Title: History of Psychology: Aristotle, before 30 BC
1History of Psychology Aristotle, before 30 BC
- Greek naturalist and philosopher who theorized
about learning, memory, motivation, emotion,
perception, and personality.
2 René Descartes 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.
3John Locke 1632-1704
- Knowledge should be acquired by careful
observation. - No innate ideas all knowledge comes from
experience or reflection. - Mind is a blank slate written on by experience
(tabula rasa).
4Charles Darwin 1850s
- Studied the evolution of finches
and expands his study to include humans. - Opposed religious teachings of the time by
suggesting that man was a common ancestor to
lower species.
5Birth of Psychology Wilhelm Wundt Father of
Psychology
- 1879 Leipzig, Germany.
- Intended to make psychology a reputable
science. - Many American psychologists eventually went on
to study in Leipzeig.
6Wilhelm Wundt Father
of Psychology
- Most of his experiments on
sensation and perception. - Did not think that high order mental processes
could be studied experimentally. - Trained in medicine and philosophy.
- Wrote many books about psychology, philosophy,
ethics, and logic.
7Can you read this?
- This is bcuseae the huammn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe.
Amzanig, huh?
8Introspection
- Looking inward at ones own mental processes.
- Because it is not objective, it fails miserably.
9E.B. Titchener
- Wundts student.
- Taught at Cornell University. Studied nature of
mental experiences. - Structuralism Analyze sensations, images and
feelings into their most basic elements.
10 William James 1842-1910
- Claimed that searching for building
blocks was a waste of time because
brain and mind are constantly changing focused
on function. - Functionalism. Underlying causes and practical
consequences of certain behaviors and mental
strategies Stream of Consciousness. - Expanded psychology to animal behavior.
11Herman Ebbinghaus 1885
- Published classic studies on memory,
nonsense syllables, learning curve.
12American Psychological Association (APA)
- Founded in 1892 the governing
body of all research not conducted by
universities.
13Eclecticism
- Utilizing of diverse theories and schools of
thought. - Mosaic, no single approach can create the whole
picture. - Unlikely for psychology to ever have a unifying
paradigm. - Grand theories replaced by more specific ones.
14Fields in Psychology
15Schools of Pscyhology
16 17The Gestalt School
- Based on the idea that perceptions are more than
the sums of their parts - Instead of parts, they are wholes that give
shape, or meaning, to the parts. - Ex the previous song
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20Psychological Perspectives Today
21Behavioralism
- Behavioral Perspective
- Focus on the influence of environment on
behavior. - All behavior is observable and measurable.
22Behaviorism
- Ivan Pavlov, 1849-1936.
- Russian experimenter who showed
automatic/involuntary behavior in learned
responses to specific stimuli in the
environment. - Created Classical Conditioning.
23Behaviorism
- John Watson, 1913.
- Psychology can never be as objective as
chemistry or biology. Consciousness is not
that easy. - I can take a child and make him into anything,
a beggar, a doctor, a thief.
24Behaviorism
- B.F. Skinner, 1950s.
- Dismissed importance of inherited traits and
instincts about human behavior. Private events
can be studied as long as they are treated as a
form of behavior, many experiments with learning
and memory. - Believed that all behavior is a result of
rewards and punishments in the past.
25Behavioristic Theory
- Social Learning Theory How people acquire new
behaviors by observing and imitating others
(modeling). - Criticisms Excluded all behavior that cannot
be seen. All behavior cannot be explained by
rewards and punishments. Treats people like
robots as if they have no free-will.
26Psychoanalytic Theory
- Focus on how unconscious motives influences
behavior. - All behavior is meaningful, and much of it is
controlled by digging below the surface to
uncover the roots of personality. - Sigmund Freud!!! (Da MAN!)
27Psychoanalytic Theory
- Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939.
- Studied neurology, but wanted to
be a medical researcher, forced
into being a private physician. - Became convinced that patients difficulties were
due to mental rather than physical problems. - Proposed that distress due to problems that
dated back to childhood.
28Siggy Freud
- Psychoanalysis Freuds method for treating
people with emotional problems, free
association. - Unconscious Nearly all of our impulses are
sexual and aggressive in nature. Because we
cannot accept them in our conscious, thoughts
find their expression in dreams, slips of the
tongue that appear as accidents, and even jokes.
29Psychoanalytic Theory
- Aggressive energy Basic human instinct lodged
in unconscious the duty of society is to get
people to channel their aggressive energy into
productive activity. If not, aggression is
released and violent activities occur.
30Psychoanalytic Theory
- Hidden Desires Freud stated that people are
cesspools of hidden desires. - Unresolved Conflicts If these occur in
childhood, this will cause fixations in later
life. (Stages)
31Psychoanalytic Theory
- Freuds Stages Oral (Birth - 1 yr.),
anal (1 yr.), phallic (4 yrs. -
separates males/females), latency (Puberty),
genital (adult) - 3 Personalities Id, Ego, Superego
- Id Wants/Desires, Basic primal instincts.
Pleasure Principle - Ego Reality Principle
- Superego Conscious mind. Do the right thing.
32Psychoanalytic Theory Criticisms
- Does not focus on observable behavior, negative
viewpoint of mankind because actions are
provoked by unconscious thoughts, cannot be
scientifically proven or disproven. - Ignores political and social explanations of
peoples problems. - Currently focuses on perceptions, memories, and
thinking in our unconscious (Psychodynamic
theory).
33Humanistic Theory
- 1950s-60s Emphasize free-will, people not
completely ruled by environment or past
experience, able to control ones own choices and
destinies to achieve full human potential.
34Humanistic Theory
- Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
Peoples struggle is to be
the best they possibly can, known
as self-actualization. - Carl Rogers Former minister believed
all people strive for perfection some
interrupted by a bad environment.
35Humanistic Theory
- Human Potential Everyone striving to reach
their highest potential. - Criticisms Believes all people are good and
that people have the ability to heal themselves.
Too vague, more of a philosophy for life than
a psychology.
36Biopsychological (Neurobiological)
- Focuses on the influence of biology on behavior
-
- Seeks to understand the nervous system. All
actions, feelings associated with the nervous
system. - Wilhelm Wundt Expected psychology to rest
almost solely on Anatomy and Biology. Interested
in how bodily events interact with events in the
external environment to produce perceptions,
memory and behavior. Roger Sperry won
Nobel-Prize for his Split-Brain research.
37Biopsychological (Neurobiological)
- Nervous System Responsible for our behavior
Specifically abnormal and immediate responses. - Anatomy/Biology Solely responsible for human
behavior. - Criticisms Ignores mental processes. Explains
too little of human behavior, rejects
environmental influences.
38Cognitive Theory
- Thinking Focuses on how mental thoughts affect
behavior. - Studies how we attend, perceive, think, remember,
solve problems and arrive at beliefs. - Know whats going on in peoples heads first,
then applies it to their behavior. - Jean Piaget studies childrens
cognitive development.
39Cognitive Theory
- Thought Processes Can infer mental processes
from observable behavior. - Remember Gestalt Psychology means pattern or
whole. Studies how people interpret sensory
information in order to acquire knowledge. - The whole is larger than the sum of its parts
40Cognitive Theory Criticisms
- Downplays emotion, too mentalistic, hard to
decide between competing cognitive explanations.
- Strong approach today.
41Sociocultural Psychology
- Examines how cultural and political (religious)
experience effect our everyday life. - Gender influences of behavior.
- Job opportunities to influence peoples goals and
ambitions.
42Sociocultural Psychology
- It is NOT intrapsychic Within the mind or self.
- Cultural Values/Political Systems How norms and
social influences affect behavior.
43Sociocultural Psychology
- Ambition/Goals/Values Environments influence on
ones long-term ambitions. - Criticisms Underestimated personal and
overestimated social influences on our behavior.
Makes broad generalizations about ethnic groups
and cultures.
44Jobs in Psychology
45Clinical Psychologists
- Help people with psychological problems, such as
anxiety, depression, or severe psychological
disorders - Clinical psychologist help their clients overcome
problems and adjust to the demands of life. - They also help people with problems in their
relationships, addictions, or weight control.
46Clinical Psychologists continued.
- Clinical psychologists are trained to evaluate
psychological problems through use of interviews
and psychological tests - Then they help clients understand and resolve
their problems by changing ineffective or harmful
behaviors.
47Psychiatrists
- A psychiatrist is a MEDICAL DOCTOR.
- They specialize in treatment of psychological
problems and can PRESCRIBE MEDICATION
48Counseling Psychologists
- Typically treat people with adjustment problems
rather than those with serious psychological
disorders - Ex
- Struggling making a decision about ones career
- Having difficulty making friends
- Having conflicts with family members, teachers,
employers, etc - Dealing with parents divorce
- Counseling psychologists help people identify
their goals, overcome adjustment problems, and
meet challenges
49School Psychologists
- School psychologists help identify and help
students with problems by talking with teachers,
parents, and the student themselves. - They may also administer tests such as
intelligence tests and achievement tests. - School psychologists help identify and assist
students with special needs, learning
difficulties or disorders, and students who may
be academically gifted. - In many school districts school psychologists
help place students in certain classes to help
them be successful
50Education Psychologists
- They are concerned with helping students learn,
but focus more on planning and instructional
methods for an entire system - They are concerned with theoretical issues that
relate to how we measure student abilities,
learning, and development - They help decide which tests are most effective
in determining student success. - They also help consider how certain items on
tests or certain instructional methods in the
classroom account for student differences and
promote their success.
51Developmental Psychologists
- Study the changes that occur throughout a
persons lifespan - Include
- Physical changes
- emotional changes
- Cognitive changes
- social changes
- They also look at how heredity (genes) and the
environment influence a persons development
52Personality Psychologists
- Identify characteristics or traits
- Looks for different traits people have and then
study these traits - They share this information with clinical
psychologists who are interested in the origins
of certain psychological disorders
53Social Psychologists
- Concerned with peoples behavior in social
situations - Look at how men and women act in same settings/
different settings - What attracts people to one another
- Why people tend to conform to groups standards
and expectations - How people change in groups
- What effects prejudice
- Why people act aggressive or why people help
others in certain situations
54Experimental Psychologists
- Conduct research into basic human processes such
as the nervous system - Engage in basic research
- Has no immediate application, but is done for its
own sake - Their findings are often put into practice by
other psychological specialists.
55Industrial Psychologists
- Focus on people and work
- Improve working conditions
- Job satisfaction
- Help people who have problems on the job
56Environmental Psychologists
- Focus on the way in which people influence and
are influenced by their environment.
57Consumer Psychologists
- Study behaviors of shoppers to explain and
predict their behavior
58Forensic Psychologists
- Work within the criminal justice system
- Can testify about the psychological competence of
a defendant - They may be called to explain how psychological
problems can give rise to certain criminal
behaviors - Help select police officers
- Train police officers in handling dangerous
situations such as suicide threats, hostage
crises, and family violence
59Health Psychologists
- May study the effects of stress on health
problems such as headaches and heat disease - Try to explain why some people follow doctors
advice and some disregard it - Help people adopt helpful lifestyle changes such
as exercising