(ITP-03) Historical perspectives / School of thoughts in
psychology
Abstract: This article explores the history of
psychology and its major historical perspectives, including structuralism,
functionalism, psychoanalysis, Gestaltism, behaviorism, humanistic psychology,
and cognitive psychology. Structuralism was the first school of psychology,
which focused on the scientific study of the structure of the mind and
conscious experience. Functionalism emerged as a response to structuralism and
emphasized the adaptive functions of behavior and mental processes.
Psychodynamics highlighted the role of unconscious thoughts and experiences in
shaping behavior and personality. Gestalt psychology emphasized the holistic
nature of human perception and the importance of context in shaping our
perceptions. Behaviorism focused on the study of observable behavior and its
relationship with the environment. Humanistic psychology emphasized personal
growth and self-actualization. Cognitive psychology studied the mental
processes involved in thought and behavior. The article concludes that the
historical perspectives in psychology offer valuable information and insights
that are still relevant today.
Introduction:
Psychology, as a discipline, has a long and rich history
that spans centuries of ideas, theories, and experiments. The field of
psychology has evolved over time and has been influenced by various schools of
thought, cultural and social factors, and technological advancements. In this
blog, we will take a look at some of the most important historical perspectives
in psychology and how they have shaped the discipline into what it is today.
Structuralism:
Structuralism is considered the
first school of psychology and was founded by Wilhelm Wundt in the late 19th
century. Wundt believed that the structure of the mind could be studied
scientifically and that conscious experience could be broken down into its
smallest components, much like a chemist would analyze the structure of a
chemical compound. Structuralists used introspection, or self-reflection, to
study conscious experience and attempted to identify the basic building blocks
of thought and perception. Although structuralism was short-lived, it paved the
way for other schools of psychology, such as functionalism, and it helped
establish psychology as an experimental science.
Functionalism:
Functionalism was developed as a
response to structuralism and was primarily concerned with the practical and
adaptive functions of behavior and mental processes. The founder of
functionalism, William James, believed that psychology should focus on the
study of how behavior and mental processes help individuals adapt to their
environment. This perspective emphasized the importance of understanding the
role of behavior and mental processes in everyday life, and it had a
significant impact on the development of psychology as a scientific discipline.
Psychodynamics:
Psychodynamics, founded by Sigmund
Freud, is a theory of personality and psychotherapy that emphasizes the role of
unconscious thoughts and experiences in shaping behavior and personality.
According to Freud, unconscious conflicts and desires influence behavior and
can lead to psychological disorders. Psychoanalysis has been highly influential
in the field of psychology and continues to be a popular approach to
understanding and treating psychological disorders.
Gestaltism:
Gestalt psychology is a theoretical
framework that emphasizes the holistic nature of human perception, emphasizing
the importance of understanding how people organize sensory information into
meaningful patterns. Gestalt psychology was founded by a group of German
psychologists, including Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler, and Kurt Koffka,
believed that the brain has a natural tendency to perceive things as wholes
rather than as a collection of parts, and that context plays a crucial role in
shaping our perceptions. This perspective has had a significant impact on
fields such as art, design, and architecture, and continues to inform
contemporary research in perception and cognition.
Behaviourism:
Behaviourism, founded by John
Watson and B.F. Skinner, is a perspective that focuses on the study of
observable behavior and its relationship with the environment. Behaviourists
believed that psychology should focus solely on observable behavior and that
mental processes and unconscious thoughts were not scientific subjects of
study. This perspective had a significant impact on the field of psychology,
particularly in the area of learning and development, and it remains an
important perspective in modern psychology.
Humanistic psychology:
Humanistic psychology, which
emerged in the mid-20th century, is a perspective that emphasizes the unique
qualities of individuals and their inherent drive toward personal growth and
self-actualization. The founders of humanistic psychology, including Carl
Rogers and Abraham Maslow, believed that people have a natural tendency to
strive for self-fulfillment and that psychological disorders result from a
failure to achieve this fulfillment. Humanistic psychology has been influential
in the development of a number of therapeutic approaches, including client-centered
therapy.
1.
Cognitive psychology:
Cognitive psychology emerged in the 1950s and
1960s as a response to the limitations of behaviorism and its narrow focus on
observable behavior. Cognitive psychologists study the mental processes
involved in perception, attention, memory, language, problem-solving, and other
aspects of thought and behavior. This perspective has been influential in
shaping our understanding of how the mind works and has led to the development
of numerous theories and models of cognition, including models of memory and
attention.
In conclusion, the history of psychology is a rich and
fascinating one, filled with a diverse array of perspectives and theories. Each
of these perspectives has made a significant contribution to the field and has
helped shape psychology into the dynamic and multi-disciplinary discipline it
is today. Whether you are interested in the unconscious mind, human behavior
and development, or the therapeutic process, the historical perspectives in
psychology offer a wealth of information and insights that are still relevant
and valuable today.
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Hergenhahn (2009). An Introduction to the History of Psychology (7th
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Robinson (2000). An Intellectual History of Psychology (3rd edition).
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Corsini (2010). Encyclopedia of Psychology (4th edition). John Wiley &
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B. Mills (1999). The History of Psychological Thought (5th edition). Allyn
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Atkinson, R. C., & Hilgard, E. R. (2002). Introduction to Psychology
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Santrock (2003). Life-Span Development (9th edition). McGraw-Hill.
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Kosslyn and O. Koenig (2005). Wet Mind: The New Cognitive Neuroscience
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