Psychology Schools and Theories

Psychology Schools

• Psychology emerged as a separate science from biology and philosophy, prompting debate on describing and explaining the human mind and behavior.
• Different schools of thought represent the major theoretical approaches in psychology.

Structuralism

• The first school of thought, founded in a German lab by Wilhelm Wundt.
• Focused on breaking down mental processes into basic components (elements).
• Widely considered the first school of psychological thought.
• Focused on analyzing the structure of consciousness to understand the mind.
• Key figures include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener.

Functionalism

• Heavily influenced by William James, focusing on the adaptive purpose and function of the mind and behavior.
• Instead of studying the structure of mental processes, functionalists examined how mental processes function to help adaptation.
• Interested in the purpose of thoughts and behaviors, contrasting with structuralism's focus on the elements of consciousness.
• Persisted in applied psychology, behaviorism, and educational psychology, even though it wasn't a major school of thought.

Gestalt Psychology

• Gestalt psychology is based on the idea that people experience things as unified wholes.
• Originated in Germany and Austria in the late 19th century.
• Rejected the structuralist approach, emphasizing the importance of the whole experience.
• Proponents believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (holism).
• Key figures include Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler, and Kurt Koffka.
• Focused on how people perceive and experience the world.

Behaviorism

• This school posits that all behavior is explained by environmental causes.
• Concentrates on observable behavior, neglecting internal mental processes.
• Key concepts emerged, including:
  • Classical conditioning: Associating a neutral stimulus with a naturally occurring stimulus to create a response.
  • Operant conditioning: Learning through reinforcement and punishment.

Psychoanalysis

• Founded by Sigmund Freud.
• Emphasized the role of the unconscious mind on behavior.
• Included other prominent thinkers like Anna Freud, Otto Rank, and neo-Freudian theorists like Erik Erikson, Alfred Adler, and Karen Horney.
• Proposed that the human mind comprises three components:
  • Id: Primitive instincts and desires.
  • Ego: Mediates between the id and reality.
  • Superego: Internalized moral standards.
• Interaction of these components shapes complex human behaviors.