1. Schools of thought in psychology
Psychology 101/part 2
Schools of thought in psychology

2. History of psychology Early roots in ancient Greek philosophy
introspection: “know thyself” (Socrates)
associationism (roots of learning theory) Aristotle

3. Schools of Thought in Modern Psychology
Structuralism
(Wilhelm Wundt)
Functionalism
(William James)
Behavorism
(John Watson/
B F. Skinner)
Gestalt
Psychoanalysis
(Sigmund Freud)

4. Wilhelm Wundt: structuralism: focuses on the basic elements of consciousness
Consciousness consists of 2 categories: objective sensations ( senses)and subjective feelings (emotional responses and mental images)
Combined with introspection, individuals can report and examine experiences

5. William James: functionalism: concerned with the role of mental processes to the survival of an organism (adaptation to the environment)
“Stream of consciousness”

6. structuralism
functionalism
Relies on introspection
Asks” what are the elements (structures) of the psychological process?”
Consciousness is divided between the objective and the subjective
Relies on introspection and observation
Asks “what is the purpose of the behavior or mental process?”
Behavior patterns are learned and maintained because they are successful
Through repetition, behaviors become habit/automatic
Consciousness is a steady stream

7. John Watson: behaviorism: the study of observable behavior
Took a purely scientific approach and believed that trying to understand psychological constructs was not productive
Behavior is based on being rewarded for certain actions (rat learns to go through maze to get the reward if it is hungry)

8. B. F. Skinner: followed Watson’s concept of behaviorism; added the concept of reinforcement (learning is the result of reinforced behaviors)

9. Sigmund Freud: founder of psychoanalysis, stressed the importance of unconscious thoughts on behavior (psychodynamic thinking)