Psychological Perspectives through History AP Psychology Ace Tech

Introspection Wilhelm Wundt founded the first psychological laboratory in 1879. Wundt trained subjects to record their responses to simple stimuli. Wundt developed structuralism, the theory that the mind operates by combining objective sensations and subjective emotions.

Introspection William James wrote The Principles of Psychology, the first psych textbook, while a professor at Harvard. James developed the theory of functionalism, studying how mental processes and behavior interact with the surrounding environment.

Introspection Mary Whiton Calkins was a student of William James at Harvard, but was denied her Ph.D. because of sexist discrimination. Calkins later became president of the American Psychological Association.

Introspection Margaret Floy Washburn was the first American woman to earn her Ph.D. in psychology. During her 43-year research career, she also served as president of the American Psychological Association.

Introspection G. Stanley Hall was another student of William James. Hall studied child development and was the first president of the APA.

Summary The Introspection phase of psychology was important in establishing psychology as a science, but theories such as structuralism or functionalism have been surpassed by more sophisticated scientific theories and methods.

Gestalt Psychology Max Wertheimer examined the total human experience, rather than separate structures of the brain (like Wundt) or separate functions (like James).

What do you see?

Summary The Gestalt Psychology phase was important because it forced psychologists to consider not only the person in treatment, but their context as well.

Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud revolutionized psychology by introducing his psychoanalytic theory. Freud believed he had discovered the unconscious mind, which partially controls our thoughts and behaviors.

Psychoanalysis Freud believed that the conscious mind could not deal with some experiences and repression forced these tensions into our unconscious minds where they would continue to influence our conscious thoughts and behaviors.

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Summary Psychoanalysis introduced basic therapy techniques that are still used by psychologists today. However, Freud was criticized for being unscientific; he conducted no research to support his theory.

Behaviorism Ivan Pavlov pioneered conditioning techniques through experiments on animals. Pavlov’s work became the foundation of the behaviorist perspective.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism John B. Watson believed that psychology must be limited to observable phenomena, not unobservable things like the unconscious mind. Watson stated that psychologists must look only at behavior and the causes of behavior. Stimuli = environmental events. Responses = physical reactions.

Behaviorism BF Skinner was an incredibly influential behaviorist. Skinner expanded on Watson’s ideas to include reinforcement, or environmental stimuli that either encouraged or discouraged certain responses.

Summary The behavioral perspective was the dominant psychological perspective from the 1920s through the 1960s. However, some of the experiments conducted by behaviorists caused permanent damage to human subjects. The abuses of behaviorism helped to create ethical guidelines for psychological experiments.

Mutliple Perspectives Currently, there is no dominant perspective in psychology. Instead, most psychologists embrace eclecticism. Eclectic psychologists examine mental processes and behavior using ideas from several different perspectives.

Multiple perspectives: Humanism Abraham Maslow theorized that most of human behavior is guided by physiological, emotional or spiritual needs.

Multiple perspectives: Humanism Carl Rogers also stressed individual choice and free will in human behavior.

Multiple perspectives: Humanism Maslow theorized that human beings pursue a hierarchy of needs. When lower level needs are satisfied, people are able to pursue higher levels.

Multiple perspectives: Zombieism What would YOUR hierarchy of needs look like?

Multiple perspectives: Psychoanalysis Freud’s theory of the unconscious mind and repression remain part of modern psychology, but it is a controversial perspective.

Multiple perspectives: Biopsychology (or Neuroscience) Biopsychologists view thought and behavior strictly in terms of biological processes. Human behavior is influenced by genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and other parts of the brain and body.

Multiple perspectives: Evolutionary Evolutionary psychologists view thoughts and actions as the product of natural selection. Natural selection, theorized by Charles Darwin, describes that thoughts and behaviors that are more advantageous for survival are likely to be passed on to offspring.

Multiple perspectives: Behavioral Behaviorism is still a popular psychological perspective. Modern behaviorists explain thought and behavior in terms of conditioning. Conditioning is accomplished through systems of punishment and reward.

Multiple perspectives: Cognitive Cognitive psychologists like Jean Piaget examine human thought and behavior in terms of how we interpret, process, and remember stimuli. Individual interpretations of environmental events are crucial.

Multiple perspectives: Social-Cultural (or Sociocultural) Social-Cultural psychologists explore how thought and behavior varies from culture to culture.

Multiple perspectives: Biopsychosocial Biopsychosocial psychologists acknowledge that thought and behavior result from the combination of biological, psychological and social factors. These three criteria are used to evaluate mental processes and behavior.