The Study of the History of Psychology LECTURE PREPARED BY: DR. M. SAWHNEY
Topics 1. Why Study the History of Psychology? 2. The Development of Modern Psychology 3. The Data of History: Reconstructing Psychology’s Past 4. Contextual Forces in Psychology 6. Conceptions of Scientific History 7. Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology
Why study the History of Psychology? Some reasons: Significant area of study in the field No single form or approach of psychology exists The past helps shape the present Integrates areas/issues within modern psychology
History of Psychology in colleges History of psychology: common requirement for majors As early as 1911 93 percent of the psychology departments offer this course Unique among the sciences in the focus on our history
The Development of Modern Psychology Psychology derived from ancient philosophy Ideas reminiscent of: Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers Ideas: Memory, learning, motivation, thought, perception, abnormal behavior
The Development of Modern Psychology Philosophy + Physiology= Psychology Modern psychology: Defined by its methods Uses techniques of physical sciences Increased precision and objectivity
The Development of Modern Psychology Data of history Data cannot be reconstructed Only access to fragments of events May be unreliable or false May be lost or distorted
The Data of History: Reconstructing Psychology’s Past Historicism and Historiography Data of psychology: Conduct a laboratory experiment Observe behavior under controlled real-world conditions Take a survey Calculate the statistical correlation between two variables
The Data of History: Reconstructing Psychology’s Past (cont’d.) Lost or suppressed data Data can be misplaced or deliberately destroyed Examples: John B. Watson Hermann Ebbinghaus Gustav Fechner Charles Darwin
The Data of History: Reconstructing Psychology’s Past (cont’d.) Data distorted in translation Data may become altered from translation and change meanings The information can be altered by someone else Freud Carl Jung The information can be altered by the person himself: Freud’s theory of personality Freud’s notion of “free association”, “Einfall”
The Data of History: Reconstructing Psychology’s Past (cont’d.) Self-serving data Data is subject to the biases of people who report it Example: B.F. Skinner described himself as rigorous and disciplined graduate student in his biography Later recanted these statements
Contextual Forces in Psychology Psychology affected by the cultural Zeitgeist: Economic opportunity Economic opportunity promotes psychology Scholarly and real- world careers opened om/watch?v=6DBTfq25 YYM om/watch?v=6DBTfq25 YYM
Contextual Forces in Psychology The World Wars Job opportunities Expansion of testing services and psychotherapy After witnessing the WWI and WWII, Freud proposed that aggression as a significant motivation force for the human personality
Prejudice and discrimination Discrimination again women Denied admissions to graduate schools Eleanor Gibson watch?v=1VPaBcT1KdY Sandra Scarr Paid lower salaries than men
Prejudice and discrimination: Mary Calkins Founded the first experimental laboratory in women’s college Refused the PhD she earned at Harvard College APA first female president in 1905
Prejudice and Discrimination James Cattell : urging the acceptance of women in psychology APA—the 1 st scientific society to admit women. Female APA members: 79 women ( ), 20% (1938)…. Currently, more than 75 percent of all PhD in psychology are women The Feminist Psychologist hsfeministvoices James Cattell
Discrimination based on ethnic origin Many groups have little to no access to higher education and career opportunities In 1960s admission quotas for Jews at Harvard, Yale & Princeton Julian Rotter : “Jews could not get academic jobs” emand/ Julian Rotter
Francis Cecil Sumner First African American to earn a PhD Areas of interest were understanding racial bias and supporting educational justice Served as department chair at Howard University from Francis Cecil Sumner
Kenneth and Mamie Clark K. Clark and M. Clark awarded Ph.D.s at Columbia University in 1940 and 1943, respectively. The Clarks investigated how racism and segregation influenced African- American children’s self-image. Testified in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). K. Clark was the first African- American president of the APA in 1966.
Conceptions of Scientific History The personalistic theory Progress/change are a result of individual contributions Has intuitive appeal
Conceptions of Scientific History The naturalistic theory Two determinants physical and psychological Evidence: Simultaneous discoveries Difficulty accepting a less dominant/contradictory theory Progress/change are inevitable Result of general Zeitgeist Example: Theory of Evolution
Conceptions of Scientific History Inhibiting effect of the Zeitgeist Delaying effect Garcia effect
Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology School of thought: Group of psychologists who become associated ideologically or geographically with the leader of a movement Preparadigmatic Scientific Revolution Different theological/methodological orientations May occur simultaneously Usually led by charismatic leader Cyclical nature
Scientific Revolution
Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology (cont’d.) Structuralism Titchener’s system Dealt with conscious experience as dependent on experiencing persons Functionalism Concerned with the mind as used in adaptation to environment
Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology (cont’d.) Behaviorism Watson’s science of behavior Observable behavioral acts Objective methodology Gestalt psychology Focus: learning and perception Combining sensory elements creates novel patterns
Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology (cont’d.) Psychoanalysis Freud Theory of personality System of psychotherapy Humanistic psychology Emphasizes the study of conscious experience Wholeness of human nature Cognitive psychology