Origins of Psychology

Origins of Psychology

1. Origin of Psychology

   • Wundt
     • Consciousness
       • Awareness of immediate experience
       • William James
         • Functionalism
           • Function & purpose of consciousness
           • "Stream of consciousness"
       • Titchner
         • Structuralism
           • Separate consciousness into parts
           • "Static points"
   • John B. Watson
     • Behavioralism
       • Observable responses/activities
       • Study what can be directly observed
       • Scientific method based on this verification
       • B.F. Skinner
         • Enviromental Factors influence behaviour
           • "No such thing as free will"
           • Responses are a result of previous conditioning
       • Locus of behaviour is in the brain
     • Nurture > Nature
       • Genetic inheritances or environment & experience
         • Influences behaviour
       • Nuture
         • Stimulus is a detectable input from the environment
           • Stimulus Response Technology
         • "Change the environment and you can change the person" - B.F. Skinner
       • Nature
         • Biological make up of a person
           • Inheritable characteristics through generations
   • Sigmund Freud
     • Unconscious mind
       • Below the surface of conscious awareness
       • Influence on actions and behaviours
     • Unconscious conflict plays a role in behavior
       • Affected by sexuality
     • Psychoanalytical Theory
       • Attempts to explain personality and conditions of the subconscious by focusing on unconscious determinants of behaviour
         • People are not the masters of their own mind
       • Humanism
         • Emphasizes the unique qualities of humans
           • Freedom, potential for personal growth
         • Opposed psychoanalytical theory
   • Donald Hebb
     • Cognition
       • Mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge
     • Locus of behaviour is in the brain
       • Repeated stimulation leads to development of cell assemblies that facilitate behaviour

2. Applied Psychology

   • Concerned with everyday life and practical problems

3. Clinical Psychology

   • Diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders