Progression And Development Of Psychology

Cherry (2014), “In order to understand where we are going, it sometimes helps to take a look at where we have been. While psychology is a relatively young discipline, it has a rich and colorful history” (para 2). In this paper, I will identify the philosophers that historically relate to the beginnings of psychology as a formal discipline. Furthermore, I will present the major philosophers in the western tradition that are responsible for the formation of psychology as a discipline. Finally, I will give a detailed account about the progression and development of the science of psychology in the nineteenth century.

Historically, psychology is a fairly new discipline dating back to the mid-1900’s but has its substructure in philosophy and medicine dating back to the time of the Greek philosophers. The goal in the early stages of development was to answer contemporary philosophical questions from the new perspective of direct experimentation. Also, early psychologist began to increase their knowledge about the brain and nervous system, which helped them understand how the mind works. According to "A Brief History Of Psychology" (2002-2010), in 17th-century, the idea of dualism was introduced by the French philosopher Rene Descartes. He believed that the mind and body were two separate and individual parts of the body. Descartes felt that our thoughts and body reflexes were controlled by the heat of our blood or chemicals in our brain. According to Ancient Greek Philosophy (2014), “philosophy is distinguished by the shaping and development of philosophy from around the sixth century B.C.E. to the sixth century C.E., and is defined largely by the three great thinkers: Socrates , his student Plato ,and Plato's student Aristotle.” ("A...

... middle of paper ...

...lists thought that human consciousness could be broken down into much smaller parts, using a process known as introspection, trained subjects would attempt to break down their responses and reactions to the most basic sensation and perceptions.” William James was credited as the founder of Functionalism. According to Cherry (2014), “the focus of functionalism was on how behavior actually works to help people live in their environment. Functionalists utilized methods such as direct observation.”

In conclusion, psychologist beginnings are deeply rooted from early philosophers in Greek and western history. The major focus in psychology is the development and understanding of the mind or brain, which is heavily accredited to Descartes teachings. The subject of psychology was finally recognized as a separate and distinct scientific discipline in the nineteenth century.