In this section we will review the history of psychology with a focus on the important questions that psychologists ask and the major approaches (or schools) of psychological inquiry. The schools of psychology that we will review are summarized in , and presents a timeline of some of the most important psychologists, beginning with the early Greek philosophers and extending to the present day. and both represent a selection of the most important schools and people; to mention all the approaches and all the psychologists who have contributed to the field is not possible in one chapter. Show The approaches that psychologists have used to assess the issues that interest them have changed dramatically over the history of psychology. Perhaps most importantly, the field has moved steadily from speculation about behavior toward a more objective and scientific approach as the technology available to study human behavior has improved (Benjamin & Baker, 2004). There has also been an increasing influx of women into the field. Although most early psychologists were men, now most psychologists, including the presidents of the most important psychological organizations, are women. Table 1.2 The Most Important Approaches (Schools) of PsychologySchool of psychologyDescriptionImportant contributorsStructuralismUses the method of introspection to identify the basic elements or “structures” of psychological experienceWilhelm Wundt, Edward B. TitchenerFunctionalismAttempts to understand why animals and humans have developed the particular psychological aspects that they currently possessWilliam JamesPsychodynamicFocuses on the role of our unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories and our early childhood experiences in determining behaviorSigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Erik EricksonBehaviorismBased on the premise that it is not possible to objectively study the mind, and therefore that psychologists should limit their attention to the study of behavior itselfJohn B. Watson, B. F. SkinnerCognitiveThe study of mental processes, including perception, thinking, memory, and judgmentsHermann Ebbinghaus, Sir Frederic Bartlett, Jean PiagetSocial-culturalThe study of how the social situations and the cultures in which people find themselves influence thinking and behaviorFritz Heider, Leon Festinger, Stanley Schachter Figure 1.4 Female Psychologists Although most of the earliest psychologists were men, women are increasingly contributing to psychology. The first female president of the American Psychological Association was Mary Whiton Calkins (1861–1930). Calkins made significant contributions to the study of memory and the self-concept. Mahzarin Banaji (left), Marilynn Brewer (not pictured), and Linda Bartoshuk (right) are all recent presidents of the American Psychological Society. Figure 1.5 Timeline Showing Some of the Most Important Psychologists Although it cannot capture every important psychologist, this timeline shows some of the most important contributors to the history of psychology. Although psychology has changed dramatically over its history, the most important questions that psychologists address have remained constant. Some of these questions follow, and we will discuss them both in this chapter and in the chapters to come:
Figure 1.6 President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden (left photo) meet with BP executives to discuss the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (right photo). Psychologists study the causes of poor judgments such as those made by these executives.
Early PsychologistsThe earliest psychologists that we know about are the Greek philosophers Plato (428–347 BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC). These philosophers asked many of the same questions that today’s psychologists ask; for instance, they questioned the distinction between nature and nurture and the existence of free will. In terms of the former, Plato argued on the nature side, believing that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn, whereas Aristotle was more on the nurture side, believing that each child is born as an “empty slate” (in Latin a tabula rasa) and that knowledge is primarily acquired through learning and experience. Figure 1.7 The earliest psychologists were the Greek philosophers Plato (left) and Aristotle. Plato believed that much knowledge was innate, whereas Aristotle thought that each child was born as an “empty slate” and that knowledge was primarily acquired through learning and experience. European philosophers continued to ask these fundamental questions during the Renaissance. For instance, the French philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650) also considered the issue of free will, arguing in its favor and believing that the mind controls the body through the pineal gland in the brain (an idea that made some sense at the time but was later proved incorrect). Descartes also believed in the existence of innate natural abilities. A scientist as well as a philosopher, Descartes dissected animals and was among the first to understand that the nerves controlled the muscles. He also addressed the relationship between mind (the mental aspects of life) and body (the physical aspects of life). Descartes believed in the principle of dualism: that the mind is fundamentally different from the mechanical body. Other European philosophers, including Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), John Locke (1632–1704), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), also weighed in on these issues. The fundamental problem that these philosophers faced was that they had few methods for settling their claims. Most philosophers didn’t conduct any research on these questions, in part because they didn’t yet know how to do it, and in part because they weren’t sure it was even possible to objectively study human experience. But dramatic changes came during the 1800s with the help of the first two research psychologists: the German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), who developed a psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, and the American psychologist William James (1842–1910), who founded a psychology laboratory at Harvard University. What branch of psychology grew dramatically in the aftermath of World War 2?Specifically, psychiatrists and psychologists pointed to how motivation and morale were affected by social support among their fellow soldiers. These findings would fuel the emergence of social psychology upon the post-WWII landscape.
What field of psychology developed from ww2?Many psychologists claim that World War 2 was most responsible for the emergence of social and cultural psychology as legitimate areas of science.
How did World War 2 impact the development of clinical psychology?The years immediately following the War saw the establishment of new training guidelines and accreditation standards of doctoral programs in clinical psychology along with a drastic expansion in the numbers of psychologists practicing in clinical settings.
Why did clinical psychology increase in prominence just after World War II?Why did clinical psychology increase in prominence just after World War II? The need for help was greater than psychiatrists could supply.
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