The History of Psychology
Introduction: The History of Psychology
Philosophical Background Psychology has no definite, absolute beginning, but there is speculation that early humans were curious about human nature. Serious study of the human psyche began in ancient times, with ancient philosophers began to record their findings and thoughts about behavior and the nature of the human mind. The name psychology ' is from the two Greek roots, psyche and logos, which mean "mind" and "study," respectively. Psychological thought was most influenced by three very well known ancient philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates ' maxim was "know thyself," which was an idea that accentuated the importance of personal reflection and self-examination. "He believed the unexamined life is not worth living" (Nevid 4). This idea of self-assessment is one of the most enduring in the history of psychology. Plato, one of Socrates ' students, had learned that we should not rely purely on our senses to perceive the world around us, since our perception is often skewed. He believed that we should rely on thought and reason to acquire knowledge. (Nevid 4) Plato 's student Aristotle thought contrarily to his teacher, and believed that knowledge could, in fact, be gained through our senses through careful observation. He believed that the pursuit of information and knowledge should be "based on experience with the world around us" (Nevid 4). Aristotle believed in an association of thoughts, and also conjured the notion that people are principally motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. (Nevid 4-5) Eastern Philosophy
Along with the Greek Philosophers, Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and essayist, was simultaneously thinking about human nature and how the human psyche works. Confucius believed that all humans were capacitated to do good, and that evil was a result of a bad environment or lack of education. This idea has been the basis of thought for modern schools of psychology. Although
Philosophical Background Psychology has no definite, absolute beginning, but there is speculation that early humans were curious about human nature. Serious study of the human psyche began in ancient times, with ancient philosophers began to record their findings and thoughts about behavior and the nature of the human mind. The name psychology ' is from the two Greek roots, psyche and logos, which mean "mind" and "study," respectively. Psychological thought was most influenced by three very well known ancient philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates ' maxim was "know thyself," which was an idea that accentuated the importance of personal reflection and self-examination. "He believed the unexamined life is not worth living" (Nevid 4). This idea of self-assessment is one of the most enduring in the history of psychology. Plato, one of Socrates ' students, had learned that we should not rely purely on our senses to perceive the world around us, since our perception is often skewed. He believed that we should rely on thought and reason to acquire knowledge. (Nevid 4) Plato 's student Aristotle thought contrarily to his teacher, and believed that knowledge could, in fact, be gained through our senses through careful observation. He believed that the pursuit of information and knowledge should be "based on experience with the world around us" (Nevid 4). Aristotle believed in an association of thoughts, and also conjured the notion that people are principally motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. (Nevid 4-5) Eastern Philosophy
Along with the Greek Philosophers, Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and essayist, was simultaneously thinking about human nature and how the human psyche works. Confucius believed that all humans were capacitated to do good, and that evil was a result of a bad environment or lack of education. This idea has been the basis of thought for modern schools of psychology. Although