1. The History of Psychology
From Ancients to the 20th Century

2. From Ancient Times…
Cultures throughout history have speculated on the nature of the mind, soul, spirit, etc
Philosophy of the Mind
nature of the mind
mental events
mental functions
mental properties
consciousness
their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain

3. The Story of the Cave Plato: believed that
We all exist in a deep in a cave, where the only thing which we can see is the shadow of figures behind us
True Knowledge: thought & reason
Aristotle :knowledge from our senses
Philosophers explore nature vs. nurture
Are we born?
Are we made?

4. …to the Middle Ages
Muslim physicians: developed practices to treat patients suffering from a variety of "diseases of the mind“
First insane asylums: Baghdad in 705
"if the nafs [psyche] gets sick, the body may also find no joy in life and may eventually develop a physical illness.“
Ahmed ibn Sahl al-Balkhi

5. Beginnings of Western psychology
Early psychology was regarded as the study of the soul
Associated with Christian & Enlightenment Traditions
Studied the effects of ____ to cure various physical and mental ills
Hypnosis
Gravity
Animal Magnetism
Brain structures

6. Modern Psychology: From Speculation to Science
Prior to 1879
Physiology and philosophy scholars studying questions about the mind
Wilhelm Wundt ( ) University of Leipzig, Germany
Campaigned to make psychology an independent discipline
Established the first laboratory for the study of psychology in 1879

7. Wilhelm Wundt’s International Influence
Leipzig, the place to study psychology
Graduates of Wundt’s program set up new labs across Europe and North America
G.Stanley Hall ( ), Johns Hopkins University
Established the first psychology laboratory in the U.S. in 1883
Between 1883 and 1893, 24 new laboratories in North America

8. Fig. 1. 1 – Early research laboratories in North America
Fig. 1.1 – Early research laboratories in North America. This map highlights the location and year of founding for the first 24 psychological research labs established in North American colleges and universities. As the color coding shows, a great many of these labs were founded by the students of Wilhelm Wundt, G. Stanley Hall, and William James. (Based on Garvery, 1929; Hilgard, 1987

9. The Battle of the “Schools” in the U. S. : Structuralism vs
The Battle of the “Schools” in the U.S.: Structuralism vs. Functionalism
Two intellectual schools of thought regarding the science of psychology
Structuralism – led by Edward Titchener
Focused on analyzing consciousness into basic elements
Introspection – careful, systematic observations of one’s own conscious experience
Functionalism – led by William James
Focused on investigating the function or purpose of consciousness
Led to investigation of mental testing, developmental patterns, and sex differences
May have attracted the first women into the field of psychology

10. Fig. 1. 2 – Women pioneers in the history of psychology
Fig. 1.2 – Women pioneers in the history of psychology. Women have long made major contributions to the development of psychology (Milar, 2000; Russo & Denmark, 1987), and today nearly half of all psychologists are female. As in other fields, however, women have often been overlooked in histories of psychology (Furumoto & Scarborough, 1986). The three psychologists profiled here demonstrate that women have been making significant contributions to psychology almost from its beginning-despite formidable barriers to pursuing their academic careers.

11. Who Won the Battle?
Most historians give the edge to James and the functionalists
Today, psychologists are not really categorized as structuralists or functionalists
Applied psychology and Behaviorism - descendants of functionalism
Behaviorism - early 1900’s
The next major school of thought to influence the development of psychology