The History of Psychology

We have two ideas to evaluate today

How did psychology develop from misguided theories about human emotions and thoughts to a wildly practiced science?

OR

Psychology has a long past but only a short history.

The word “Psychology”

• The word Psychology comes from the Greek word ‘Psyche’ (meaning the mind) and ‘ology’ (meaning the field of study).• The Greeks believed the mind was separate

and distinct from the physical body.

• Today psychology not only studies the mind but the behaviors that go along with it

Philosophical Influence

• People have long been interested in how the mind works and why we behave the way they do

The forerunners to Psychology…

• Philosophy -- the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

• Physiology -- the study of the functioning of the body

The Greeks

• Psychology dates back nearly 2400 years to the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

• These famous philosophers developed theories about the consciousness mind and human emotions.

The Greeks

• Socrates – “Know thyself”

• Plato – studied how we gain knowledge and understanding

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

School of Athens

• A little over a thousand years later, the Medieval Church gained control of Europe and sought to minimize inquiry into human nature. They taught that like God, the human mind was mysterious.

Now on to “more” modern times

(And the beginnings of the major ideas of Psychology!)

ΨA Question: How are mind and body related?

ΨAnother Question: Nature vs. Nurture

The Rebirth of Psychology(But still, it’s not a science)

• How are mind and body related?

• Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650)• The Reflex Arc (physiological) • Interactive dualism

• Animals are all stimulus/response reflexes• Humans partly responded based on this, but

also had a soul an therefore had some room for freewill!

“I Think, therefore I am!”

• Descartes’ rationalist truth statement!

The beginning thoughts of psychology cont.

ΨAre we more nature or nurture?

ΨJohn Locke – We are born a clean slate

ΨDescartes – We are born with at least some knowledge

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• The theories of Descartes ushered in a new era of scientific study!

• However, it would still be another 200 years before modern psychology would be officially born.

StructuralismΨStructuralism - focused on structure or

basic elements of the mind. ΨWilhelm Wundt’s established the first

psychology laboratory in Leipsig, Germany in 1879ΨLooked at both objective (reflex) and

subjective (inner thoughts) behavior.

• ( Edward Titchener - Wundt’s student; brought structuralism to America.)

• Structuralism died out in early 1900s due to infighting.

LO 1.2 Structuralism and functionalism

• Developed the technique of objective introspection – process of objectively examining and measuring one’s thoughts and mental activities. (since no one can measure your subjective experience!)

Structuralism - Introspection

What exactly are you FEELING right now?

__________________________________________________________________What exactly are you THINKING right

now?__________________________________________________________________

LO 1.2 Structuralism and functionalism

• Also focused on basic sensory and perceptual processes such as reflex action.

Structuralism – Measuring Reflex

Place the tip of the ruler (at 0) where the index finger and thumb is for your classmate then release it and your classmate should catch the ruler. Measure how many cm it dropped before it was caught and record it below. Two tries each.

Student A Student B Student C___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___

LO 1.2 Structuralism and functionalism

• Structuralism may have been first, but it was quickly followed by many other ideas of psychology!

Other Notable Pioneers

Ψ Margaret Washburn (1871-1939)• Titchener’s student• First woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.

Ψ Mary Whiton Calkins (1863-1930)• Student of James (Functionalism)• First woman president of APA

Why are they notable? ________________________

FunctionalismΨ Functionalism - how the mind allows

people to adapt, live, work, and play.

ΨWilliam James

Ψ Influenced the modern fields of:• Educational psychology• Evolutionary psychology• Industrial/organizational psychology

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Gestalt Psychology• Gestalt – “good figure” psychology.• Sensation and perception.• Gestalt ideas are now part of the

study of cognitive psychology, which also includes learning, memory, thought processes, and problem solving.

• What do you see in the pictures on the right? Whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

PsychoanalysisΨ Psychoanalysis - the theory and therapy

based on the work of Sigmund Freud.Ψ Freud’s patients suffered from nervous

disorders with no found physical cause.• Freud proposed that there is an unconscious

(unaware) mind into which we push, or repress, all of our threatening urges and desires.

• He believed that these repressed urges, in trying to surface, created nervous disorders.

• Freud stressed the importance of early childhood experiences.

BehaviorismΨ Behaviorism - the science of behavior that

focuses on observable behavior only.• Must be directly seen and measured.

Ψ Proposed by John B. Watson.• Based much from work of Ivan Pavlov who

demonstrated that a reflex could be conditioned (learned).

• Watson believed that phobias were learned.• Case of “Little Albert” – taught to fear a white rat.

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1. What are the four goals of psychology?________ ________ ________ ________

Answer the following as True or False:2. Freud believed that unconscious urges repressed create

nervous disorders? ______3. You did some activities to facilitate your learning for

structuralism. ______4. Gestalt Psychology is now part of Psychodynamic perspective.

______5. Behaviorism is to Watson as Psychodynamic / Psychoanalysis is

to Freud? ______

6. Why is psychology a science? ______________________________________________________________