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Brief History of Psychology: Origins to Perspectives

Explore the origins of psychology from philosophy and physiology to its modern theoretical perspectives and key issues. Learn about key figures like Descartes, Locke, Wundt, and theories such as behaviorism, psychodynamics, and more.

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Brief History of Psychology: Origins to Perspectives

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  1. A 3-hour Tour Ok, so not quite 3 hours – just a (VERY BRIEF) – History of Psychology

  2. First things first . . . • What is psychology? • The scientific study of behavior & mental processes • Science: making verifiable, objective predictions • Behavior: observable acts • Mental Processes: storing, recalling, using info/feelings • How is it different from other social sciences? • Focus on individual behavior • What did it evolve from? • Philosophy • Physiology • Psychology is born (roughly) in 1879

  3. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650)

  4. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • Rene Descartes • Beliefs • Rationalist: True knowledge comes through thought/reasoning • Nativist: Heredity provides individuals with inborn knowledge and abilities and we use this to reason • We are to doubt everything – that’s the only way we can be certain about anything • I think, therefore I am.

  5. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • John Locke (1632 – 1704)

  6. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • John Locke • Saw the mind as receptive and passive, with its main goal as sensing and perceiving • Tabula rasa – we are born as a blank slate, everything we know is learned • This is in direct contrast to the rationalist Descartes

  7. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Hermann Helmholtz (1821 – 1894)

  8. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Hermann Helmholtz • He was a mechanist – he believed that everything can be understood with basic physical and chemical principles • He pushed for the need to test and demonstrate things.

  9. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Gustav Fechner (1801 – 1887)

  10. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Gustav Fechner • Psychophysics – he pushed to investigate the relationship between the physical world and our conscious psychological world • He thought it possible to measure the perceived as well as the physical intensities of sensory stimuli and to determine a mathematical relationship • Just Noticeable Difference (JND) approach

  11. The Father of Psychology • Wilhelm Wundt

  12. The Father of Psychology • Wilhelm Wundt • 1stψ lab (1879) • University of Leipzig, Germany • Focus on consciousness • Find basic elements of conscious processes • Discover how elements (sensations and feelings) are connected • Specify laws of connection • Introspection • Self-observation: ‘seeing’ mental processes in immediate experience

  13. The First Schools of ψ • Structuralism • Wundt • Lots of work on sensation & perception and breaking those down into minute detail • Three basic mental elements • Images, feelings & sensations • Titchner • Found 43,000 elements associated with sensory experiences • 30,000 associated with visual • 11,000 associated with auditory • 4 associated with taste

  14. The First Schools of ψ • Functionalism • Focus on adaptation • Applying Darwin’s theory of natural selection to mental processes • William James • Stream of consciousness • Consciousness is personal/selective, continuous (can’t be ‘cut up’ for analysis), and constantly changing • Structuralism was foolish to search for common elements to all minds

  15. The First Schools of ψ • Behaviorism • Focus on observable behavior • J. B. Watson • Felt that the main goal of psychology should be the prediction and control of behavior • Stimulus-response theory • We respond to stimuli with our behavior, not thoughts • Pavlov’s dog studies • Reinforcement for behavior • If our behavior produces rewarding consequences, then we will do it again

  16. Subsequent Schools of ψ • Gestalt psychology • Wholes vs. multiple individual elements • You shouldn’t dissect an experience into separate elements to discover truths – instead, look at the ‘whole’ • Max Wertheimer • Phi phenomenon

  17. Subsequent Schools of ψ • Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Conscious vs. unconscious conflicts • Unconscious: motivations and memories of which we are not aware • Mental illness arises from being overwhelmed by which of these is ‘in control’ • Psychoanalysis as therapy: tell me about your childhood….

  18. Today’s Theoretical Perspectives • Behavioral/Learning • Observable S-R relationship • Psychodynamic • Unconscious forces motivating behavior • Humanistic • Self-actualization, free will • Cognitive • Thought processes • Psychobiological • Genes, brain function • Evolutionary

  19. The Perspectives in Psychology

  20. Key Issues in Psychology

  21. So what is it you do? • Basic (Psychology for owns own sake) vs. applied (Psychology for the application of knowledge) • Areas of psychology: • Developmental • Personality • Clinical • Cognitive • Social • Experimental/biological • Quantitative

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