...Foundations of Psychology One of the most complex and diverse subjects in all of the social sciences is the study of the mind. Psychology, the constant attempt to understand human behavior, full of variables and unpredictable. Although psychology as a whole can be supported by many different theories and even sub-theories, there are six major schools of thought that are common knowledge to every professional in the field. The six major schools of thought are functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, cognitivism, structuralism and humanistic psychology. These six major schools of thought may as well be the foundations of psychology. Functionalism is one of the most influential theories in modern psychology because it focus on describing and understanding thoughts and what thoughts do, without questioning the reasons behind them or the process of how they do it. The Psychoanalysis school of thought was originally created by Sigmund Freud. The psychoanalytic perspective attempts to explain the different human behaviors by analyzing the subconscious mind. Sexual natural behaviors play a very significant role in psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud himself suggested that “the instinct to pursue pleasure, which is described as sexual in nature, lies at the root of human development”. (Coomarsingh) The behaviorist school of thought is the one that pushes the practical side of psychology. By enforcing experiments and comparing the results to even more repeated experiments, it gives the...
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...Foundations of psychology By: Ashley Chandler December 23rd, 2012 Abstract My goal during this essay are Identifying the major schools of thought in psychology and we will examine their major underlying assumptions. I will also identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior. There are so many parts to psychology that are completely different it is important to know that psychology is a science. Theoretical science but still a science non-the less; each of the four schools of thought are different in many ways, and each school of thought has their own specialist like anything else. Example; “It’s like a doctor, it’s not any doctor its one you have to see specifically like an OB or a neurologist.” In psychology there are four major schools of thought evolutionary, psychodynamic, cognitive and Behavioral, along with the biological foundations...
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...PSYCOLOGY Wilhelm Wundt is the man most commonly identified as the father of psychology. Why Wundt? Other people such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Gustav Fechner, and ErnstWeber were involved in early scientific psychology research, so why are they not credited as father of psychology? Because Wundt's formation of the world's first experimental psychology lab is usually noted at the official start of psychology as a separate and distinct science. By establishing a lab that utilized scientific methods to study the human mind and behavior, Wundt took psychology from a mixture of philosophy and biology and made it a unique field of study. Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physician, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. Wundt, who noted psychology as a science apart from biology and philosophy, was the first person to ever call himself a Psychologist. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology".[4][5] In 1879, Wundt founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research at the University of Leipzig. This marked psychology as an independent field of study *Introduction of Psycology Psychology is the scientific study of behavior, cognition, and emotion. Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of...
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...Foundations of Psychology Foundations of Psychology Nathan Teggerdine PSY/300 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY Instructor: Ashley Dolecki There seems to be seven major schools of thought in psychology, structuralism, functionalism, gestalt psychology, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic and cognitive. Each major school of thought has it’s own major underlying assumption’s. First structuralism was one of the first major schools of thought in what was modern psychology. The structuralism approach really focuses on breaking down the mental process into really basic components. Functionalism was first formed based on the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James. (Cherry, 2014) Gestalt psychology is the school opf thought that looks at the human mind and a persons behavior as a whole. (Cherry, What is Gestalt Psychology?, 2014) Behaviorism was one of the main school of thought in psychology in the ninteen twenties until about ninteen fifty. Behaviorism is made up of a number of underlying assumtions reguarding specific methodology and behavioral analysis. (Mcloud, 2007) Psychoanalysis school of thought is mostly based on the idea that most of the time, people are completley unaware of things that determine what emotions they are feeling and when. It is also said that because these factors are for the most part on an unconscious level, during times when someone is struggling, advice and help from family members...
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...Foundations of Psychology PSY 300 August 8, 2011 Teresa Neal Foundations of Psychology The human being is a complex and sometimes mystifying being. Our actions, behaviors, emotions, mannerisms, and functions are all so complicated and sometimes mystifying. Questioning why we do what we do, act the way we do, behave in a certain manner, or react to a situation, even asking these questions in general is the very reason for the study of Psychology. Psychology is the scientific investigation of mental processes and behavior, and as stated in our book, psychology lies in the intersection of biology and culture [ (Kowalski & Westen, 2009) ]. Throughout the journey of psychology there have been many brilliant and ground breaking scientists and psychologists who’ve laid the foundations for what is studied today. Through these journeys many schools of thought and perspectives have been formed into this foundation which we still use today. It is said that Psychology is between biology and culture, it is meaning that biology covers the central nervous system and within that system are the areas with which control many of our mental processes. Culture has a place on the opposite boarder of psychology because how and where we grew up effects the way we are in regard to our behavior and reactions to situations. While Psychology is said to border biology and culture, it is said to be born from philosophy. When Philosophers started looking for more answers in regard to the nature...
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...Foundations of Psychology Erica McLeod PSY 300 September 25, 2012 Betsy Ferronato Foundations of Psychology When psychology first emerged as a science, the process of explaining the human mind and human behavior began. In this writing we will present a brief synopsis of what psychology is and introduce the reader to the primary biological foundations of psychology that are linked to behavior as well as introducing the reader to the major schools of thought in psychology. In Kowalski and Westen Sixth Edition of Psychology, psychology is defined as “the scientific investigation of mental processes such as; thinking, remembering, feeling, and behavior. Understanding a person requires attention to the individual’s biology, psychological experience, and cultural context.”(Kowalski & Weston, 2011). Each component is necessary in formulating who the individual is. As we delve into history, we must be cautious in our analyzation of human behavior and the human mind that we do not contribute our analyzation to a single thought or process as many times it may be a conglomeration of events or items that contribute to the overall picture of a person’s psychological process. Furthermore, Kowalski specifies in his writing that “humans are complex creatures whose psychological experience lies at the intersection of biology and culture.”(Kowalski & Weston, 2011). He expounds upon this fact by stating that “all psychological processes occur through the interaction of cells in the...
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...Foundations of Psychology Paper xxx PSY/300 October 24, 2011 Dr. Wilson Foundations of Psychology Paper Since, “psychology was born from the womb of philosophy” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009), any philosophical questions about behavior thought, and feelings, came from using logic and argumentation. As the late ninetieth century came along, a new alternative approach in trying to understand the mind and behavior emerged. This new approach was to study the mind and behavior scientifically. William Wundt, “who founded the first psychological laboratory in Germany, and was also described as the father of psychology, use scientific methods to uncover the elementary units of human consciousness that combine to form more complex ideas” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). The method Wundt and his students used was called introspection, where observers reported verbally what goes on in their minds when presented with a task to do. After recording his observers responses, Wundt conclusion was that “the basic elements of consciousness are sensations and feelings” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009), and can become a more complex idea if a person focuses attention, and mentally manipulates them. Wundt considered experimentation essential for studying the basic elements of the mind, while other methods, such as, the study of myths and religion requires higher mental process. However it was the next generation, (Wundt’s student) who took a different view of psychology. The student did...
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...What Is Psychology? When you hear the word psychology, what comes to mind? While psychology is a popular subject, a lot of people are not aware of the many elements of this broad and fascinating subject. Learn about the early history of psychology, the official beginning of psychology and more about psychology today. What Are the Four Major Goals of Psychology? * Question: What Are the Four Major Goals of Psychology? Answer: Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. While you might understand what psychology is, many people are not quite so certain about what psychology does. What purpose does psychology serve? What are its goals? The four key goals of psychology are: To Describe One of the first goals of psychology is simply to describe behavior. Through describing the behavior of humans and other animals, we are better able to understand it and gain a better perspective on what is considered normal and abnormal. Psychology researchers utilize a range of research methods to help describe behavior including naturalistic observation, case studies, correlational studies, surveys, and self-report inventories. To Explain As you might imagine, psychologists are also interested in explaining behavior in addition to merely describing it. Why do people do the things they do? What factors contribute to development, personality, social behavior, and mental health problems? Throughout psychology's history, many different theories have emerged to help explain...
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...Foundations of Psychology Denise Silven PSY/300 General Psychology April 8, 2013 Kaisa Freeman Foundations of Psychology “Psychology is the scientific investigation of mental processes (thinking, remembering, feeling, etc.) and behavior” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011, p. 3). In order to understand a person, his or her biology, psychological experiences, and cultural context must be deciphered (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). This paper will include a discussion of the major schools of thought in psychology and the major underlying assumptions of these schools of thoughts, or perspectives. In addition, the primary biological foundations of psychology that are linked to behavior are identified. Major schools of thought in psychology According to Kowalski and Westen (2011), psychology has several schools of thought “that can be used to understand psychological events” (p. 13). The earliest schools of thought were structuralism and functionalism. Structuralism used introspection to reveal the structure of consciousness and functionalism searched for reasons for the psychological processes that helped people adapt to their environment. Other perspectives in psychology are psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive, and evolutionary. These perspectives were developed independently of one another; however, they have all made considerable contributions to the psychology arena. There are phenomena at the center of each of these perspectives that the other perspectives do not...
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...Foundation of Psychology Psychology is the study of human behavior and mind. According to Psychology: The Study of Mental Processes and Behavior defined psychology as the scientific investigation of mental processes (thinking, remembering, feeling, etc.) and behavior. Psychology alone has more than one basic foundation. Psychology can be as broad as biology and as detailed as philosophy, because it includes humans who are very complex in nature. Psychology involves more than how people act; it includes their thought process, emotions, memories, and analysis of events. When psychology was first introduced people weren’t sure if it was a science separated from biology and philosophy. The major school of thought in psychology exemplifies the major theories within psychology. Over the years there are many schools of thoughts in psychology that has developed, that are in addition to the main eight which are structuralism, functionalism, rationalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, Gestalt psychology, and Cognitive Psychology. . The first school of thought, structuralism was endorsed by Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Bradford Titchner between 1890-1920 in Germany and the US. This school of thought analyzes the mental processes and broke in down into the most basic component. Techniques such as introspection was use to examine how the human mind processed information. Due to the concept of structuralism, John Dewey was credited as the founder of functionalism...
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...Foundations of Psychology Psychology 300 Rosarminda Aguilar Abstract Psychology is a scientific study that all investigate of the human mind, body and over matter in many different fields of psychology to understand and conduct observations on the mental process of the human mind and behavior. It is used to define the mysteries of the human behavior, such as expressions on how people feel and observe actions. The study of the mind is to observe both conscious and unconscious states. Every day we live, breathe, walk, talk, think, and experience in our lives. All of us have so many thoughts and ideas that build up with time which can create issues within ourselves if we don’t vent it out. Psychology studies the brain and mental behaviors. “If we want to understand the mind and behavior, we should investigate it scientifically, just as physicists study the nature of light or gravity, through systematic observation and experimentation” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). There are theories within psychology that have influenced our knowledge such as structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, cognitive, and evolutionary. The first school of psychology was Structuralism which focused in studying down the mental process and its basic components. There were two major structuralist thinkers include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. They used techniques such as introspection to analyze the inner process of the human mind. Functionalism...
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...Foundations of Psychology This paper will identify the major schools of thought in psychology and examine their major assumptions. The two beginning schools of thought were structuralism and functionalism. The major schools of thought in psychology are the psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive, and evolutionary perspective. This paper will also identify the primary biological foundation of psychology linked to behavior. These primary biological foundations are the central nervous system and the behavioral genetics. Psychodynamic Perspective The Psychodynamic perspective is a school of thought that was initially developed by Sigmund Freud. This perspective focuses on three main points. The first point is that an individual’s actions are determined by the way thoughts and emotions are connected in the individuals mind. The second point is that most of the mental events happen outside of conscious awareness. The third point is that the mental events that happen tend to conflict with each other. Many psychologists disagree with this theory because there is nothing that relates scientifically. The psychologists that agree with this theory are working on incorporating the concepts into scientific psychology (Kowalski & Weston, 2011). Behaviorist Perspective The behaviorist perspective focuses on what is common between the environmental events and the actual observable behaviors. “According to behaviorist, scientific knowledge comes from using experimental methods to study...
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...Introduction Socrates’s famous statement “know thyself” gives an explanation for history and connecting with cognitive psychology and all of its’ different areas of study. “The single most important reason to study history is that the present time we are living in cannot be understood without knowing something about the past-how the present came to be” (Goodwin, 2008). We have to understand the first theories and concepts where psychology came to being. How did psychologies’ first pioneers approach and solve the main concerns of their time? People have to recognize psychologies’ “evolving history” (Goodwin, 2008). Knowing psychologies’ history and origins helps us to be aware of complications in the future. To “know thyself” in psychology is to understand psychologies beginnings, strengths, weaknesses, achievement, down falls, disciplines and so much more. This essay will take a look at four key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology. The four key milestones that will be viewed are behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanism and cognitive psychology. Along with the four key milestones this document will also go over the major importance of behavioral observation. Behaviorism Behavior is defined as a way in which on functions in “response to stimulation” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Founder of behaviorism John B. Watson is well known for his statement “Give me a dozen healthy infants well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee...
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...Foundations of Psychology Camille Sere' PSY/300 September 25, 2012 Shari Tumlin Foundations of Psychology In this paper I will identify and discuss the major school of thought in psychology and their underlying assumptions. I will also identify the primary foundations of psychology linked to behavior. After reading this it is my hope for readers to have a better understanding of these points. There are four schools of thought or perspectives that I am going to discuss. These are the psychodynamic perspective, behaviorist perspective, the cognitive perspective, and the evolutionary perspective. According to the text book Psychology, Sixth Edition, perspectives are broad ways of understanding psychological phenomena, including theoretical propositions, shared metaphors and accepted methods of observation. The first perspective or school of thought I am going to discuss is the psychodynamic perspective. According to the book the psychodynamic perspective rests on three key premises, the first being that people’s actions are determined by the way thoughts, wishes, and feelings are connected in their minds. Next, many of our mental events occur outside of conscious awareness. Third, our mental processes may conflict with one another, causing people to compromise among competing motives. This means that people most likely do not precisely know the chain of psychological events that leads to their conscious thoughts, intentions, feelings, or behaviors. In the...
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...Foundations of Psychology The essence of psychology is the scientific study of the human mind, behavior, and mental processes. Psychology seeks to understand through research and application, the behaviors and emotions of human beings. Through this paper, the writer will examine the foundations of the study of psychology, the major schools of thought, and will identify the fundamental biological links to behavior. As a subject of study, psychology was established by Wilhelm Wundt, who in the late 1800s “founded the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p.8). Wundt paved the path for psychology to emerge from what had been simply philosophical debate into scientific investigation. His main method of investigation was introspection, he trained observers to relay information of their mental reactions when presented with several objects, by recording this information, he was able to conclude that “the basic elements of consciousness are sensations (…) and feelings” (Kowalski, et al., 2009, p. 9), although he believed that experimentation was important to understand the basic elements, he knew that it was not the only way to understand psychology. Structuralism One of Wundt’s students, Edward Titchener, did believe that experimentation was not only useful, but that it was the only method of scientific investigation appropriate for psychology. Titchener established what became known as the structuralism school of thought; structuralism catalogued...
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