Fundamentals of Psych
Madeline Anderson
General Psychology 300
October 22, 2012
Erika Redmond
Abstract
This paper discusses the major schools of thought in psychology and examines the major underlying assumptions. This includes the two major schools of thought that are very important in psychology, being structuralism functionalism. I also discuss and identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior. Throughout the paper psychological research is explored. The goal of this paper is to further understand the major schools of thought and identify the primary biological foundations of psychology that have been linked to behavior.
There are two major schools of thought in psychology that have contributed to learning more about how humans behave and four major perspectives of theory. The first major school was called Structuralism. Structuralism took the mental process and broke them down into basic components which are easier to understand. Edward Titchener, who was a student of Wilhelm Wundt, a very famous psychologist for founding the first psychological laboratory, initiated what is known as structuralism .Titchener was known for his interest in studying the structure of consciousness. Wundt, Titchener believed that experimentation was the only appropriate method for a science of psychology and that concepts such as “attention” implied too much free will to be scientifically useful.(Westen 2011) One of the controversy has been with the study of structuralism is that the study of consciousness could not be evaluated and recorded by no one except the person that reported the findings, therefore the data was known as unscientific.
The second school of thought in psychology was functionalism. Instead of focusing on the contents of the mind, functionalism emphasized the role—or function—of psychological processes in helping individuals adapt to their environment. (Weston 2011).William James was well known in the world of psychology for being a major
General Psychology 300
October 22, 2012
Erika Redmond
Abstract
This paper discusses the major schools of thought in psychology and examines the major underlying assumptions. This includes the two major schools of thought that are very important in psychology, being structuralism functionalism. I also discuss and identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior. Throughout the paper psychological research is explored. The goal of this paper is to further understand the major schools of thought and identify the primary biological foundations of psychology that have been linked to behavior.
There are two major schools of thought in psychology that have contributed to learning more about how humans behave and four major perspectives of theory. The first major school was called Structuralism. Structuralism took the mental process and broke them down into basic components which are easier to understand. Edward Titchener, who was a student of Wilhelm Wundt, a very famous psychologist for founding the first psychological laboratory, initiated what is known as structuralism .Titchener was known for his interest in studying the structure of consciousness. Wundt, Titchener believed that experimentation was the only appropriate method for a science of psychology and that concepts such as “attention” implied too much free will to be scientifically useful.(Westen 2011) One of the controversy has been with the study of structuralism is that the study of consciousness could not be evaluated and recorded by no one except the person that reported the findings, therefore the data was known as unscientific.
The second school of thought in psychology was functionalism. Instead of focusing on the contents of the mind, functionalism emphasized the role—or function—of psychological processes in helping individuals adapt to their environment. (Weston 2011).William James was well known in the world of psychology for being a major
References: Green, C. (2009, Feb-March). Darwinian theory, functionalism, and the first American psychological revolution.. American Psychologist, 64(2), 75-83. Robin Kowalski & Drew Westen (2011) The Study of Mental Processes and Behavior (6th ed).