Psychology School of Thoughts

 

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 Structuralism:Founders: Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Titchener

Major Emphasis:

The German scientist Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920) was the very first known person as a psychologist. In 1873 he published his work book Principles of physiological psychology. Wundt considered psychology as a theoretical study of conscious experiences, and he thought the aim of psychology is to describe conscious elements and how the components are integrated to contribute to our knowledge. Wundt's use of introspection (he called it "internal perception"), a mechanism by which someone explores his own conscious experiences in the most objectively possible way. Introspection is a way to make a person "look inward" concentrate on and try to understand the emotion or feeling they're experiencing at that time.

Structuralism is significant because it is the first major school of thought in the field of psychology. The structural school also influenced the growth of experimental psychology.

Criticisms:

The experimental techniques used to research the mechanisms of the mind were too subject to interpretation use of introspection contributed to a lack of reliability of the findings. Structuralism is too concerned with internal action, which is not clearly measurable and cannot be evaluated exactly.

Functionalism:Founders: William James & John Dewey

Major Emphasis:

William James (1842–1910) was the first American psychologist to have a different viewpoint about how psychology could work. James was introduced to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and accepted as an explanation of the characteristics of the organism. The core to this theory is the belief that natural selection leads to species that are suited to their environment, including their behavior. Adaptation means that the trait of the organism has a role for the survival and reproduction of the individual since it has been naturally chosen. As James saw it the purpose of psychology was to examine the role of action in the world, and as such, it was known as functionalism. Functionalism has been an important influence on psychology. It has influenced the growth of behaviorism and applied psychology. Functionalism also influenced the education system, particularly with regard to John Dewey's belief that children should learn at the level at which they are prepared for development.

Criticisms:

Functionalism may have been criticized most notably by Wundt. "It is literature. It's also beautiful, however it is not psychology," said William James, a functionalist, The Principles of Psychology.

1. Behaviorism

Founders: J. B. Watson, B.F Skinner, Edward Thorndike

John Broadus Watson was American psychologist who developed behavioralist after doing animal behavior research.

Behaviorism is a concept in animal and human learning that focuses exclusively on objectively observed actions and discards mental practices. Some of the big people who inspired this division were John Watson, and Ivan Pavlov, with his experiment of making a dog eat when the bell rings, and finally having a dog to salivate when he hears the bell because it's in his subconscious.

One of the major advantages of behaviorism is that it has helped researchers to analyze observable behavior in a scientific and systematic manner. However, many philosophers claimed that it was short-lived by neglecting certain significant behavioral factors.

Criticisms:

Behavioralist critics say that behavioral theories do not account for free will and internal factors such as moods, emotions and feelings. It felt that behaviorism refused to account for the emotions, feelings, and desires of the unconscious mind that affect the behavior of the people.

1. Gestalt Psychology

Founders: Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka

Gestalt Psychology is a school of thought process that looks at human minds and actions as a whole. As we try to make sense of the world around us, Gestalt Psychology suggests that we do not necessarily concentrate on any small aspect. Instead, our minds prefer to see objects as part of a larger whole and as part of more complex structures. The School of Psychology played a crucial role in the modern development of the study of human sensation and perception.

Huge progress in the latest formulation have taken place over the next decades. Wertheimer, Kohler, Koffka and their students have advanced Gestalt's approach to issues in other fields of understanding, problem solving, learning and thought.

According to Gestalt Psychologists, we're not only seeing the universe, we're consciously interpreting what we see, based on what we expect to see.

Criticism:

The general critique of Gestalt theory has been that it does not provide an interpretation of emotion and personality.