Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
introduction to erikson and Sigmund Freud theory
part i origins of psychology
introduction to erikson and Sigmund Freud theory
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: introduction to erikson and Sigmund Freud theory
The History of Psychology In order to discuss Psychology's history, it is important to
understand that psychology still does not have one unifying approach
unlike the natural sciences; even the definition of Psychology and
what it truly means is still undecided. However I shall attempt to
review chronologically its philosophical origins, include how the
science of Physics and Biology were placed in history and how they
influenced research and determined the development of Psychology as
its recognised today.
Beginning with the philosophers Plato and Aristotle (between 428- 347)
in ancient Greece, they began to ask questions on learning,
motivation, memory, dreaming and perception. Reluctant to measure,
Plato and Aristotle believed the truth could be discovered through
self-analysis.
Aristotle describes his theory as “enlightenment” an idea that the
mind influences the body but the body cannot influence the mind.
This self-analytical experience is named introspection and introduces
us firstly to Structuralism and the future of Psychology.
One of the first psychology laboratories was founded in the late
1870's, by Wilhelm Wundt. He suggested that all human experience could
be viewed as simple processes based on controlled experiments of
self-observation and behaviour and this method was termed
“Introspection”.
Structuralism and the Introspection technique attempted to analyse
conscious mental experience and reduce it into elements of sensations
and feelings, i.e. thoughts, ideas, and perception.
At this time during the 19th century, physics ...
... middle of paper ...
...cience discoveries have
provided very important contributions to Psychology. Biology, Physics
and chemistry have furnished this discipline with a huge variety of
answers in assisting the human condition and the future of Psychology.
Bibliography
http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/james
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cognitive-science/#Rep
http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/freud.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbodymind/html
http://www.psych-central.com/
http://www.bps.org.uk/
Re
Reference Books
R. Gross “Psychology The Science Of Mind And Behaviour” 5th Ed, Pub:
Hodder Arnold
E. Cox “Psychology AS Level” Pub: Oxford
N. Hayes “A First Course In Psychology” 3rd Ed, Pub: Thomas Nelson
N C. Benson “Introducing Psychology” Pub: Icon
Ref Dates: 31/10/05 – 7/11/05
Unearthed skulls dating back to 6500 BCE have been discovered by archeologists to have large holes drilled into the sides of them. (1) The purpose of the drilling was to release the demon spirits that ruled inside these unfortunate beings. (2) The thought at the time was that strange, disruptive, or unexplainable behaviors demonstrated by individuals was a direct consequence of demons controlling the persons soul. These behaviors were seen not as a medical condition of any kind, but primarily relating to bad morals. There are Biblical references that Jesus cast out devils in those demonstrating irrational or crazed behaviors. Of course there are also Biblical reference that describe maniacal behavior that Jesus also healed and those individual were thought to simply be ill.
The current practices of the clinical and counselling psychological streams are not entirely dissimilar as both are concerned with the application of psychotherapy, education, research, and instruction (Mayne, Norcross, & Sayette, 2000; Norcross, 2000). Clinical psychology is primarily concerned with the assessment, treatment, and study of populations who experience severe mental illness (Bechtoldt, Campbell, Norcross, Wyckoff, & Pokrywa, 2000; Norcross, 2000) clinical psychologists mostly employ behavioral and psychoanalytic theoretical orientations when treating clients (Norcross, 2000). In contrast, counselling psychologists generally aim to support people who, while not typically suffering from severe mental illness, need assistance in overcoming the emotions associated with traumas such as loss of employment, marital dissatisfaction, loss of friend or family member, addiction (Geldard & Geldard, 2012; Gladding, 2013). Primarily they employ client-centered and humanistic methods of theoretical orientation (Geldard & Geldard, 2012; Gladding, 2013; Norcross, 2000).
The development of psychology like all other sciences started with great minds debating unknown topics and searching for unknown answers. Early philosophers and psychologists such as Sir Francis Bacon and Charles Darwin took a scientific approach to psychology by introducing the ideas of measurement and biology into the way an indi...
Psychology is the study of the mind, its biology, and behavior if the individual. The father of psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, used objective measurement and controlled analyzing to find and emphasize separation between psychology and philosophy (McLeod). Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879, using his background in physiology to study reactions and sensations (McLeod). There is no doubt that he, along with the later help of Sigmund Freud, launched what is now modern psychology. Psychology and its research helped the world understand the inner workings of the mind and how it affects everyone around us.
D. Brett King, Wayne Viney, & William Douglas Woody, (2013). A History of Psychology, Ideas & Context. 3rd ed. United States: Pearson.
Rationalism and empiricism were two philosophical schools in the 17th and 18th centuries, that were expressing opposite views on some subjects, including knowledge. While the debate between the rationalist and empiricist schools did not have any relationship to the study of psychology at the time, it has contributed greatly to facilitating the possibility of establishing the discipline of Psychology. This essay will describe the empiricist and rationalist debate, and will relate this debate to the history of psychology.
The field of psychology is a discipline, originated from many branches of science. It has applications from within a complete scope of avenues, from psychotherapy to professional decision-making. The flexibility and versatility of this field reflects its importance and demands in-depth analysis. Psychology was a division of philosophy until it developed independent scientific disciplines. The history of psychology was a scholarly study of the mind and behavior that dates back to the beginning of civilization. There are important details from previous theory psychologist, research have contributed to behaviorism approaches and have contributed towards specific current behavioral practices. Contemporary behavior therapy began to emerge into distinct practical and core learning theories concerning the needs and knowledge engaging cultural and professional differences.
Hothersall, David. (1995). History of Psychology. 4th ed. McGraw Hill Co: New York, New York.
Psychology is the investigation of the mind and how it processes and directs our thoughts, actions and conceptions. However, in 1879 Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany. Nevertheless, the origins of psychology go all the way back thousands of years starting with the early Greeks. This foundation is closely connected to biology and philosophy; and especially the subfields of physiology which is the study of the roles of living things and epistemology, which is the study of comprehension and how we understand what we have learned. The connection to physiology and epistemology is often viewed as psychology, which is the hybrid offspring of those two fields of investigation.
Psychology formerly integrated with the subject philosophy; these two formerly considered as one. Philosophy was the center of all learning but many academicians focus more on mathematics, physics, and biology. By the late 1800s, many philosophers created their own disciplines and the era of modern psychology slowly emerged. They soon began calling themselves psychologist. Authors have varying opinion about the founding fathers of the said science; some traces its roots as far as Aristotle and Plato (Benjafield 1996). Other authors believe that modern psychology started at the introduction of experimental psychology and for this reason, several experimental psychologist were also named the father of psychology including, Wilhelm Wundt and Gustav Fechner (Matson, 2009). However, one thing is for sure about psychology – it originated in Europe and introduced in the United States sometime in the late 1880s. Prior to this period, psychology crosses the realms of the paranormal because many practitioners at that time engaged themselves in psychic healing and spiritual quest. They were known as pseudo-psychologists and they were particularly popular in Germany. At the onset of modern psychology in the United State, the discipline focused more on the academics. American psychologists at that time put more emphasis on teaching rather than engaging themselves in research. It was at this period when several schools of thoughts emerged to explain behavior, cognition, and consciousness. In this paper, two of the earliest school of thoughts will be discussed. These are Structuralism and Functionalism. These two will be compared and contrasted.
The personalistic theory of modern psychology suggests that changes made in society are the direct result of an individual(s). The focus of the personalistic theory places emphasis on those thought to be unique individuals that have contributed to the progress of psychology and accomplished known achievements McCauley (2008, p. 5). Andreas Vesalius has been considered by many to be the originator of the human anatomy and William Harvey has been describing to have taken the role of laying the foundation for modern psychology Fearing (1929, p.1). Vesalius and Harvey were men both scholars of biological science, in which this field had not begun to advance until the seventeenth century.
A popular association with choices is the angel and devil sitting on your shoulder. The devil whispers do whatever you want, who cares if it’s wrong; while the angel says “You know that you should do the right thing.” Then your mind is left spinning on how to make the choice and you wonder what kind of thought goes into making the choice. What is the psychology of making a decision? Sigmund Freud dedicated his life to studying the mind and its endless features and he was able to test many theories and contribute vast amounts of knowledge to modern day psychology. He devised theories of how the mind is split into different parts and what each part contributes to the whole function. Sigmund Freud was able carefully study the unconscious mind, the psyche and dream analysis though theories of the connections that the mind makes when exposed to life events.
In this essay I am looking at where Psychology as a discipline has come from and what affects these early ideas have had on psychology today, Psychology as a whole has stemmed from a number of different areas of study from Physics to Biology,
Before discussing the American functionalist school of psychology it is important to analyse the early roots of psychology . From approximately 600 to 300 BC in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece there has been philosophical interest in the mind and behaviour. The Egyptians, despite their experience believed that the heart was the seat of consciousness however Greek philosophers such as Aristotle believed that the heart was the seat of the mind and that the brain did not have a role in sensation and movement, he argued that “the brain is not responsible for any of the sensations at all. The correct view is that the seat and sources of sensation is the region of the heart” (Gross, C. G., 1995). Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato speculated on issues seen in modern psychology such as pleasure, pain, knowledge and mental illness.
I am going to be looking at the history of psychology, and by using a