Major Schools of Thought in Psychology
1. Structuralism:
- Structuralism is also known as introspectionism and existentialism. School of structuralism was started in Cornell university ( U.S.) in 1892. According to structuralism the subject matter of psychology is the conscious experience. Titchner differentiated between the consciousness and mind. According to him consciousness is related with all the experiences of an individual which took place momentarily. Whereas mind is related with all the experiences which already exists in an individual since birth.
- According to Titchner consciousness has 3 elements they are sensation, feeling or affection and images. He considered introspection as the important method.
2. Functionalism :-
- Functionalism was established in informal manner by William James in one of his book titled “Principles of Psychology” in the year 1890. He believed that psychology is concerned with the facts why and how the consciousness functions? And not just from fact that what are the elements of consciousness? Thus, according to James the subject matter of psychology is consciousness but he emphasised more on the functional utility of consciousness.
- Dewey, Angell and Can considered as the formal founders of the functionalism. According to functionalism psychology is the study of mental processes and not just the study of elements of consciousness.
3. Behaviourism:
- Behaviourism was established by Watson in 1913. He believed that psychology is objective and experimental in nature. Thus, its subject matter can be only behaviour and not consciousness because study of behaviour can be done in objective and experimental manner. Behaviourism by Watson has given birth to stimulus- response process. Watson disagreed on the method of introspection in psychology and proposed four methods of psychology like Observation, Conditioning, testing and Verbal report.
4. Gestalt Psychology:
- Gestalt school was established by Max Wertheimer in 1912. Kohler and Koffka were the co-founders of this school. “Gestalt” is a German word and its meaning in English is form, shape and configuration. Gestalt school emphasised that psychology is the science of the organization of mental process.
5. Psychoanalysis :-
- Establishment of psychoanalysis as a school is founded by Sigmund Freud principle of unconscious given by trend is very important and he argued that all sort of abnormal behaviour’s reason/cause are predicted in the unconscious. He has given various methods of studying unconscious like free association method, hypnosis and dream interpretation are included.
Latest Post of Psychology :– Click Here
Important Points :-
- This chapter of Psychology Consider behaviour as Psychology and gives definition, nature and goals.
- The study of humen behaviour is goal directed Hence Psychology has prusceted discipline measurment, Prediction and control.
- History of Psychology is discribed evolution of Psychology as pre scientific and scientific period.
- Different schools of Psychology explained and stretnitham Functionalism, Gestaff, behaviour nd Psycloanysis.
- Emphasis has been given to evaluation of psychology in India and its relation with other disciplines were discussed as spinal cold because wherever humen being is there, development is also him thats wire is called
I. The origin of the term “Psychology” is from____words
a. Greek
b. Latin
c. Hindi
d. English
Click to show/hide
II. William Wundt established first psychology laboratory in____
a. Cornell University, 1992
b. Harward University, 1892
c. Leipzig University, 1879
d. No one from the above
Click to show/hide
III. Meaning of Psyche is_____
a. Deliberation
b. Study
c. Soul
d. Consciousness
Click to show/hide
IV. Which of these is not amongst the goals of Psychology?
a. Measurement and Description
b. Interpretation
c. Prediction and Control
d. Testing
Click to show/hide
V. “Humans are born with qualities of selfishness, aggressiveness, which are controlled by the society” whose statement is this.
a. Rousseau
b. Spencer
c. Sigmund Freud
d. J.B.Watson
Click to show/hide