GREAT MINDS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Great Minds of Psychology A Look At the Contributions of B. ... Skinner, Sigmund Freud and Abraham Maslow in Modern Psychology, a Psychology Timeline & a brief glimpse in to the works of Wilhelm Wundt,William James and Max Wetheimer The Origins of Modern Psychology Psychology is the study of cognitions, emotions, and behavior. ... The study of psychology has five basic goals: Describe – The first goal is to observe behavior and describe, often in minute detail, what was observed as objectively as possible Explain – While descriptions come from observable data, psychologists must go beyond what is obvious and explain their observations. ... html) Wilhelm Wundt and William James are usually thought of as the fathers of psychology, as well as the founders of psychology’s first two great “schools. ... Both have claims to having established the first psychology lab in 1875. ... html) However, The origins of modern psychology can be traced to the University of Leipzig in Germany, where the first laboratory devoted to scientific study of psychology was established in 1879 by Wilhelm Wundt. Although people have observed and studied human behavior for millennia, the study of psychology in a scientific manner is relatively new. ... Wundt wanted to study psychology in the same manner people study physics or chemistry. ... This approach to psychology is known as structuralism.(psychology textbook, pg 28) Structuralism was an attempt to study the mental world with introspection, the tool that Descartes thought most appropriate for the mental realm. ... html) Functionalism In the 1800’s Functionalism, a new approach to psychology was developed in the United States. ... ( psychology textbook, pg 29) As a psychologist, James was as interested in and knowledgeable about the phenomena of psychopathology and exceptional mental states as he was in those of normal consciousness; and in The Principles (the first textbook to present the discipline in the richest descriptions of human experience, human behavior, and human nature. ... Trained as a biologist and a physician, James felt compelled to ground his psychology wherever possible in the facts of nervous physiology; but he was also at heart a philosopher concerned with issues such as the problem of other minds, the relationship of mind to body, the continuity of self, the mechanism of objective reference, and the nature of necessary truths. ... htm) Gestalt Psychology Founded by Max Wertheimer, Gestalt psychology surfaced as a theoretical school in Germany early in the 20th century. Gestalt psychology was based on the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. ... Like structuralism and functionalism , Gestalt psychology had a limited life span. ... However, the Gestalt school left its mark on the field, as it contributed to the eventual emergence of two contemporary theoretical perspectives in psychology: humanism and cognitive psychology. ... htm) The Behavioral Psychology The theory of B. ... A great deal of attention was given to schedules of reinforcement (e. ... psychology. ... html) Abraham Maslow described humanistic psychology as the “third force” in American psychology because it offered an alternative to psychodynamic theory and behaviorism. ... These basic needs exert a powerful pull on our behaviour and exert a great deal of influence on our behaviour so much that most people never reach the top level of the hierarchy. (psychology text book,pg. ... He taught at several universities in the New York area and perhaps best known for his belief in Humanistic Psychology. His Hierarchy of Needs has been applied to many professional fields outside of psychology, including sociology, business, medicine, and others. ... html) Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs Timeline of Psychology 1879 Wilhelm Wundt founded the first formal laboratory of Psychology at the University of Leipzig, marking the formal beginning of the study of human emotions, behaviors, and cognitions 1883 The first laboratory of psychology in America is established at Johns Hopkins University 1885 Herman Ebbinghaus introduced the nonsense syllable as a means to study memory processes 1886 Sigmund Freud began performing therapy in Vienna, marking the beginning of personality theory 1890 William James published Principles of Psychology 1890 New York State passed the State Care Act, ordering indigent mentally ill patients out of poor-houses and into state hospitals for treatment and developing the first institution in the U.