1. 1.3 A History of Psychology

2. Ancient Greece  Most believed psychological problems were a result of the gods’ punishment  Socrates encouraged his students to learn through introspection (“Know thyself.”)  Aristotle outlined the laws of associationism, began to scientifically study human behavior, and wrote Peri Psyches  Hippocrates suggested that psychological problems may have biological causes

3. Middle Ages  Most believed psychological problems were a result of demon possession, punishment for sins, or alliances made with the devil  During this time certain tests, like the water-float test, were used to see if a person was possessed

4. Wilhelm Wundt and Structuralism  The establishment of Wundt’s psychological research laboratory in Germany in 1879 marked the beginning of modern psychology  This school of thought used introspection to discover the basic elements of consciousness  Broke consciousness down into two parts: objective sensations and subjective feelings ex) apple

5. William James and Functionalism  He wrote The Principles of Psychology – the first modern psychology textbook  He rejected structuralists’ attempt to break consciousness into parts  his “stream of consciousness” theory  He used both introspection and observation to study the purpose of behavior

7. Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalyis  His theories were based on consultations with his patients  This school of thought focuses on unconscious motives and internal conflicts to study behavior  His theory is also known as psychodynamic thinking

9. John Watson and Behaviorism  He broke away from functionalists and only studied observable behavior  This school of thought believes we are solely products of our environments  Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors. (1930)

10. B.F. Skinner and Reinforcement  Like Watson, he thought that it was pointless to try and study the inner person  He expanded upon the behaviorist school of thought by adding the concept of reinforcement

11. The Gestalt School  Developed by several German psychologists  This school focuses on how context effects perception; believing that our perceptions are the wholes that give meaning to the parts  This school of thought, unlike behaviorists, believes learning is active and purposeful