CHAPTER 1
Introduction
to Psychology
LESSONS
1.1 What Is Psychology?
1.2 Contemporary Perspectives and Areas
of Specialization
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 1
What Is Psychology?
OBJECTIVES
 Define psychology.
 Describe the emergence of psychology as a
scientific discipline.
 Identify and describe the early pioneers and
schools of thought in psychology.
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 2
Psychology Defined
Psychology is the scientific study of
mental processes and behavior.
Psychiatry is a branch of medicine
concerned with the diagnosis and
treatment of psychological disorders.
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 3
Early Pioneers and Schools of
Thought
School of Thought
Structuralism
Functionalism
Gestalt psychology
Pioneer
Wilhelm Wundt
William James
Max Wertheimer
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 4
Structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920)
Structuralism was an early approach to
psychology that tried to identify the basic
parts, or structure, of the conscious
mind.
Introspection- trained observers would
look at, smell, or touch something and
describe in detail what they were
experiencing.
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 5
Functionalism
William James (1842–1910)
Functionalism was an early approach
to psychology that tried to discover how
the conscious mind functions to help
humans survive in their environments.
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 6
Gestalt Psychology
Max Wertheimer (1880–1943)
Gestalt psychology was an early
approach to psychology that studied
how the mind actively organizes stimuli
into meaningful wholes.
“The whole is different from the sum of
its parts.” Meaning found on page 7
Gestalt- Means Shape or Form
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 7
Figure 1-1 Page 8
Perception Strives Toward a
Complete Form
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 8
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 9
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 10
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 11
Women and Culturally Diverse
Pioneers
Mary Whiton Calkins
J. Henry Alston
Kenneth Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark
George Sanchez
John Garcia
Open your books to page 8 to learn
more.
PSYCHOLOGY
A Discovery Experience
© South-Western | Cengage Learning
Chapter 1 Slide 12