Psychology: The Study of Behavior and Mental Process

Psychology is the study of behavior and the mental process. The mental process is the steps the mind takes to think, feel, etc., while behavior is just simply how one acts. In the beginning, philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle wrote about the relationship of the body and the soul. Psychologists and medical doctors wondered about the connection between the body and the brain whereas philosophers tried to explain the connections between the mind and the body. Psychologists study the process of sense, perception, thinking, learning, cognition, personality, behavior, and emotions and motivations, abnormal behavior, interactions between individuals, and interactions with the environment. In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany. He became regarded to as the father of psychology because he analyzed the jobs of the mind in a more organized way. Wundt’s process was called objective introspection which involves examining a person’s emotional and mental processes. His aim was to record sensations and thoughts. The institute became a focal point for German philosophers and psychology students and eventually for American and British students also. Edward B. Tichener extended, his professor, Wilhelm Wundt’s original ideas and called his new standpoint structuralism. Structuralism was centered around breaking down mental processes into its basic elements. It is broken down into sensations, images and feelings. William James was more interested as to how the mind allows people to function in the real world such as how people work, play, and adapt to their surroundings. He called his standpoint functionalism. As I have researched, I have found so many people who have been...

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...(Describing), “why is he/she doing that?” (Explaining), “what would happen if I responded this way?” (Predicting), “what can I do to get him/her to stop doing that?” (Controlling). There are three main things that the mind always does: cognition which is knowledge and belief, emotion which is effect, moods and feelings, and motivation which is drive, needs, goals, and desires. All of the people in history such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Wilhelm Wundt, Edward B, Titchener, and William James helped to make the future a better place by studying all of these things. Years ago, children with autism would most likely have to be put in a mental health institution. These four goals, along with medication and technology, have helped so many families deal with their disabilities and taught them how to live with it as if they lived a normal life just like everyone else.