-
Roots From Ancient Greek: Plato
(428-348 or 347 B.C.)
More than 2,000 years ago, Plato recorded his teacher's advice: "Know thyself." This has remained the motto for psychology ever since. We learn much about ourselves through examining our thoughts and feelings. This is called introspection- or "looking within." -
Aristotle
(384-322 B.C.)
Aristotle was a Greek philsopher that raised many questions about human behavior that are still discussed today. He outlines the laws of associationism, which is still a theory today. One of his works is called Peri Psyches, which means "about the mind" His approach is scientific saying that human behavior is subject to certain rules and laws. -
Hippocrates
(c. 460-c. 377 B.C.)
Most acnient Greeks generally believed that the gods punished people for wrong doing by causing them confusion and madness. Hippocrates had his own theory. He suggested that such problems are caused by abnormalities in the brain. The idea the biological factors can affect out thoughts, feelings, and behavior influenced thinking about psychology for more than 2,000 years. -
The Middle Ages
(500 AD- 1500)
During the Middle Ages, many believed that problems were signs of possessions by demons. Certain tests were used to determine if this was true or not. One test was the water-float test. If you were possessed, you would sink and then be killed. If not, you would sink and also be killed by drowning. -
The Birth of Modern Science
(1500s, 1600s, 1700s)
1500s- Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the view that the sun revolved around Earth, suggesting instead that Earth revolves around the Sun
1600s- English scientist Sir Isaac Newton formulated the laws of gravity and motion
1700s- French Scientist Antoine Lavoisier founded the science of chemistry and explained how animals and plants use oxygen in respiration -
Wilhem Wundt and Structuralism
(1832-1920)
Wilhem and his students founded a branch of experimental psychology called structuralism. This was concerned with discovering the basic elements of consciousness. Wundt broke down the content of consciousness into 2 catagories: objective sensations and subjective feelings. These people believe that the human mind functioned by combinding these basic elements of experience. -
William James and Functionalism
(1842-1910)
He believes that conscious experiment cannot be broken down. He believes in a "stream of consciousness." He focuses on experience and behavior. He founded functionalism which is concerned with how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment. -
John B. Watson and Behaviorism
(1878-1958)
Although Watson agreed with the functionalist focus on the importance of learning, he believed it was unscientific to study a construct like conciousness. He founded behaviorism and difines psychology as the scientific study of observable behavior. -
B. F. Skinner and Reinforcement
(1904-1990)
Skinner showed that when an animal is reinforced, or rewarded for an action, it is more likelt they will do this action again in the future. He observed that like animals, people act in this way too. We behave in certain ways because we have been reinforced for doing so. -
Sigmund Freud & the School of Psychoanalysis
(1856-1939)
He was one of the most well known early psychologists. He founded psychoanalysis, which emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts in determining human behavior. Freud's theory has become a very large part in todays culture. His theory is sometimes called psychodynamic thinking stating that most of what exists in our minds is unconscious and just wishes or impulses. -
The Biological Perspective
(current day)
The biological perspective ephasizes the influence of biology on our behavior. Biologically oriented psychologists look for the connections between events in the brain. They use several CAT and PET scans. Biological psychologists are interested in the influences of hormones and genes. -
The Evolutionary Perspective
(current day)
This focuses on the evolution of behavior and mental processes. Charles Darwin theorized that the most-adaptive organisms have a greater chance of surviving to maturity. They also suggests that many behavior patterns have a hereditary basis. -
The Cognitive Perspective
(current day)
This perspetive emphasizes the role that thoughts play in determining behavior. Thy study mental processes to understand human nature. The cognitive tradition has roots in Socrates, "Know thyself." Another aspect of th cognitive perspective involves information processing. -
The Humanistic Perspective
(current day)
The humanistic perspective stresses the human capacity for self-fulfillment and the capacity to make choices. Consciousness is seen as the force that shapes human personality. This perspective considers peoples personal experiences to be the most important aspect of psychology. They view people as basically good and desiring to be helpful to others. -
The Psychoanalytic Perspective
(1940s-1950s)
This perspective stresses the influence of unconscious forces on human behavior. It soon began to dominate the practice of psychotherapy and greatly influenced it. It focuses more on conscious choice and self-direction. It is believed that aggressive impulses are common reactions to the frustrations we have in our daily lives. By holding aggression in, we are only setting ourselves up for more hurt. The picture sorresponding with this event is the psychoanalytic congress. -
The Learning Perspective
(current day)
This perspective emphasizes the effects of experience on behavior. For most people learning is the most essential factor in life, but psychologists have different meanings to the word. An example of this would be that some social-learning theorists have different attitudes toward the role of consciousness in learning. Contrasting, the social-learning theory suggests that people can change their environments or create new ones. -
The Sociocultural Perspective
(current day)
This perspective studies the influence of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socio-economic status on behavior and mental processes. A main focus of sociocultural theorists is gender roles and how they address the issues concerning similarities and differences between the two. Following the pattern of American society, the psychology field is becoming more and more diverse.
