A Look at Psychology

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A Look at Psychology 
 
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Psychology and other sciences
Physics- e.g. instruments for measuring bodily
changes (e.g. scans)
Chemistry- e.g. brain chemistry and psychosis and
mood disorders
Biology- e.g. organs and nerves
Anthropology- The study of other cultures
Sociology- The study of groups of people. Social
psychology- The study of the affect of groups on
the individual
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Early Psychology
 Stone age- Behavior explained by spirits. Holes
chipped in skulls.
  Egyptians- Ka and Ka 2. The little person in
the eye. (reflection of you)
 Ancient Greeks- Hippocrates Not spirits
but chemicals called humors. Blood, phlegm,
black bile, yellow bile.
 Middle ages- evil spirits, demons. Tortured and
burned. (witches)
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  Phrenology 1600-1700's
Bumps on the head were significant to behavior.
(A scam)
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Later Developments in Psychology
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Wilhelm Wundt (Structuralism) 1879
German studied human consciousness a)
introspection- examine own thoughts b)
experimentation
Wundt turned psychology into a science.
Set up the first psychology lab.
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William James (Functionalism) American -
function of the brain
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Sigmund Freud (psychoanalysis)
feelings and wishes are buried deep inside a
person. (unconscious)
We must recognize the unconscious feelings and
by discovering the source of the problem we can
work on it.
Was the first to use hypnosis in therapy
He used free association. He called it the
talking cure.
Used word association eg. Water-drown.
He used dream analysis. He called it the royal
road to the unconscious
He said everyone is influenced by unconscious
wishes.
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Behaviorists
 (John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, Albert Bandura) 
They did not rely on introspection like the
psychoanalysts did
Observable behavior was thought to be easier
studied
behavior is shaped by reward and punishment.
a strict behaviorist would say there is no
"free will".
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Gestalt Psychology  
(Means form or shape) 
began in Germany
overall shape or pattern of things more
important than the smaller parts.
"whole greater than the sum of it's parts".
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New psychology thoughts
- Cognitive
- existential,
- humanistic 
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Cognitive Psychology
( means thinking)
Said behaviorists too simplified
learning involved more than reward and
punishment.
behavior also involves perceiving, storing and
interpreting, analyzing
(We use our knowledge from past experience to
"fill in the gaps".)
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Existential Psychology
Unlike behaviorists and psychoanalysts they
believe people have free will
behavior does not have to be determined by events
in childhood.
stress the importance of individual choice.
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Humanistic Psychology
Abraham Maslow (the founder)
people try to reach maximum potential
(self-actualization)
we take care of our needs according to a
hierarchy of importance
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Current Views eclectic or
combined approach- -many psychologists use parts
of many types of approaches)
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WHICH IS RIGHT?  
We cannot say for sure. Psychology is still
considered a young science.
No approach is likely totally right or wrong