natural selection

Characteristics that were adaptive in specific environments had a selective advantage

Survival Mechanisms: Famine

• Taste-specific satiety – become satiated more quickly when exposed to a single flavor than to a variety of flavors

• We have a preference for foods that are high in fat and sugar

• Current Implications – high rate of obesity

Survival Mechanisms: Learning

• Specific area of the brain that recognizes reward

• This area of the brain “lights up” when a behavior is followed by a biologically relevant consequence

• Leads to repetition of the behavior

• Current Implications brain mechanisms that set us up for addiction

Survival Mechanisms: Sex

• Gender differences in tendency toward promiscuity develops from need to ensure survival of offspring

– Males more sexual partners means greater number of offspring survive

– Females better sexual partners means greater likelihood of offspring survival

• Remember: Biology is NOT destiny

Implications of Evolutionary Theory

• Pioneering research in animals could be used to explain human behavior

– Pavlov’s dogs – implications for human learning

– Helmholtz’ research on nerve impulses in frogs could be used to understand nerve impulses in humans

– Animal models of addiction, ADHD and other mental disorders allow us to determine brain areas involved in these disorders and novel compounds for treatment

Origins of Psychology as a Science1859

Darwin –Theoryof Natural selection

1879

Wundt introduces

Structuralism

Structuralism – conscious experience can be broken down into its most basic components or elements

Introspection – the process of reportingon one’s own mental experiences ofa stimulus

Identified major areas of interest to psychologists

Origins of Psychology as a Science

1879

Wundt introduces

Structuralism

James introduces

Functionalism

1890

William James – Argued that structuralism was too narrow

Functionalism – Influenced by Darwinian Theory

The mind evolved to serve adaptive functions

These adaptive functions should be evident inbehavior and in daily life; thus interested in studying the functions of the mind

Origins of Psychology as a Science

James introduces

Functionalism

1890 1900

Freud – the

unconscious

Freud – as physician, found patients withneurological symptoms that had no physicalexplanation

Unconscious mind – much of mental activity occurred outside of an individual’s conscious awareness

Mental disorder – unconscious mental forcesin conflict

Origins of Psychology as a Science

1900

Freud – the

unconsciousGestalt

Psychology the whole > the sum of

its parts

1912

Gestalt Theory

We perceive information as uniform and whole not as separate elements

The whole is greater than the sumof its elements

Origins of Psychology as a Science

Origins of Psychology as a Science

Gestalt Psychology the whole > the sum of

its parts

1912

Behaviorism – Studying the mind is unscientific

Observable behavior, not the mind, should be the focus of scientific inquiry

All behavior is a function of environmental influences

Behaviorism – behavior is a function of learning

1925

How do we Understand Behavior?

7 Levels of Analysis• Genetic• Neurochemical• Brain Systems• Behavioral• Perceptual/Cognitive• Individual• Social/Cultural

7 Disciplines• Biological• Developmental• Behavioral• Cognitive• Trait• Clinical• Sociocultural

Understanding Behavior using a Levels of Analysis Approach

• Depression– Genetics – Neurochemistry – Developmental– Perceptual/Cognitive

• Academic Performance– Genetics– Behavioral– Developmental– Perceptual/cognitive– Social/Cultural