Chapter 1
Introduction and History of
Psychology
What Is Psychology –
and What Is It Not?
Psychology is a broad field,
with many specialties, but
fundamentally, psychology
is the science of behavior
and mental processes
What Is Psychology –
and What Is It Not?
Psychology –
The scientific study of behavior and
mental processes
Psychology is not
Mere speculation about human nature
A body of folk wisdom about people that
“everybody knows” to be true
What Is Psychology –
and What Is It Not?
Psychology disputes unfounded claims
from pseudopsychology
Pseudopsychology –
Erroneous assertions of practices set forth
as being scientific psychology
What Do
Psychologists Do?
Psychology is a broad field
with many specialties, grouped
in three major categories:
experimental psychology,
teaching of psychology and
applied psychology
What Are Psychology’s
Historical Roots?
Modern psychology
developed from several
conflicting traditions,
including structuralism,
functionalism, Gestalt
psychology, behaviorism,
and psychoanalysis
Tradition
Devoted to uncovering
Structuralism basic structures that make
up mind and thought
Functionalism
Gestalt
psychology
Behaviorism
Psychoanalysis Wilhelm Wundt
Structuralism
• Founded by Wilhelm
Wundt
•Father of Psychology
•1879; Leipzig, Germany
•First Psychological
Laboratory
•Known for ideas of
Introspection – the
process of looking
within.
•Report sensations,
images, and feelings of
objects.
Tradition William James
Structuralism
Believed mental processes
Functionalism could best be understood in
terms of their adaptive
Gestalt purpose and function
psychology
Behaviorism
Psychoanalysis
Functionalism
• Founded by William
James
•1890’s; Harvard
•Big fan of Darwin (who,
by the way, helped to kick
off psychology)
•Disagreed with Wundt –
said that sensations are
only a part of the picture.
•What about emotions
that are triggered? Our
thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors are adaptive
and that there is a specific
function of these things.
Tradition
Structuralism
Functionalism
Gestalt
Interested in how we
psychology construct “perceptual
wholes”
Behaviorism
Psychoanalysis
Gestalt
• Prominent Gestalt
Psychologists Max Wertheimer
and Wolfgang Kohler
•Wertheimer was interested in
visual illusions and ambiguous
figures.
•Kohler was interested in “a-ha”
moments known as “insight
learning”, which is when we see
something for being more than
what it is or suddenly “get it!”.
•Relied on introspection – report
sensations and what you see
and feel.
•However, the idea is that the
“The whole is greater than the
sum of its parts.”
Tradition
Structuralism
Functionalism
Gestalt
psychology John B.
Watson
Argued psychology should
Behaviorism deal solely with observable
events
Psychoanalysis
Behaviorism
• Led by John B. Watson
in the 1920’s.
•They were the ones that
liked to cause controversy
– they disagreed with
everyone else.
•They were only interested
in observable behaviors
because that was the only
thing that could be
considered “reliable
evidence.”
Tradition
Structuralism
Functionalism
Gestalt
psychology Sigmund Freud
Behaviorism
Asserted mental disorders
Psychoanalysis arise from conflicts in the
unconscious mind
Psychoanalysis
• Father of Psychoanalysis
is Sigmund Freud – 1930’s.
•Said that all problems
arise or are related to
unconscious– it is the “Nomophobia is the fear of being
infantile source of
behavior (id, ego,
out of mobile phone contact -
superego). and it's the plague of our 24/7
•Where do our hidden
age”
fears or desires come “Experts say nomophobia could
from; how is our past affect up to 53 percent of mobile
related to our fears and
desires and obsessions?
phone users.”
What are the Perspectives
Psychologists Use Today?
(1)Psychoanalytic,(2)Cognitive, (3)Behavioral,
(4)Humanistic, (5)Biological, (6)Sociocultural,
(7)Evolutionary
3
5 4
2
1
7
Perspective
Biological View of Human Nature:
Developmental We are driven by dark forces of
Cognitive the unconscious
What Determines Behavior:
[Link]
or Psychoanalytic Unconscious needs, conflicts,
repressed memories, and
Humanistic childhood experiences
Behavioral
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective
Biological View of Human Nature:
Developmental People are information-
processing systems
2. Cognitive
Psychodynamic What Determines Behavior:
Mental interpretation of our
Humanistic
experience
Behavioral
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective
Biological View of Human Nature:
Developmental Behavior is primarily shaped by
learning
Cognitive
What Determines Behavior:
Psychodynamic Stimulus cues and our history of
Humanistic rewards and punishments
3. Behavioral
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective
Biological View of Human Nature:
Developmental Emphasizes human growth and
potential
Cognitive
What Determines Behavior:
Psychodynamic
The influence of self-concept,
4. Humanistic perceptions, and interpersonal
Behavioral relationships, and on need for
personal growth
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective
View of Human Nature:
[Link] or
Biopsychological We are complex systems that
respond to hereditary and
Developmental environmental influences
Cognitive What Determines Behavior:
Psychodynamic Neural structures,
Humanistic biochemistry, and inborn
responses to external cues
Behavioral
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective View of Human Nature:
Biological People are social animals, so
Developmental human behavior must be
interpreted in social context
Cognitive
What Determines Behavior:
Psychodynamic Cultures, social norms and
Humanistic expectations, social learning
Behavioral
[Link]
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective
Biological
Developmental
Cognitive
View of Human Nature:
Psychodynamic
Behavior is developed and
Humanistic adapted over time
Behavioral What Determines Behavior:
Sociocultural Natural selection
[Link]/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective View of Human Nature:
Biological We undergo predictable patterns
[Link] of change throughout our lives
Cognitive What Determines Behavior:
Interaction between heredity and
Psychodynamic
environment
Humanistic
Behavioral
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
Trait
Perspective
Biological View of Human Nature:
Individual differences result from
Developmental
differences in our underlying
Cognitive patterns of stable characteristics
Psychodynamic What Determines Behavior:
Humanistic Each person’s unique combination
of traits
Behavioral
Sociocultural
Evolutionary/
Sociobiological
[Link]
End of Chapter 1
