Key Movements and Figures in Psychology History
Key Movements in Psychology
Structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt, considered the father of psychology, aimed to study the basic structure of the mind, including feelings and images. He used measuring tools to analyze phenomena such as the perception of flickering light.
Functionalism
John Dewey is considered the first major American psychologist. He affirmed that the accumulation of knowledge could be applied to life. Functionalism seeks to understand how people adapt to their environment, how the mind works, and what it does.
Gestalt Psychology
Founded in the 20th century by German psychologists, Gestalt psychology emphasized the importance of the whole rather than the parts, recognizing the significance of consciousness.
Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, focused on abnormal behavior. He believed that biological impulses, primarily of a sexual nature, influenced human behavior.
Behaviorism
John Watson developed behaviorism based on animal behavior studies. This approach aimed to determine how individuals would respond to stimuli and understand the most important aspects of their minds.
Humanistic Psychology
Emerging in the early 1950s, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow developed humanistic psychology, which focused on topics such as the meaning of life.
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology’s primary function is to discover the thought processes that occur in the mind. It attempts to understand how the mind processes, stores, recalls, and uses information.
Research Methods in Psychology
Experimental Method
This method aims to obtain objective descriptions of events by controlling the conditions under which they occur.
Observation
Observation involves carefully examining a situation in detail. It is a useful method for studying various aspects of behavior.
Introspection
Introspection is the inspection and description of mental states experienced by a person to obtain information directly from their feelings, needs, motives, and emotions.
Biographical Method
This method seeks to understand the causes of individual behavior and personality, considering how they are altered by environmental and social influences.
Influential Figures and Theories
Sir Francis Galton
Galton focused on individual differences, basing his studies on the inheritance of mental traits.
Jean-Martin Charcot
Charcot considered hypnosis a physiological phenomenon that occurred in cases of hysteria.
Carl Jung
Jung was initially interested in Freud’s theory but argued that the libido was a force representing the energy to live and grow.
Alfred Adler
Adler developed individual psychology, where the basic thrust of a person was the search for security.
Reflexology
Ivan Pavlov proposed that a reflex is an involuntary, automatic reaction of the nervous system, causing rapid muscle contraction or secretion.
Comprehensive Psychology
This approach aims to understand humans with their distinctive features and typical characteristics as defined in nature.
Phenomenology
Phenomenology, as described by Edmund Husserl, involves the description of psychic phenomena in concrete reality. It can be interpreted as pure or psychological consciousness.
Perspectives on the Study of Humans
- Social Being: Humans interact with others from birth.
- Specific Being: Individuals belong to a group or culture, and the characteristics of that culture influence their behavior.
- Historical Being: Humans evolve over time, and their behavior changes according to their needs as they age.
- Organism: Humans participate in natural processes, and biological changes affect their behavior.