Psychology: Historical Perspectives

By Richard Thripp for Prof. John Beltran, PSY 4604 sec. 0W58, Univ. of Central Fla., Sp. 2013

In 1690, John Locke theory of the mind that at birth the mind is a blank slate ready to write on with memories (Project 2007). Phrenology was developed by Franz Joseph Gall in the late 17th century. Franz suggested that one could understand someone’s personality by examining the head and feel the bumps on the skull (Cherry 2015). Even though phrenology’s methods did not last, some of the theory had experimental value (Landrum 2015). Psychophysics is possibly the area that moved from philosophers studying behaviour to psychology studying behaviour. Hermann von Helmholtz, Ernst Weber and Gustav Fechner are the three researches key in founding of psychology (Landrum 2015). Hermann von Helmholtz led the breakthrough research on the nervous system in 1852. Ernst Weber was also interested in sensory system and how it worked; he developed Weber’s Law (Landrum 2015). Weber’s Law gave psychology the idea of just noticeable difference, that is, the smallest difference between two stimuli that can be noted by person. (Landrum 2015). Gustav Fechner expands on Weber’s Law and is said to be the founder of psychophysics (Landrum 2015).

The start of psychology as a discipline was a journey filled with uncertainty and codependence. After ongoing maturation its place was revealed independently within colleges and universities throughout America.

The concept of Psychology originated from philosophy and biology which are two factors used in psychology today (Eysenck 2009). Psychology represents ‘study of the mind’ (Gross 2005). Psychology is a type of science which studies the behaviour of humans and animals, psychology tries to understand why people behave in certain ways taking into consideration their thoughts and feelings (Eysenck 2009). The term psychology was founded from the Greek word, psyche which means mind, soul or spirit combined with the Latin word logos which means’ the study of’ (Gross 2005). Psychology dates back to ancient civilizations who were interested in workings of the the mind and behaviours (Payne and Walker 2003). Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychological laboratory in 1879 (Glassman 2008). Wundt and his co workers studied the structures that make up the mind, he was the first theorist to use psychology as a self conscious experiment studying perceptions and conscious awareness (Gross 2005).

Psychology is not just philosophical speculation and reasoning over the years it has evolved and it is now also recognised as a science, to understand what psychology is all about it is necessary to know it’s origins and the theorist who brought it out of obscurity, Sigmund Freud. He developed the Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytical perspective to enable better understanding of human behaviour these concepts will be discussed further later in this study. After Freud opened the gateway other perspectives and approaches have been developed, now with five main areas of psychology - Cognitive, Behaviourist, Biopsychology and Humanist approaches. For a comparison with the Psychodynamic theory, Behaviourist Theory will be discussed.

Skinner’s theory explains how we acquire different learned behavior we exhibit daily. The work of psychologists Edward Thorndike greatly influences Skinner’s theory. Thorndike proposed what he called the law of effect. According to the principle, actions followed by desirable outcomes are likely to be repeated while those followed by undesirable outcomes are not likely to be repeated. During his boyhood,

Psychology is a branch of philosophy until the late 1870’s when it was developed in Germany and the United States as an independent scientific punishment. In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt founded the first laboratory and dedicated it to psychological research in Leipzig, Germany. Wilhelm Wundt was also the first person to be referred as a psychologists. Early sponsors to the psychology field are Hermann Ebbinghaus, who is the pioneer in the study of the memory. William James, who is the father of pragmatism. Ivan Pavlolv, who had develop the procedures that is associated with classical conditioning, which is the learning process which an innate responses to a stimulus that comes to be elicited in response to a neutral stimulus. In 1890, Hugo Munsterberg began writing the application of psychology to production, law and other fields. Also in 1890 Lightner Witmer had established the first psychology clinic.

History and Systems of Psychology is a course requirement offered to Psychology majors and minors. This course is used to provide majors and minors with the foundation and the evolution of the field of psychology. Within this class, many scholars of discussed. Two scholars that stood out to me in this course would be John Watson and Max Wertheimer. These two particular scholars are responsible for two of the most influential and famous schools of thought, behaviorism and Gestalt psychology. These two schools of thought are responsible for changing the field of psychology and introducing the field to new theories and ways of thinking. Although the two schools of thought are similar in being influential but they are different in many ways. The two schools of thought are even said to be contradictory of one another and one is even said to be the cause of the fading out of the other.

Classical Conditioning. Due to Pavlov’s success, Watson was inclined to do his own experimentation. His most famous, yet controversial, being on “Little Albert.” “Albert” was a child conditioned by Watson to be afraid of rats. Essentially, Watson would create a loud, banging noise. This would eventually lead to the fear of not just rats, but all fuzzy animals (John Watson - Little Albert, 2008).

Psychology is the study of the mind, its biology, and behavior if the individual. The father of psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, used objective measurement and controlled analyzing to find and emphasize separation between psychology and philosophy (McLeod). Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879, using his background in physiology to study reactions and sensations (McLeod). There is no doubt that he, along with the later help of Sigmund Freud, launched what is now modern psychology. Psychology and its research helped the world understand the inner workings of the mind and how it affects everyone around us.

The History of Psychology In order to discuss Psychology's history, it is important to understand that psychology still does not have one unifying approach unlike the natural sciences; even the definition of Psychology and what it truly means is still undecided. However I shall attempt to review chronologically its philosophical origins, include how the science of Physics and Biology were placed in history and how they influenced research and determined the development of Psychology as its recognised today. Beginning with the philosophers Plato and Aristotle (between 428- 347) in ancient Greece, they began to ask

Although psychologists have traditionally revered William Wundt as the founder of psychology, the historical reality is more complex.

The history of psychology is in infancy at the present time. Many philosophers can be credited to the development of this science. Starting in the early 18th and 19th centuries philosophers such as Rene’ Descartes and John Locke opened the world of what we know as psychology today. The British empiricists also contributed to psychology. Some of these men include David Hume and David Hartley.

Explain the reasons for the development of psychology as an academic discipline in the 19th and 20th centuries, making explicit the important turning points and breakthroughs.

Wade E. Pickren’s article, Internationalizing the History of Psychology Course in the USA is an advocacy piece for diversity in the field of psychology; specifically in the teaching of the history and systems of psychology course in US colleges and universities. Pickren first outlines the development of historical psychological texts (dubbed textbook histories REFERENCE), the subsequent influence of said texts on the development of the course of history and systems, criticisms of then current textbook histories and the events that led to “The New History of Psychology” (REFERENCE). The present standing of the history of psychology course in the USA is examined followed by a review of how the USA dominated the field of psychology after World