Connor Squire
Psychology 1010
Research Paper-William James
William James was born in New York City on January 11, 1842. He studied in
New York early on I his life, but eventually traveled to other countries such as
England, France, Switzerland, and Germany to learn. James was fluent in five
different languages by the year 1860. James’ father, Henry, provided his children
with a rich education and wanted James to study science or philosophy. William
James entered Lawrence Scientific School, Harvard University in 1861, but then
transferred to Harvard’s Medical School. James did not find interest in medicine
either and became depressed. He later left America to study under Helmholtz in
France and Germany for two years. It was here that James became familiar with
New Psychology. In 1869 James earned his MD from Medical School, but never
practiced it. James decided that he preferred psychology and studied that instead.
James was still not sure about his future in 1872 until the President of Harvard
University offered him a job to teach psychology at the school in which James
accepted and did for the next thirty-five years.
Before William James in 1875, there were no professors teaching Psychology
in American Universities. James stated, “The first lecture in psychology that I ever
heard was the one I first gave.” In addition, while teaching psychology at Harvard,
James established the first psychology laboratory in America. In the year 1878,
James met another schoolteacher named Alice Howe Gibbens, and later married her
and had five children. That year James agreed to write a textbook on psychology, but
was finding himself drifting more into philosophy instead of psychology. In 1879
James began to teach philosophy and later published his first article called “The
Sentiment of Rationality.” James, by 1890, had become a full professor in both
psychology and philosophy and it was that year that he finished his textbook on
psychology that had taken him almost twelve years to finish. It was titled “Principles
of Psychology.”
William James found himself dissatisfied with psychology and developed a
pessimistic attitude toward it. James eventually resigned from his job as director of
the psychology lab at Harvard University and focused mainly on teaching and
writing philosophy. James’ first philosophical book, “The Will to Believe and Other
Essays in Popular Philosophy,” was published in 1897. James continued to deliver
lectures and write essays and books on philosophy until he had a physical
breakdown in 1899. While he was recovering from his health issues James began to
study religion and prepare his religious experience lectures known as his Gifford
Lectures and published as “The Varieties of Religious Experience.”
For the rest of his life William James focused on his own development of
philosophy, writings, and lectures. In the years 1906 and 1907 James gave his
lectures on Pragmatism and published them in 1907. James’ health became
increasingly worse and he fully resigned from Harvard in 1907 for fear of not being
able to complete his philosophical studies before he died. On August 26, 1910
William James passed away as he was trying to finish his textbook “Some Problems
of Philosophy.” His son Henry edited James’ textbook in 1911 and published it and
James’ “Memories and Studies,” that year. James’ other works continued to be
published after he had passed away.
There were several theories that William James published as a psychologist
and philosopher. First off, was Pragmatism; this was the theory that the truth of an
idea can never be proven. So instead the usefulness of the idea should be focused on.
Furthermore, James next main theory he created was Functionalism. This was the
focus on the wholeness of an event, and understanding the environment and
behavior and its’ impact. In addition another one of James’ big theories was the
James-Lange Theory of Emotion. This stated that an event triggers a physiological
reaction, which is the interpreted. Also, this theory includes that emotions are
caused by our interpretations of these physiological reactions. William James and
also Cal Lange proposed this theory. One of James’ religious theories was that
varieties of religious experience point to the existence of conscious-like energies
reservoirs that people can make contact with in times of trouble and need. Many of
William James’ students went on to have great psychology careers as well such as
Mary Calkins, Edward Thorndike and John Dewey. William James was the first
psychologist professor in the United States and is widely known as one of the most
influential psychologists and philosophers in America. Throughout the life of
William James many lectures were given, essays and books published, and theories
developed on psychology and philosophy that are still studied and in effect today.
Works Cited
Goodman, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/james/
Kendra, C. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/ja mesbio.html
N/A. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/wjames.html
Wayne P. Pomerleau. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.iep.utm.edu/james-o/