Chapter One: The Evolution of Psychology

1
Chapter One The Evolution of Psychology

• Psychology is defined as the scientific study of
  behavior and mental processes, and how they are
  affected by an organism's physical and mental
  state.
• Psychology has its roots in mythology, religion
  and philosophy. People believe that the
  chronology of psychology goes as far back as the
  age of the sage Greeks. In particular, many
  believe that several hundred years B.C., it was
  Plato and Socrates that started the academic
  pursuit of understanding the human mind and
  behavior. But it was not until the 1870's that
  psychology had become ready to set itself as an
  independent academic field.
• The word psychology comes from two Greek words,
  psyche, meaning the soul and logos, referring to
  the study of the subject. The two words were
  first put together in the 16th century when
  psyche was used to distinguish the soul, spirit,
  or mind from the body.

2
Chapter One The Evolution of Psychology

• Psychologys Early history
• 1.    Originated within philosophy
• 2.    Forerunners of psychology a.  Hippocrates
     b.  Aristotle c.  Descartes
• 3.   Not yet a separate field of study.
• 4.   Did not use the scientific method -
  prescientific

3
The Birth of Modern Psychology

• Wilhelm Wundt is considered the "father of
  psychology." Wundt used introspection and
  established the first psychology laboratory.
  According to Wundt, psychologys primary focus
  was consciousness the awareness of immediate
  experience.
• Wundt defined psychology as the study of the
  structure of conscious experience. Wundt was a
  proponent of Structuralism, which was an attempt
  to study the mental world with introspection. The
  goal was to find the 'atoms' of conscious
  experience, and from there to build a knowledge
  of how the atoms combine to create our
  experience. Wundt hoped to thus emulate the
  success of the natural sciences.
• G. Stanley Hall, a student of Wundt, founded the
  American Psychological Association (APA)

4
The Birth of Modern Psychology cont

• William James was an American philosopher and
  psychologist, who advanced the principle of
  Functionalism in psychology, thus removing
  psychology from its traditional place as a branch
  of philosophy and establishing it among the
  laboratory sciences based on experimental method.
  
• Functionalism focuses on how behavior and mental
  abilities help people adapt to their environment.
  "Consciousness is an everchanging stream or flow
  of sensations"
• Charles Darwin was a British scientist, who laid
  the foundation of modern evolutionary theory with
  his concept of the development of all forms of
  life through the slow-working process of natural
  selection. His work was of major influence on the
  life and earth sciences and on modern thought in
  general.

5
Psychology's Perspectives

• The Behavioral Perspective
• John Watson is the founder and leading exponent
  of the school of psychology known as
  behaviorism, which restricts psychology to the
  study of objectively observable behavior and
  explains behavior in terms of stimulus and
  response.
• Watson maintained that psychology should only
  study directlyobservable and measurable events,
  not private experienceslike mental events.
• Emphasized learning and the influence of the
  environment. Pavlov's experiments explained
  automatic or involuntary behaviors.
• Skinner extended behaviorism to explain the
  learning of voluntary behaviors.
• Social learning theory an outgrowth of
  behaviorism a.    Explains behaviorism beyond
  the study of behavior to           include
  learning by observation, insight, imitation.
  b.    Combines classic behaviorism with research
  on thinking. c.    Bandura is a key figure.

6
Psychology's Perspectives - (cont)

• The Psychodynamic Perspective
• Based on the work of Freud in the early 1900s.
  
• Maintains that psychological distress due to
  childhood conflicts.
• Introduced the idea of unconscious.
• Emphasizes biological instinct like
  aggression.
• Launched theories based on Freudian approach
  called psychodynamic.      a.   
  Emphasized inner forces and conflicts.
       b.    Emphasized instinctual energy.
  
• The Sociocultural Perspective
• Examines how the cultural values and
  political systems affect experience.
• Looks at the influence of the historical and
  social context on behavior.

7
Psychology's Perspectives - (cont

• The Neuroscience Perspective
• Associates all actions, feelings and thoughts
  with bodily events.
• Examines how bodily events interact with the
  environment to produce perceptions, memories and
  behavior. Related to evolutionary psychology
  that examines how evolutionary past may help
  explain some present behaviors and psychological
  traits.
• The Cognitive Perspective.
• Popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. Returns to
  the study of mental processes. Studies
  perception, memory, language, problem solving
  using new research methods. Shows how
  explanations and perceptions affect behavior and
  feelings. Serves as one of the strongest forces
  in psychology today.

8
Psychology's Perspectives - (cont)

• Humanism
• Humanistic psychology or the "third force."
  Rejects psychoanalytic perspective as too
  pessimistic and     behaviorism as too
  mechanistic.
•   Rejects determinism by the unconscious
  (psychoanalysis) or     by the environment
  (behaviorism) believes in free will.
• Goals of humanism     (1)    To help people
  express themselves creatively.     (2)    To
  help people reach their full potential.
•   Has influenced psychotherapy not scientific
  psychology.
• Eclecticism
• Incorporates features of diverse theories and
  approaches.
•   Employs broad guidelines      a.    Relies on
  empirical evidence.      b.    Rejects
  supernatural explanations.

9
Psychology's Specialties

• Pure research - knowledge for its own sake.
• Applied research - concerned with the practical
  uses of   knowledge.
• Some Major Non Clinical Specialties in Psychology
• Experimental psychologists - conduct laboratory
  studies of learning, motivation, emotion,
  sensation and perception,     physiology, human
  performance and cognition.
• Educational psychologists - study principles
  that explain learning and look for ways to
  improve learning in educational systems.
• Developmental psychologist - study how people
  change and    grow physically, mentally and
  socially over time.
• Social psychologist - study how groups,
  institutions and the     social context
  influence individuals and vice versa.

10
The Practice of Psychology

• Those who try to understand and improve physical
  and mental health.
• Settings in which those who practice psychology
  work.     a.    Mental or general hospital.
      b.    Clinics     c.    Schools     d.   
  Counseling centers     e.    Private practice
• Types of psychology practitioners     a.   
  Counseling psychologist deal with problems of
  everyday life.      b.    School
  psychologist try to enhance student's performance
              and emotional development.
• Degrees for practice may include Ph.D., Ed.D.
  (doctorate in     education) and Psy.D.
  (doctorate in psychology).

11
The Practice of Psychology - cont

• Types of non-psychologist practitioners     
  a.    Therapist - anyone who practices
  psychotherapy unrelated to formal 
  education and rarely requires
  licensing.      b.    Psychoanalyst - someone
  with specialized training at a            
  recognized psychoanalytic institute.      c.   
  Psychiatrist - a medical doctor (M.D.) with a
  residency in             psychiatry.
              (1)    May treat the more severely
  disturbed.             (2)    More medically
  oriented.             (3)    Can write
  prescriptions             (4)    May not have
  thorough training in theories and
                       methods of  psychology.
        d.    Counselors, social workers and other
  mental health              professionals - treat
  general problems in adjustment,             
  licensing requirements vary.

12
Themes Related to Psychology as a Field of Study

• Theme 1 Psychology is Empirical
• Empirical is the premise that knowledge
  should be acquired through direct observation
  rather than on reasoning, speculation,
  traditional beliefs, or common sense.
• Empiricalism lends itself to skepticism
• Theme 2 Psychology is Theoretically Diverse
• A theory is a system of interrelated ideas used
  to explain a set of observations. A theory
  links apparently unrelated observations and
  tries to explain them.
• Theme 3 Psychology Evolves in a Sociohistorical
  Context
• Trends, issues, and values in society influence
  psychology's evolution. Reciprocally,
  psychology influences trends, issues, and
  values in society

13
Themes Related to Psychology as a Field of Study

• Theme 4 Behavior is Determined by Multiple
  Causes
• Behavior is governed by a complex network of
  interacting factors, an idea referred to as the
  multifactoral causation of behavior.
• Theme 5 Behavior is Shaped by Cultural Heritage
• Culture refers to the widely shared customs,
  beliefs, values, norms, institutions, and other
  products of a community that are transmitted
  socially across generations.
• Theme 6 Heredity and Environment Jointly
  Influence Behavior
• Heredity and environment are important in
  influencing behavior
• Theme 7 Peoples Experience of the World is
  Highly Subjective
• People actively process incoming stimulation,
  selectively focusing on some aspects of that
  stimulation while ignoring others.
• Article on Critical Thinking Skills