Introduction to Psychology and Its History

Importance of History in Psychology

• Modern psychology is different from historical psychology.
• Understanding psychology's history helps comprehend its evolution and the thinking of past and present psychologists.
• Provides a foundation for understanding psychological concepts.

Ancient Foundations

• Ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle were early thinkers about the mind.
  • Plato: Believed in a tripartite soul comprising intellectual (logisticon), desires (epithumeticon), and emotional (thumoyides) parts.
  • Aristotle: Emphasized observation and reason for acquiring knowledge.
• Greek influence led to the term 'psychology' with 'psyche' meaning soul.

Renaissance to 19th Century

• René Descartes: Introduced Cartesian dualism - the mind and body as distinct interacting substances.
  • Mind: Immaterial, source of thoughts/emotions.
  • Body: Physical.
• Early psychology considered part of philosophy due to measurement challenges of thoughts and feelings.

Birth of Modern Psychology

• 1879: Wilhelm Wundt founded the first experimental psychology lab, separating psychology from philosophy.
• Wundt: First to call himself a psychologist, used scientific methods to study the mind.

Schools of Thought

Structuralism

• Founded by Edward Titchener, a student of Wundt.
• Focused on basic elements of psychological processes through introspection.
• Limitations: Unable to describe unconscious processing of information.

Functionalism

• Viewed consciousness as a continuous, changing process.
• Asked "why" the mind performs certain functions, e.g., emotions, relationships.
• Emphasized observing the mind and behavior directly.

Psychoanalysis

• Founded by Sigmund Freud.
• Focused on unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories.
  • Psyche: Composed of id (instincts), ego (reality), superego (morality).
• Despite lack of scientific testability, Freud highlighted unconscious mind's role and early childhood's impact on behavior.

Behaviorism

• Focused on observable behavior only, excluding mind/consciousness from study.
• Pioneered by Ivan Pavlov (classical conditioning).
• Important for understanding learning processes, despite limits.

Cognitive Psychology

• Emerged in the 1960s, combining behavior observation with brain processes study.
• Focuses on perception, decision-making, problem-solving using brain imaging.

Modern Psychology

• Shift from single school of thought to specific research fields.
• Fields include cognitive, developmental, and social psychology.
• Continuous growth and evolution with diverse research areas.

Conclusion

• Psychology's journey from philosophy to a scientific discipline.
• Upcoming exploration of methods for testing the mind in psychology.