Theme 2. History of Psychology

and Physiology 2 Psychology Emerges as a Separate Discipline 3 Approaches and

Schools of Psychology

бесчисленный, неисчислимый;
Innate- врожденный, природный;
To acquire -приобретать, получать;
Tabula rasa or Blank

slate – чистая доска чистый лист;
Presumably - приблизительно

processes.
Let’s break down the definition
Behavior – Anything that you do

that can be observed.
Mental Processes – Internal experiences such as: thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions.
Systematic Study: Systematic collection and examination of data (empirical evidence) to support or disprove hypotheses (predictions) rather than depending on common sense.

with human affairs and capable of helping or harming human

interests
Hylozoism,  (from Greek hylē, “matter”; zōē, “life”), in philosophy, any system that views all matter as alive, either in itself or by participation in the operation of a world soul or some similar principle.

be traced back 2000 years ago to the early philosophers,

biologists, and physiologists of ancient Greece.
Hippocrates – Greek Physiologist that thought the mind or soul resided in the brain.
He believed that it was not composed of a physical substance.
This is called mind-body-dualism – seeing mind and body as two different things that interact.

PLATO
Plato (350 B.C.) – Greek philosopher that

believed that who we are and what we know are innate (inborn).
Aristotle – Plato’s student believed that who we are and what we know are acquired from experience.

John Locke and Rene Descartes had a similar argument.
John Locke

– Believed that knowledge comes from observation, and what we know comes from experience.
He coined the term “tabula rasa” – blank slate.
“The mind is like a blank slate in which the environment writes upon.”
Rene Descartes – Believed that what we know is innate.
Focused much of his research on how the nervous system responds
“I think therefore I am.”

1596-1650
Originated the concept of Dualism,

viewed mind and body as interactive machines.
Stated that the mind could follow body and vice versa.
Proposed the idea of both voluntary and involuntary behavior.
Ruled out areas other than the brain for mental functioning.

our behavior is inborn or learned through experience is called

the nature vs. nurture controversy.
Nature: Certain elementary ideas are innate to the human mind; not gained through experience
Men are born, not made

learned through experience.
Our mind is like a blank slate

(tabula rasa; Locke) that the environment writes upon
Men are made, not born

Where do the Spartans fall into this nature vs. nurture controversy?

psychology was beginning to emerge as a separate scientific discipline.
Biologist

Charles Darwin came up with the theory of natural selection.
Psychology branched into two schools of psychology (structuralism and functionalism) and from there several approaches to psychology.

scientific psychology because in 1879 he set up a research

laboratory in Germany.
The lab was dedicated to the scientific study of conscious experiences and sensations.
Introspection – the process of looking inward to identify how one feels, thinks, or acts.
he replicated his studies in different conditions with similar results.
Wundt helped found the School of Structuralism which aimed to focus on the structure of the mind and identify the basic elements of consciousness.

Wundt was asking the wrong questions.
James was more interested in

the function or purpose of behavioral acts.
School of Functionalism – Researchers that focused on how we adapt to our environments. (stream of consciousness)
Main Goal: Explain human behavior
Also wrote first psychology textbook

than the sum of it’s parts
Example: A beautiful painting
A painting

is more than just colors and line – its an experience
So, each person has a completely different experience when viewing the world – must be sensitive to this during therapy.

(behavior results from learning)
Pavlov and his dogs, Watson and Baby

Albert, Skinner and his rats. (rewards, punishments, and associations)
All these men believed that psychology should be the science of behavior.

its strong emphasis on stimulus and response (S-R psychology)
Behaviour –

any overt and observable response or activity by an organism.
Stimulus – any detectable input from the environment.

conflicts to explain mental disorders, personality, and motivation.
Sigmund Freud developed

this approach and focused on unconscious desires (Freudian slips, life and death instincts, libido, early life experiences.
Psychodynamic Approach – Those that varied Freud’s ideas but kept with the roots of psychoanalysis.

it’s reliance on unconscious, let alone conscious events in a

time when observable science dominated.
Unconscious – collection of thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of conscious awareness but that exert influence on behaviour.
Psychoanalytic Theory – explains personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behaviour.

and Abraham Maslow. They both believed that human behaviour is

determined by an individual’s “self-concept”, which animals presumably lack.
Each of these self-concepts seeks to grow, evolve and develop and psychological disturbances arise when these drives are blocked.

view human nature as naturally positive and growth seeking.
Abraham Maslow

(Hierarchy of Needs) and Carl Rogers (Unconditional Positive Regard) led the charge.
This approach came out the 60’s and 70’s.

processes within the nervous and endocrine systems are related to

the behavior of organisms.
Much research is being done today using this approach – Brain based research.

and processing information.
It also focuses on thinking, reasoning, and using

language to understand human behavior.
Cognition – thinking and memory.

J. Bruner (born 1915-)