Introduction to PsychologyFall 2013

The systematic, scientific study of behaviors and

mental processes

With Ed Wohlmuth

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education

True Education

-Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)

Small Group ReflectionWhat is psychology?What areas of psychology do you know about or

have heard of?How will knowing about psychology help you in…

your life?your chosen field?

(gnothi seauton)

GreekPhilosophyTemple of Apollo at Delphi

“Know thyself”

History of PsychologyGreek philosophy- Why begin here? Why not

Orient, Sumerian, Egyptian etc.?

Pythagoras- (572-490BC) first person to refer himself as a philosopher.

First civilization that spawned a self critical perspective on one’s own beliefs, conviction and cultural values.

History of Psychology Socrates*(470-399BC)- quest to

understand human nature (move from Cosmology) Philosophy- love of “wisdom”- things

that do no change, immutable, immaterial, transcendent knowledge (relative vs. absolute knowledge)

Socratic Questioning- thinking deliberately about their lives: Why do we believe something? Why do we do what we do? Why are things the way they are?

Finding truth was the quest- challenging lazy assumptions (holding shallow, untested, unquestioned beliefs)

* Dialogues of Socrates by Plato

History of PsychologySocrates taught that our thinking

needed to be “water tight”. He used the analogy of pottery.

Everyone had the responsibility to think for themselves.

“The unexamined life is not worth living”

-Socrates, in Plato’s Dialogues, Apology.

He taught the need to examine closely what we believe.

History of Psychology Socrates' five step system of proving

something true: Offer a statement/idea Exceptions? If exceptions, we modify for more

preciseness or prove false Nuance (a subtle distinction or

variation) statement Truth- difficult to disprove

Virtues he studied- serenity, humility, sincerity, veracity (devotion/conformity with truth), equanimity (calm under stress), adaptability, tenacity, integrity, respect, magnanimous (courageous spirit), charity, and more.

The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David (1787)

History of PsychologyPlato (423-347 BC)- Socrates student- laid the foundation for Philosophy,

logic, metaphysics, mathematics and other areas of study.Aristotle- student of Plato- taught Alexander the Great, naturalistic,

observational, senses (delight in), perception and study of the animal kingdom(much like modern psychology).

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, lived by the Hippocratic oath (probably written by Pythagoras) parts of which apply to us as helpers…

“…I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone…”

Hippocrates claimed that mental disease had a physiological and natural basis.

500 BC Ancient GreeceProtagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

Philosophy

1838- First course In Psychology taught at Dalhousie University

Thomas McCulloch

Canadian and World Events in... PSYCHOLOGY

1879 ?

Wilheim Wundt First Psychology Lab

1890 ?

William James- First textbook-Principles of Psychology

1889 James Baldwin- First Canadian Lab at U of T

1895 Freud begins publishing

1912 ? 1913 ?Wertheimer Gestalt

Watson- Behaviorism

1931 Enters B.F. Skinner

1950 Enters A. Maslow/ C. Rogers

1846-1960 Importance of Psychology in Canada grows due to presenting issues in returning vets from WWII

1990’s Martin Seligman

1970’s Aaron Antonovsky

p.12-13

Physiology

1855- Halifax’s William Lyall- wrote the first basic psychology text to be published in Canada.