 By the end of this chapter, I will be able to:
 Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of
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psychological thought.
• Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining
behavior:
— structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years;
— Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later;
— evolutionary, biological, and cognitive as more contemporary approaches.
• Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain
behavior.
• Distinguish the different domains of psychology:
— biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational,
experimental, human factors, industrial–organizational, personality,
psychometric, and social.
• Identify the major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton
Calkins, Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall,
William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B. F. Skinner, Margaret
Floy Washburn, John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt).
 Lesson 1: Define psychology and trace its historical
development.
 Lesson 2: Explain how psychology’s different
perspectives contribute to a complete view of the
human form.
 Lesson 3: Identify the major subfields of psychology.
 By the end of this lesson, I will be able to:
 1. Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped
the development of psychological thought.
 2. Describe and compare different theoretical
approaches in explaining behavior:
 3. Identify the major historical figures in
psychology
 When you hear the
word psychology, what
words come to mind?
 Turn to someone next
to you and talk about
it.
 What words did you
come up with?
 Why did you pick those
words?
 People have been studying
human behavior for
thousands of years.
(Examples: Romans,
Egyptians, Indians)
 This was good, but was not
done in an organized
manner.
 Psychology as a science has
a very short history.
 Today, psychology focuses
much more on quantifying
results (observation is not
enough)
 Psychology: The scientific study of behavior and mental
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processes.
Let’s break down the definition
Behavior – Anything that you do that can be observed.
Mental Processes – Internal experiences such as:
thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions. (harder to
observe and quantify)
Systematic Study: Systematic collection and examination
of data (empirical evidence) to support or disprove
hypotheses (predictions) rather than depending on
common sense.
 Roots of psychology can be
traced back 2000 years ago to the
early philosophers, biologists,
and physiologists of ancient
Greece.
 Hippocrates – Greek
Physiologist that thought the
mind or soul resided in the brain.
 He believed that it was not
composed of a physical
substance.
 This is called mind-bodydualism – seeing mind and body
as two different things that
interact.
Can anyone lend this guy some
facial moisturizer?
 Plato (350 B.C.) –
Greek philosopher that
believed that who we
are and what we know
are innate (inborn).
 Aristotle – Plato’s
student believed that
who we are and what
we know are acquired
from experience.
 About 2000 yrs. later John
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Locke and Rene Descartes had
a similar argument.
John Locke – Believed that
knowledge comes from
observation, and what we
know comes from experience.
He coined the term “tabula
rasa” – blank slate.
“The mind is like a blank slate
in which the environment
writes upon.”
Rene Descartes – Believed
that what we know is innate.
Focused much of his research
on how the nervous system
responds
“I think therefore I am.”
 The debate about the extent
to which our behavior is
inborn or learned through
experience is called the
nature vs. nurture
controversy.
 Nature: Certain elementary
ideas are innate to the
human mind; not gained
through experience
 Men are born, not made
 Nurture: Anything
that we know, we have
learned through
experience.
 Our mind is like a
blank slate (tabula
rasa; Locke) that the
environment writes
upon
 Men are made, not
born
Where do the Spartans fall
into this nature vs. nurture
controversy?
 By the end of this lesson, I will be able to:
 1. Describe and compare different theoretical
approaches in explaining behavior:
 — structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in
the early years;
 — Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and
humanism emerging later;
 — evolutionary, biological, and cognitive as more
contemporary approaches.
 2. Recognize the strengths and limitations of
applying theories to explain behavior.
 Not all psychologists look at
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psychology the same way.
Some believe that you are who
you are purely because of your
genetics.
Some believe that experiences
play a much bigger factor.
Psychology is a broad field that
aims to answer questions from
many different perspectives.
We are going to look at the
different schools and
approaches to psychology.
But first….. A quick poll to
wake you up!
 By the late 1800’s,
psychology was beginning
to emerge as a separate
scientific discipline.
 Biologist Charles Darwin
came up with the theory of
natural selection.
 Psychology branched into
two schools of psychology
(structuralism and
functionalism) and from
there several approaches to
psychology.
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Wilhelm Wundt – Credited as the
founder of scientific psychology
because in 1879 he set up a
research laboratory in Germany.
The lab was dedicated to the
scientific study of conscious
experiences and sensations.
Introspection – the process of
looking inward to identify how one
feels, thinks, or acts.
he replicated his studies in
different conditions with similar
results.
Wundt helped found the School
of Structuralism which aimed to
focus on the structure of the mind
and indentify the basic elements of
consciousness.
 William James was a
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psychologist that felt that
Wundt was asking the
wrong questions.
James was more interested
in the function or purpose
of behavioral acts.
School of Functionalism
– Researchers that focused
on how we adapt to our
environments. (stream of
consciousness)
Main Goal: Explain human
behavior
Also wrote first psychology
textbook
 Max Wertheimer –
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founded Gestalt
Psychology
The whole is more than the
sum of it’s parts
Example: A beautiful
painting
A painting is more than
just colors and line – its an
experience
So, each person has a
completely different
experience when viewing
the world – must be
sensitive to this during
therapy.
 Behavioral Approach –
Focuses on measuring and
recording observable
behavior. (behavior results
from learning)
 Pavlov and his dogs, Watson
and Baby Albert, Skinner
and his rats. (rewards,
punishments, and
associations)
 All these men believed that
psychology should be the
science of behavior.
 Psychoanalytic Approach
– Focuses on unconscious
internal conflicts to explain
mental disorders,
personality, and motivation.
 Sigmund Freud developed
this approach and focused
on unconscious desires
(Freudian slips, life and
death instincts, libido, early
life experiences.
 Psychodynamic Approach
– Those that varied Freud’s
ideas but kept with the
roots of psychoanalysis.
 Humanistic Approach –
Emphases the importance
of people’s feelings and view
human nature as naturally
positive and growth
seeking.
 Abraham Maslow
(Hierarchy of Needs) and
Carl Rogers (Unconditional
Positive Regard) led the
charge.
 This approach came out the
60’s and 70’s.
 Biological Approach
– Examines how
complex chemical and
biological processes
within the nervous and
endocrine systems are
related to the behavior
of organisms.
 Much research is being
done today using this
approach – Brain based
research.
 Cognitive Approach –
Emphasizes the
importance of
receiving, storing, and
processing
information.
 It also focuses on
thinking, reasoning,
and using language to
understand human
behavior.
 Cognition – thinking
and memory.
 Evolutionary
Approach –Attempts
to explain behavior
patterns as adaptations
naturally selected to
increase reproductive
success.
 This approach uses
Darwin’s theory of
natural selection as a
basis.
 Darwin wrote Origin of
Species.
 As time progressed more
people were traveling and
visiting other cultures.
 Psychologists soon
recognized the difference in
cultural gestures, body
language, and spoken
language.
 Socio-cultural Approach
– Examines the cultural
differences in an attempt to
understand, predict, and
control behavior.
 The most widely used
psychological approach
today is eclectic
 Eclectic – No one
perspective can best
explain all human
behavior
 So…Eclectic
psychologists use a
combination of all the
approaches
 By the end of this lesson, I will be able to:
 1. Distinguish the different domains of psychology:
biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling,
developmental, educational, experimental, human
factors, industrial–organizational, personality,
psychometric, and social.
 Psychology saw a huge
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boom after World War II.
Many opportunities arose in
clinical and counseling
psychology.
Psychologist – Treats
patients through talk
therapy and behavior
modification
Psychiatrist – Treats
patients with medication
and behavior modification
Careers in Psychology
Website Link (APA)
Zimbardo Link
 Clinical Psychologists –
Evaluate and treat mental,
emotional, and behavioral
disorders. (OCD,
Schizophrenia)
 Counseling Psychologists –
Help people adapt to change or
make changes in their lifestyle.
(Analyze This)
 Developmental
Psychologists – Study
psychological development
throughout a lifespan. (Piaget)
 Engineering Psychologists –
Do research on how people
function best with machines.
(assembly lines)
 Educational Psychologists –
Focus on how effective
teaching and learning take
place. (consultants)
 Forensic Psychologists –
Apply psychological principles
to legal issues. (crimes)
 Health Psychologists –
Concentrate on biological,
psychological, and social
factors associated with health
and illness. (hospitals)
 Industrial/Organizational
Psychologists – Aim to
improve productivity and the
quality of work life by applying
psychological principles and
methods to the workplace.
(Panera)
Neuro-psychologists – Explore
the relationship between
brain/nervous systems and
behavior. (Laboratory research)
 Psychometricians – Focus on
methods for acquiring and
analyzing psychological data.
(research based)
 Rehabilitation Psychologists –
Help clients with mental
retardation, developmental
disabilities, and disabilities
resulting from neurological injury.
(stroke)
 School Psychologists – Assess
and counsel students, consult with
educators and parents, and
perform behavioral intervention
when necessary. (Mrs. Waikem)
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 Social Psychologists –
Focus on how a person’s
mental life and behavior are
shaped by interactions with
other people. (can be
workplace related)
 Sports Psychologists –
Help athletes refine their
focus on competition goals,
increase motivation, and
deal with anxiety and fear of
failure. (Professional
Athletes) - Link