1. UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
AREA OF STUDY 1: WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

2. ORIGINS OF CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY
PHILOSOPHY
- Socrates, Plato & Aristotle ( BC)
Wrote at length about human thoughts, feelings and behaviour
- Rene Descartes ( )
Theory of Dualism: the mind and body are separate
“I think, therefore I am”
GRIVAS – pg.16-18

3. SCIENTIFIC ROOTS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Hermann von Helmholtz ( )
- Measured the speed of nerve impulses in a frog’s leg
- Adapted his method to enable the study of humans
- Provided evidence that nerve impulses take time to travel from a body part to the brain
- EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE!!!!!
GRIVAS – pg.18-19

4. HOMEWORK
- Learning Activity 1.9 (pg.18)

5. CLASSIC PERSPECTIVES 5 Perspectives (schools of psychology/thought)
- Structuralism (Wilhelm Wundt)
- Functionalism (William James)
- Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud)
- Behaviourism (John B. Watson)
- Humanism (Carl Rogers)
GRIVAS – pg.19-24

6. CLASSIC PERSPECTIVES TASK
LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.10 (pg.25) Summarising classic perspectives in psychology Complete the table using any mode of presentation you like Consult pages 19 to 24 in the text book for your information

7. STRUCTURALISM WILHELM WUNDT (1832-1920)
German physiologist trained in medicine
Interested in the study of consciousness
Structuralism focuses on the structure of consciousness (the basic parts or building blocks that make up consciousness, how the parts are organised and how they are inter-related)
Established a laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany
Measured how long it took for participants to consciously detect the sight and sound of a bell being struck or letters shown for a fraction of a second
Used introspection as a data collection technique
GRIVAS – pg.19-20

8. FUNCTIONALISM WILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910)
Established Psychology in America
In 1890, published acclaimed two-volume textbook ‘Principles Of Psychology’
Functionalism focuses on studying the functions or purpose that mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment
Functionalists are interested in how and why our thoughts and feelings lead us to behave the way that we do
GRIVAS – pg.20-21

9. PSYCHOANALYSIS SIGMUND FREUD (1856-1939)
Focuses on the roles of unconscious conflicts and motivations in understanding and explaining behaviour and mental processes
Freud described past experiences, especially early childhood experiences, as very important in the development of our personality and behaviour
Developed psychoanalytic theories from work with patients who sought his help with mental health problems
GRIVAS – pg.21-22

10. BEHAVIOURISM JOHN B. WATSON (1878-1958)
Rejected the emphasis on consciousness promoted by Wundt and James as well as the emphasis on the unconscious promoted by Freud
Instead proposed that Psychology should focus on the scientific study of observable behaviour that is objectively measured
Behaviourism involves understanding and explaining how behaviour is learned and molded by experience
Believes that everything a person does is influenced by rewards and punishments
GRIVAS – pg.22-23

11. HUMANISM CARL ROGERS (1902-1987)
Humanism is an approach to understanding and explaining behaviour and mental processes that focuses on the uniqueness of each individual person
Based on the assumption that all people are born good and that, throughout their life, each individual strives to reach their full potential
Emphasised ‘free will’ (the fact that we control our own destinies)
Rogers proposed a person-centered theory of personality
GRIVAS – pg.23-24

12. HOMEWORK
Make sure you have completed and submitted Learning Activity 1.10 (pg.25) (started in class)
Learning Activity 1.11 (pg.25)