Overview
This lecture introduces the field of psychology, its origins, major schools of thought, and key figures, highlighting how psychology studies behavior and mental processes.
What Is Psychology?
- Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
- The term comes from Latin meaning "study of the soul," but its formal scientific definition is recent.
- Psychology as a science was established in the mid-1800s.
Early History of Psychology
- Ancient philosophers, like Aristotle, speculated about the mind but often inaccurately (e.g., placing consciousness in the heart).
- Early psychological exams were conducted in China over 2,000 years ago.
- Persian physician Rhazes described and treated mental illness in the 9th century.
Major Questions in Psychology
- Psychology addresses big questions about morality, free will, mental illness, self, and consciousness.
- Explores how the brain works, why behavior occurs, and what it means to be self-aware.
Major Schools of Thought
- Structuralism: Wundt and Titchener aimed to break down the mind's structures through introspection but found it too subjective.
- Functionalism: William James focused on how behaviors function and help adaptation, drawing from Darwin.
- Psychoanalysis: Freud emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind and introduced talk therapy and self-discovery.
- Behaviorism: Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner studied observable behavior and how it's learned, popular from the 1920s-1960s.
- Psychodynamic Theories: Evolved from Freud, focusing on unconscious and early experiences.
Integration in Modern Psychology
- Today's psychology integrates behaviorist, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, and neuroscience perspectives.
- Psychology is an integrative science using diverse methods to ask and answer complex questions about the mind.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Psychology — the science of behavior and mental processes.
- Structuralism — approach focusing on breaking down mental processes into basic elements.
- Functionalism — approach emphasizing the function and purpose of behavior.
- Psychoanalysis — theory and therapy focusing on unconscious motives and conflicts.
- Behaviorism — study of observable behavior and its environmental determinants.
- Introspection — examining one's own mental processes.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Prepare for upcoming modules on different schools of psychology and how they apply to daily life.
- Reflect on personal experiences or behaviors to relate to these psychological concepts.