GENERAL CONCEPT OF
PSYCHOLOGY
Presented by: Lavadia, Mark Anthony
WHAT IS ICT?
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
PSYCHOLOG
Y
Is the science of
mental behavior
and human
mind, and the
professional
[www.techtarget.com
application of]
such knowledge
towards the
DEFINITIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY
* Psychology is the science of human and animal behaviour.
It includes the application of this science to human
problems. (Morgan et al, 1986)
* The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes
(Fedman 1986)
* The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes and
how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental
state ans external environment.
PSYCHOLOGY
as a field of experimental study
began
in
1854
in
Leipzig,
Germany when Wilheml Wudnt
created the first theory of how
judgements
about
sensory
experiences are made and how
to experiment on them. He later
opened
the
world’s
first
psychology lab in 1979 at
university
of
Liepzig.
This
event generally considered the
HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
The field of psychology started in
the mid 1800s by defining itself as
the science of conciousness. The
primary technique
introspection:
looking
within.
Introspection
suffered from one major problem:
there
was
no
way
to
resolve
differences of opinion.
The history and Philosphy of
psychology is a lively introduction
to the historical development of
psychology. Its distinct inclusion of
The
formal
development
of
moden psychology is usually
credited to the work of German
physician,
psychologist,
and
pholosopher
Wilhelm
Wudnt
(1832-1920).
He opens the first experimental
laboratory at the University of
Liepzig, Germany. Creditd with
establishing psychology as an
academic
discipline,
Wudnt’s
include Emil Kraepelin, James
He is the father of Modern
Psychology who introduced the
first psychology lab in Germany
in 1979. in the “first”psych
experiment, Wudnt measure the
time it took people to hit a switch
as soon as they heard and
peceived sound
Freud (1856-1939
karl Rogers 1902-1987
Mary Whiton Calkins (1863-1930)
Erik Ericson (1902-1994)
Kurt Lewin (1890-1947)
B.F Skinner 1904- 1990
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Aaron Beck (1921-present)
GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY
The study of psychology has
five basic goals:
1. Describe– The first goal is to
observe behavior and describe,
often in minute detail, what was
observed
as
objectively
as
possible.
2. Explain– While descriptions
come from observable data,
psychologists must go beyond
what is obvious and explain their
3. Predict– Once we know what
happens, and why it happens, we can
begin to speculate what will happen in
the future. There’s an old saying,
which very often holds true: "the best
predictor of future behavior is past
behavior."
4. Control– Once we know what
happens, why it happens and what is
likely to happen in the future, we can
excerpt control over it. In other words,
if we know you choose abusive
partners because your father was
abusive, we can assume you will
choose another abusive partner, and
5. Improve – Not only do psychologists attempt to control
behavior, they want to do so in a positive manner, they want
to improve a person’s life, not make it worse. This is not
always the case, but it should always be the intention.
The main schools of psychology are structuralism,
functionalism,
Gestalt,
behaviorism,
psychoanalysis,
humanism, and cognitivism.
Structuralism is widely regarded as the first school of thought
in psychology. This outlook focused on breaking down mental
processes into the most basic components. Major thinkers
associated with structuralism include Wilhelm Wundt and
Edward Titchener.
The focus of structuralism was on reducing mental processes
down into their most basic elements. The structuralists used
techniques such as introspection to analyze the inner
processes of the human mind.
Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist
school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William
James. It functioned on the mind's functions and adaptations. Instead of
focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist thinkers
were interested in the role that these processes play.
Gestalt psychology was a school of psychology based upon the idea that
people experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology
began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response
to the molecular approach of structuralism. Some thinkers associated
with the Gestalt school of thought included Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang
Köhler, and Kurt Koffka.
Instead of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest
elements, the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the
whole of experience. According to Gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts, a philosophy known as holism.
Behaviorism became a dominant school of thought during the 1950s. It
was based upon the work of thinkers such as John B. Watson, Ivan
Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner. Behaviorism suggests that all behavior can be
explained by environmental causes rather than by internal forces.
Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Examples of behavioral
theories that emerged during this time include:
Classical conditioning: This is a type of learning that involves associating
a previously neutral stimulus with a stimulus that naturally and
automatically triggers a response. For example, pairing the sound of a
bell with the presentation of food. After an association is formed, the
previously neutral stimulus will produce the same response as the
natural stimulus.
Operant conditioning: This type of learning involves using rewards and
punishments to create an association between the behavior and the
consequences of that behavior.
Psychoanalysis is a school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. This school
of thought emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Other
major psychoanalytic thinkers included Anna Freud and Otto Rank and
neo-Freudians such as Erik Erikson, Alfred Adler, and Karen Horney. Freud
believed that the human mind was composed of three elements: the id, ego, and
superego.
The id consists of primal urges.
The ego is the component of personality charged with dealing with reality.
The superego is the part of the personality that holds all the ideals and values we
internalize from our parents and culture. Freud believed that the interaction of
these three elements was what led to all of the complex human behaviors.
Other important theories within the psychoanalytic school included the idea of the
conscious and unconscious, Freud's psychosexual approach to personality
development, and the concept of life and death instincts.
End of Presentation.
Thank You!