7 School of Thought in phychology
Table of Contents ·
Early Schools of Though
Gestalt Psychology
Behaviorism
· Psychoanalysis
· Humanistic Psychology
When
psychology first emerged as a science separate from biology and philosophy, the
debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began. The
different schools of psychology represent the major theories within psychology.
The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the
first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories
began to emerge and vie for dominance in psychology.
In
the past, psychologists often identified themselves exclusively with one single
school of thought. Today, most psychologists have an eclectic outlook on
psychology. They often draw on ideas and theories from different schools rather
than holding to any singular perspective.
The
following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our
knowledge and understanding of psychology:
Structuralism and
Functionalism: Early Schools of Thought
Structuralism is
widely regarded as the first school of thought in psychology. This outlook
focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Major
thinkers associated with structuralism include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward
Titchener. The focus of structuralism was on reducing mental processes down
into their most basic elements. The structuralists used techniques such as introspection to
analyze the inner processes of the human mind.
When
psychology first emerged as a science separate from biology and philosophy, the
debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began. The
different schools of psychology represent the major theories within psychology.
The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the
first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories
began to emerge and vie for dominance in psychology.
In
the past, psychologists often identified themselves exclusively with one single
school of thought. Today, most psychologists have an eclectic outlook on
psychology. They often draw on ideas and theories from different schools rather
than holding to any singular perspective.
The
following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our
knowledge and understanding of psychology:
Structuralism and
Functionalism: Early Schools of Thought
Structuralism is widely regarded as the first school
of thought in psychology. This outlook focused on breaking down mental
processes into the most basic components. Major thinkers associated with
structuralism include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. The focus of
structuralism was on reducing mental processes down into their most basic
elements. The structuralists used techniques such as introspection to
analyze the inner processes of the human mind.
Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school
of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James. It
functioned on the mind's functions and adaptations. Unlike some of the other
well-known schools of thought in psychology, functionalism is not associated
with a single dominant theorist. Instead, there are some different
functionalist thinkers associated with this outlook including John Dewey,
James Rowland Angell, and Harvey Carr.
Author David Hothersall notes, however, that some historians even question whether functionalism should be considered a formal school of psychology at all given its lack of a central leader or formalized set of ideas.
Instead
of focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist thinkers were
instead interested in the role that these processes play.
Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt psychology is a school of psychology based
upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. This approach to
psychology began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in
response to the molecular approach of structuralism.
Instead
of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest elements, the gestalt
psychologists believed that you must look at the whole of experience. According
to the Gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Behaviorist School of
Thought in Psychology
Behaviorism became a dominant school of thought
during the 1950s. It was based upon the work of thinkers such as:
- John B. Watson
- Ivan Pavlov
- B. F. Skinner
Behaviourism suggests that all behaviour can be explained
by environmental causes rather than by internal forces. Behaviourism is focused
on observable behavior. Theories of
learning including classical conditioning and operant
conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research.
The
behavioral school of psychology had a significant influence on the course of
psychology, and many of the ideas and techniques that emerged from this school
of thought are still widely used today. Behavioural training, token economies,
aversion therapy, and other techniques are frequently used in psychotherapy and
behaviour modification programs.
The Psychoanalytic School of
Thought
Psychoanalysis is a school of psychology founded by Sigmund
Freud. This school of thought emphasized the influence of the unconscious
mind on behaviour.
·
Early Schools of Thought
·
Gestalt Psychology
·
Behaviorism
·
Psychoanalysis
·
Humanistic Psychology
When
psychology first emerged as a science separate from biology and philosophy, the
debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began. The
different schools of psychology represent the major theories within psychology.
The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the
first psychology lab, Wilhelm
Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories began to emerge and vie
for dominance in psychology.
In
the past, psychologists often identified themselves exclusively with one single
school of thought. Today, most psychologists have an eclectic outlook on
psychology. They often draw on ideas and theories from different schools rather
than holding to any singular perspective.
The
following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our
knowledge and understanding of psychology:
Structuralism and
Functionalism: Early Schools of Thought
Structuralism is
widely regarded as the first school of thought in psychology. This outlook
focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Major
thinkers associated with structuralism include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward
Titchener. The focus of structuralism was on reducing mental processes down
into their most basic elements. The structuralisms used techniques such as introspection to
analyse the inner processes of the human mind.
Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school
of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James. It
functioned on the mind's functions and adaptations. Unlike some of the other
well-known schools of thought in psychology, functionalism is not associated
with a single dominant theorist. Instead, there are some different
functionalist thinkers associated with this outlook including John
Dewey, James Rowland Angell, and Harvey Carr.
Author
David Hothersall notes, however, that some historians even question whether
functionalism should be considered a formal school of psychology at all given
its lack of a central leader or formalized set of ideas.1
Instead
of focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist thinkers were
instead interested in the role that these processes play.
Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt
psychology is a school of psychology based upon the idea that we
experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology began in
Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the molecular
approach of structuralism.
Instead
of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest elements, the gestalt
psychologists believed that you must look at the whole of experience. According
to the Gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Behaviorist School of
Thought in Psychology
Behaviorism became
a dominant school of thought during the 1950s. It was based upon the work of
thinkers such as:
- John B. Watson
- Ivan Pavlov
- B. F. Skinner
Behaviorism
suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes rather than
by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior.
Theories of learning including classical conditioning and operant
conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research.
The
behavioral school of psychology had a significant influence on the course of
psychology, and many of the ideas and techniques that emerged from this school
of thought are still widely used today. Behavioral training, token economies,
aversion therapy, and other techniques are frequently used in psychotherapy and
behavior modification programs.
The Psychoanalytic School of
Thought
Psychoanalysis is
a school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. This school of thought
emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior.
Freud believed that the human mind was composed of three elements: the id,
ego, and superego. The id consists of primal urges while the ego is the
component of personality charged with dealing with reality. The superego is the
part of the personality that holds all of the ideals and values we internalize
from our parents and culture. Freud believed that the interaction of these
three elements was what led to all of the complex human behaviors.
Freud's
school of thought was enormously influential, but also generated considerable
debate. This controversy existed not only in his time but also in modern
discussions of Freud's theories.
Other
major psychoanalytic thinkers include:
- Anna Freud
- Carl Jung
- Erik Erikson
The Humanistic School of Thought
Humanistic
psychology developed as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviourism.
Humanistic psychology instead focused on individual free will, personal growth
and the concept of self-actualization. While early schools of thought were
primarily cantered on abnormal human behaviour, humanistic psychology differed
considerably in its emphasis on helping people achieve and fulfill their
potential.
Major
humanist thinkers include:
- Abraham Maslow
- Carl Rogers
Humanistic
psychology remains quite popular today and has had a significant influence on
other areas of psychology including positive psychology. This particular
branch of psychology is cantered on helping people living happier, more
fulfilling lives.
Cognitive School of Psychology
Cognitive
psychology is the school of psychology that studies mental processes
including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. As part of the larger
field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other
disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics.
Cognitive psychology began to emerge during the 1950s,
partly as a response to behaviorism. Critics of behaviourism noted that it
failed to account for how internal processes impacted behavior. This period is
sometimes referred to as the "cognitive revolution" as a wealth of
research on topics such as information processing, language, memory, and
perception that began to emerge.
One
of the most influential theories of this school of thought was the stages
of cognitive development theory proposed by Jean Piaget.
A Word From Verywell
While some schools of thought have faded into obscurity,
each has had an influence on the course of psychology's development. Some more
recent schools of psychology, including behaviorism and cognitive psychology,
remain highly influential.
Today, many psychologists do not align themselves solely
with a single school of thought. Instead, they may take a more
eclectic approach, drawing upon many different perspectives and
theoretical backgrounds.
