History of Psychology and Schools of Thought

Where do most doctoral psychologists work?

Most work in a University or 4 year college of for a hospital or other health service

Roles of Psychologists

-Conduct basic and applied research -Serve as consultants to communities and organizations -Test intelligence and personality

Goals of Psychology

-Describe behavior -Explain causes of behavior -Predict how organisms will behave in the future -Control behavior

8 Subfields of Psychology

1.) developmental 2.) educational 3.) school 4.) forensic 5.) industrial/organizational 6.) neuropsychology 7.) social 8.) sports

When does psychology become its own discipline?

1879

Psychiatry

A branch of medicine that has always focused almost exclusively on the treatment of mental disorders. Concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders.

Descartes

A philosopher who was interested in the relationship between the mind and the body

G. Stanley Hall (1846-1924)

A student of Wundt who was influential in bringing psychology to the US. He established the 1st lab at Hopkins in 1883. Helped launch the US's 1st psych journal. Helped establish APA and went on to be its 1st president.

theory

A system of inter-related ideas used to explain a set of observations

Psychodynamic Psychology (1900-present)

Also known as psychoanalytic psychology. Focused on the unconscious. The order is conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. This theory centers on sexual and aggressive impulses that are hidden in our unconscious from early childhood. Attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious impulses. A lot of who you become develops in early childhood. The predominant school in Europe. Behavior viewed as a reflection of unconscious aggressive and sexual impulses. Proposed that behavior is greatly influenced by how people cope with sexual urges. Subject: unconscious determinants of behavior. Unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders.

behavior

Any observable action or reaction of a living organism

forensic psychology

Apply psych properties to legal system. Applies psychology principles to issues arising in legal system, such as child custody decisions, hearings on competency to stand trial, violence ask assessments, involuntary commitment proceedings, and so forth

Psychoanalytic Theory

Attempts to explain personality, motivation and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior.

ego

Balance between id and superego, needs to keep this hidden from you

Structuralism

Basic parts/elements/structures of consciousness. Wundt and Titchner thought that the task of psych to analyze consciousness into its basic elements and investigate how these elements are related. Focused on introspection. Most of work concerned sensation and perception in vision, hearing or touch

Psychiatrist

Can prescribe. Have a MD degree.

Psychologist

Cannot prescribe. Can have a MA, MSW, PhD, Psy D, Ed D. Committed to investigating human behavior in scientific way. They seek to formulate questions and test possible answers through observation.

Important People in Humanism

Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow

Ivan Pavlov

Classically condition dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell

educational psychology

Do not work one-on-one with students; study educational process and help teachers teach the best. Studies how people learn and the best ways to teach them. Examines curriculum design, teacher training, achievement testing, student motivation, classroom diversity, and other aspects of the educational process

Basic Research

Done for sake of adding to the scientific knowledge base

Applied Research

Done to try to solve some practical problem

Cognitive Psychology (1950s-present)

Emphasizes how humans use mental processes to handle problems or develop certain personality characteristics. All about your thinking. It is our ideas that constantly influence our actions and choices. Behavior viewed as a product of various internal sentences, or thoughts. Sub: thoughts and mental processes. Human behavior cannot be fully understood without examining how people acquire, store and process information.

Clinical Psychology

Focuses on assessing and treating psychological disorders. Deals with assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral, emotional or mental disorders. The branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders. War sparked it because treated soldiers suffering with trauma. Concerned with evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of people with psychological disorders, as well as treatments of less severe behavioral and emotional problems. Principal activities include interviewing clients, psychological testing, and providing group or individual psychotherapy

Biopsychology (1950s-present)

Focuses on biological aspects such as nerve cells, chemicals, hormones, genes, and muscular responses. Views behavior as strongly influenced by physiological functions. The basic idea is that all actions, feelings and thoughts are associated with bodily events. It renewed the interest in the nature part of the nature vs. nurture debate. Behavior viewed in terms of biological responses. Sub: physiological bases of behavior in humans and animals. An organism's functioning can be explained in terms of the bodily structures and bio-chemical processes that underlie behavior.

Counseling Psychology

Focuses on helping people cope with their problems. Treating people with adjustment problems instead of psychological disorders. Specialists engage in interviewing, testing and providing therapy. Usually work with providing assistance to people struggling with everyday problems of moderate severity. They often specialize in family, marital or career counseling.

developmental psychology

How people develop throughout lifespan. Looks at human development across lifespan. Once focused primarily on child development, but today devotes great deal of research to adolescence, adulthood and old age.

Definition of the word "Psychology"

From 2 Greek words: -psyche: soul -logos: study of -translates into study of mind/soul

sports psychology

Help athletes and teams to help them reach their goals

social psychology

Help communities, most found in academia. Focuses on interpersonal behavior and the role of social forces in governing behavior. Typical topics include attitude formation, attitude change, prejudice, conformity, attraction, aggression, intimate relationships and behavior in groups.

Parts of the Unconscious

Id, ego, superego, which are constantly fighting

mental process

Internal subjective experiences we infer from behavior

Philosophy

Involved in questions of the mind and human nature. It provided the attitude/questions for psychology

Why is psychology a science?

It is a science because it uses scientific method to carefully observe and analyze it's theories

neuropsychology

Neurology is medical area, research and brain function. Involved in the assessment and treatment of people who suffer from central nervous system dysfunctions due to head trauma, dementia, stroke, seizure, disorders, and so forth

2 Disciplines Psych Developed From

Philosophy and Physiology

Introspection

Process of looking into yourself and describing what is there. Yielded inconsistent results. Showed some things can be measured in a scientific fashion related to the human. The careful, systematic self-observation of one's own conscious experience

Behavior

Refers to any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism

Cognition

Refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge. It involves thinking or conscious experience

Physiology

Scientific study of how living organisms function. It provided the method for psychology. It had the scientific approach based on observing rather than reasoning

B.F. Skinner

Showed that consequences of an act strongly influence if it will happen again, which is known as operant conditioning. Found that organism tend to repeat responses that lead to positive outcomes, and they tend not to repeat responses that lead to neutral or negative outcomes. An american psychologist whose thinking was influenced by Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson. Opposed movement toward the consideration of internal states. He wrote the book Beyond Freedom and Dignity, saying people are controlled by their environment, not by themselves. Believed that Free Will is an illusion

Functionalism

Started by William James. Was interested in how humans function and adapt in their environment. Wanted to look at human experiences as a whole. Investigates function or purpose of consciousness instead of its structure. Based on belief that psych should investigate function or purpose of consciousness, rather than structure. Discussed how people acquired habits and the conception of self. Lasted longer than structuralism

Carl Rogers

Started the school of Humanism. Saw people as worthwhile creatures with free will and choice. Believed in person-centered therapy

Evolutionary Psychology

Suggests that our species has been subject to the process of biological evolution throughout history, and that as a result, we now possess a large number of evolved psychological mechanisms that help us deal with important problems relating to survival. Inherited tendencies constitute our human nature. Sub: Evolutionary bases of behavior in humans and animals.Behavior patterns have evolved to solve adaptive problems. Natural selection favors behaviors that enhance reproductive success. Examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive causes for members of a species over the course of many generations. Studied mating preferences, jealousy, aggression, sexual behavior, language, decision making, personality, and development

William James (1842-1910)

The Father of American psychology. Developed 1st distinctly American school of psychology with Functionalism. Wanted to find out how consciousness helps us adapt and survive. Initially wanted to go into medicine, but it didn't work out, so pursued psych. He wrote Principles of Psychology in 1890. Wanted to understand the stream of consciousness.

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

The Father of Psychology. Moved to make psych. its own discipline and started the first laboratory for studying humans at the University of Leipzig in 1879. A German professor who mounted a campaign to make psychology an independent discipline. In 1881, established 1st journal publishing research on psychology. His primary focus was consciousness, making psych the scientific study of conscious experience. He focused on attention, memory, sensory process, and reaction-time

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

The father of psychoanalysis. Austrian physician during the Victorian Era. Views the individual as a product of unconscious. Used psychoanalysis to treat people troubled with psychological problems such as irrational fears, obsessions and anxieties. Decades of probing into patients' lives provided much of inspiration for theory. He attracted followers such as Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. He finally gained recognition when Hall invited Freud to give lectures

Dualism

The idea that the mind and body are fundamentally distinct entities. The body is part of the physical world while the mind is something entirely different. Believed touts communicated through pineal gland

Behaviorism (1913-present)

The predominant American school of experimental psychology and remained so until 1960's. People are the products of learning and association. Focuses on what can observe and measure directly: acts and events taking place in the environment. Behavior viewed as a product of learned responses. A school of thought founded by John B. Watson which became dominant within psych between 1913 and the late 1920s. A theoretical orientation based on premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior. Believed psychology should abandon study of consciousness altogether, and be the science of behavior. Also referred to as stimulus-response psych. Effect of environment on overt behavior of humans and animals. Only observable events (stimulus-response relations) can be studied specifically

empiricism

The premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation

psychology

The scientific study of mental processes and behavior. About understanding all the things we do. It is practical, and has implications for everyday life. Provides a powerful way of thinking. The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems.

Seven Unifying Themes

Themes Relating to Psychology as a Field of Study: 1.) Psychology is empirical. It demands data, documentation and some skepticism 2.) Psychology is theoretically diverse 3.) Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context Themes Relating to Psychology's Subject Matter: 4.) Behavior is determined by multiple causes 5.) Behavior is shaped by cultural heritage 6.) Heredity and Environment jointly influence behavior 7.) People's experience of the world is high supportive

Unconscious

Thoughts or memories below surface of conscious awareness but exert influence on behavior. Contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of conscious awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior.

nature vs. nurture

To what extent are various aspects of our behavior shaped by inherited tendencies and to what extent are they learned

stability vs. change

To what extent do we remain stable over time and to what extent do we change, in terms of personality, cognitive abilities, and physical functioning

Watson

Trained as a functionalist but shifted his attention from studying the mind to studying behavior. Extended Pavlov's idea to voluntary responses. Became first "pop" psychologist.

self-actualization

Trying to become best version of ourselves, reaching fullest potential

superego

Values, morals, conscience

Sociocultural Psychology

Views behavior as strongly influenced by the rules and expectations of social groups of cultures. Studied conformity, obedience, and group dynamics. Social contexts shape nearly everything for people. Focused on roles and norms.

Humanistic Psychology (1950s-present)

Views people as basically good and capable of helping themselves. Brought about because of problems some had with Psychoanalysis and Behaviorism, which they saw as dehumanizing. Did not like belief that all people are bad and not in control of own destiny. Each person is a perfect seed. People are in control of their own destinies. Focused on self-actualization and unconditional positive regard. Behavior viewed as a reflection of internal growth. A theoretical orientation that emphasize the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth. Takes an optimistic view of human nature. Believe that humans are not pawns. Said research on animals not useful. Human behavior governed by sense of self, or self-concept. Sub: Unique aspects of human experience. Humans are free, rational beings with the potential for personal growth, and they are fundamentally different from animals

rationality vs. irrationality

Why can we be perfectly intelligent and at other times overridden by emotions and unclear thinking

school psychology

Work one-on-one to make sure students with learning problems can reach potential. Strive to promote the cognitive, emotional and social development of children in schools, usually in elementary and secondary. Test and counsel children having difficulties in school and aid parents and teachers in saving school-related problems

Id

Works on pleasure principle, doesn't want to wait; drive by sex and aggression; primal

industrial/organizational psychology

Works with business to improve working conditions and productivity. Performs a wide variety of tasks in the world of business and industry. Include running human resources, working to improve staff morale, striving to increase job satisfaction and productivity, examining organizational structures and procedures, and making recommendations for improvement