WHAT ARE PSYCHOLOGY’S HISTORICAL ROOTS?

Modern Psychology developed from several conflicting traditions, including

structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt Psychology, behaviorism, and psychoanalysis

Psychology has a long past, but only a short history.

• Root of psychology can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers.

• Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—all debated and thought about the causes of behavior. (what is free will?)

• Aristotle had theories on sensation, perception, cognition, memory, problem-solving, and ethics.

• (-Asia—Yoga and Buddhism—exploring consciousness through meditation)

ODDLY…

• It never occurred to any of the ancient thinkers to put their speculations to the test.

STRUCTURALISM

FOCUS ON STRUCTURE AND THE FOUNDING OF SCIENTIFIC

PSYCHOLOGY

CHARLES DARWIN

• Mid 1800’s—Origin of Species• Suggested a biological kinship between humans

and animals• For psychologists, this means discoveries about

animal biology and behavior could be applied to people.

• Ex. Research on nerve impulses in frogs—reflexes in people. Pavlov-dogs—human learning

Wilhelm Wundt• Chemistry’s periodic table intrigued him—he was a

German scientist.• Wondered if you could do the same thing with the

mind as the table did with explaining chemical reactions.

• Could he discover the elements of the conscious experience?

• **This quest became known as structuralism because it focused on the most basic “structures” or components of the mind.

Wundt Con’t

• Created a lab in 1879—1st psychology lab!• Conducted studies on what they supposed to

be the “elements” of consciousness:• Sensation and Perception• Memory and Attention• Emotion• Cognition• Learning and Language

STRUCTURALISM

• They asserted that all mental activities consisted of a combination of such basic processes.

• Experiment: variety of stimuli given to volunteer—they had to respond with a press of the lever or a description of their sensations (introspection).

• Critics—said introspection was too subjective and that it focused too much on internal behavior which is not directly observable and can’t be measured accurately.

Lasting effects of Structuralism

• Psychologists still rely on introspective method for dream reports and evidence of perceptual changes.

• The topics that he first identified and explored are the chapter headings today in AP Books!

FUNCTIONALISM: FOCUS ON FUNCTION

• William James (American) said structuralism was too narrow.

• And too boring!• James argued that psychology should include the

function of consciousness—not just its structure.• Stream of consciousness—mental process that

had no static structure but was continuously flowing, changing, and interacting with the environment.

James Con’t

• James liked how Darwin focused on organisms adapting to their environments.

• James proposed that psychology should explain how people adapt—or fail to adapt—to the everyday world.

• Difference: Where structuralists want to say “what is consciousness?” –functionalists want to determine “what is consciousness used for?”—or what is the purpose or function?

Gestalt Psychology: Focus on the Whole instead of the Parts

• Another challenge to Wundt and structuralism, from his native Germany—

• Exact opposite of the structuralists. • Interested in how we construct “perceptual

wholes” • Such as our perception of face rather than just a

conglomeration of lines, colors, and textures.• (Wertheimer, Kohler)

BEHAVIORISM: Eliminate the Mind and Focus on Behavior

**A particularly feisty group-the behaviorists—disagreed with everyone!

They did not even think that consciousness should be studied at all!

John Watson—leader (1913)• Should only deal with observable events: stimuli

from the environment and an organisms responses.• Don’t care what people are thinking—instead how

do the act.

PSYCHOANALYSIS: Focus of the Unconscious Mind

• Sigmund Freud—Viennese physician• Mental disorders arise from conflicts in the

unconscious mind.• Was extremely controversial• Main principle: that a great deal of activity

within human psyche resides completely outside of consciousness.