TREY WISE

Introduction to Psychology.PSY 1100-121

THE RISE AND FALL OF

PSYCHOLOGIES SCHOOLS
OF THOUGHT
[Document subtitle]

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The Rise and Fall of Psychologies schools

Psychology is a vast topic of the applied and academic study of the human mind and
behavior (Cherry, 2015). Psychology has been around since humans tried to understand human
behavior and what makes people into the inertial creatures we are today. Early philosophy and
physiology had a profound influence on the birth of psychology, one of the first great
philosopher who study the human mind and how it worked was Aristotle (Hockenburg &
Hockenburg, 2014). Aristotle writings and findings included topics such as sleep, dreams, the
senses, and memory that were influential in early psychology until the beginning of modern
science in the seventeenth century (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). During the seventeenth
century new ideas and findings of psychology began to rise, such philosophers as Rene
Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke started to form the modern science of psychology
we study today (Robinson, 2012).
But when new ideas and theories are formed, old ideas and theories begin to dissipate.
Rene Descartes theory of dualism was one of psychologys first attempt at understanding the
mind and body (Robinson, 2012). Rene Descartes theory of dualism stated that the body is a
physical entity with scientifically measurable behavior, while the mind is a spiritual entity that
cannot be measured since it transcends the material world (Robinson, 2012). Dualism stood
strong until Thomas Hobbes and John Locke two of the most influential philosopher argued
Renes theory of dualism (Robinson, 2012). They said that all human experiences are physical
processes occurring within the brain and nervous system (Robinson, 2012).
With Hobbes and Locke theory that meant that the brain could be study by analyzing a
persons senses, thoughts, emotions, and feelings (Robinson, 2012). Many current psychologist
study Hobbes and Locke theory which is now known as monism and reject Descartes theory of

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dualism (Robinson, 2012). This is just an example on how psychologies ideas and theories lose
their effectiveness in the up and coming science of psychology.
In the 1800s, the emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline had been set by the
foundering father of psychology Wilhelm Wundt. Wundt, was a German physiologist who use
the scientific method to study fundamental psychological processes (Hockenburg & Hockenburg,
2014). Also Wundt published his book, Principles of Physiological Psychology, which he
promoted that psychology should be its own separate science (Hockenburg & Hockenburg,
2014). In 1879, Wundt opened the first psychology research laboratory at the University of
Leipzig (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). This school facilitated over two hundred students
from all over the world, which earn their doctorates in psychology under Wundts direction
(Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). In the years to follow 17,000 students attended Wundts
lectures on psychology which included demonstrations of devices he used to measure mental
processes (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Wundt had a very profound influence on the
development of psychology as a science but like all ideas in psychology even Wundts ideas
were questioned and loss effective as psychology evolved.
In 1892, a student of Wilhelm Wundt named Edward B. Titchener earned his doctorate in
Wundts laboratory (Cherry, 2015). Titchener then went on to accept a position at Cornell
University in Ithaca, New York where he would lead a psychology laboratory himself
(Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Titchener used Wundts ideas and his studies, but added his
own approach to them. This new approach to Wundts ideas was known as Structuralism,
Structuralism became the first major school of thought in psychology (Cherry, 2015). Titchener
idea of Structuralism was explained that even our most complex conscious experiences could be
broken down into structures of conscious thoughts (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). To

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identify these conscious thoughts Titchener trained his subjects in a procedure called
introspection (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014).
Introspection is when a subject would view a stimulus and then try to reconstruct their
feelings right after viewing it (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Even though Structuralism
was the first school of thought it only lasted as long as its creator Titchener lived (Hockenburg &
Hockenburg, 2014). The reason being was that introspection was too limited to the person that
was doing it and even well trained individuals had different experiences to the same stimulus
(Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014).
As Structuralism began to lose its dominates in psychology, it paved the way for a new
school of thought, this school of thought is known as Functionalism. The leading psychologist of
the Functionalism movement was an American psychologist named William James (Cherry,
2015). William James was a professor at Harvard University teaching physiology and anatomy,
but also had a strong interest in psychology after reading one of Wundts articles (Hockenburg &
Hockenburg, 2014). James ideas of psychology didnt use introspection to study his subjects,
James was more interested in studying his subjects in a natural setting (Hockenburg &
Hockenburg, 2014).
Functionalism stressed the importance of how behavior functions to allow people to adapt
to their environments (Cherry, 2015). Unlike Structuralism, Functionalism wasnt interest in
studying the consciousness at a given moment, but seek to study the mental activity that shifts
and changes in the subjects natural environment (Cherry, 2015). Functionalism was also the first
school of thought to examine how psychology could be applied to areas like education and work
environments (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). James research on the different ways

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psychology could impact peoples life was a break through to traditional ideas, but even
Functionalism could not withstand the ever changing science of psychology.
At this time in psychology all the school of thoughts had one thing in common, and it was
that all of them studied the mind and behavior on the consciousness level. Well that was all about
to change with the ideas and studies of this next great school of thought, which was called
Psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud was the physician/psychologist that developed this school of
thought, Psychoanalysis also known as Freudian psychology was the studied of the mind and
behavior on the unconsciousness level (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Freud believed that
human behavior was motivated by unconscious conflicts that were almost always sexual or
aggressive in nature, and when these conflicts became too much for the psych to handle, Freud
believed that it lead to psychological disorders (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). This
psychoanalytic theory also provided the ground work for a distinct form of psychotherapy to help
patients with psychological disorders (Cherry, 2015). Psychoanalysis was a dominate school of
thought in psychology, but another school was on the rise and rejected aspects of Freudian
theories.
Psychoanalysis made its mark in history but now another dominate school of thought was
making its way on the scene in the early 1900s, this school was named Behaviorism (Cherry,
2015). At the forefront of this great school was an American psychologist named John B. Watson
(Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Watson studied the work of a Russian physiologist named
Ivan Pavlov who demonstrated that dogs could learn to associate a sound of a bell, with the
automatic behavior, such as salivating by conditioning (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014).
Pavlov would sound the bell in the dogs ear then he would give the dog food, after the bell and
food association was formed Pavlov then would just sound the bell and the dog would start to

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salivate thinking he was getting food (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Watson took this type
of condition and applied it to studies of his own, with great success he was able to formed
stimulus association in his test also (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014).
There was also another behaviorist that helped this dominate school of thought become
even more of a force in psychology, his name was B.F. Skinner. Skinner believed that
psychology should restrict itself to studying outwardly observable behaviors that could be
measured and verified (Cherry, 2015). Skinners experimental demonstrations, Skinner used
punishment/reinforcement to shape the behavior of rats and pigeons (Cherry, 2015). Behaviorism
dominated American psychology for a half a century, and still till this day behaviorism is still
being use for children therapies (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). It took almost several
decades later, but Behaviorism started to lose its hold on psychology when yet another school of
thought started too emerged.
In American psychology there are three schools of thought known to psychologist as
forces. The term forces, comes from the schools profound effect it had on psychology
(Cherry, 2015). The first two forces I already went over earlier in my paper, Psychoanalysis
and Behaviorism. The third force and also the new school of thought that is taking over the
now dwindling Behaviorism is called Humanistic psychology (Hockenburg & Hockenburg,
2014). Humanistic psychology was largely founded by an American psychologist known as Carl
Rogers (Cherry, 2015).
Like Freud, Rogers was influenced by his experiences with his psychotherapy clients.
However, rather than emphasizing unconscious conflicts, Rogers emphasized the conscious
experiences of his patients (Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Rogers believed that selfdetermination, free will, and choice influenced human behavior unlike what Behaviorism

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(Hockenburg & Hockenburg, 2014). Another psychosis who helped Humanistic psychology gain
its dominance was Abraham Maslow (Cherry, 2015). Maslow, developed a theory of motivation
that emphasized psychological growth through a concept of self-actualization (Hockenburg &
Hockenburg, 2014). Many experts foresee that by the first or second decade of the 21st century,
Humanistic psychology will become the dominant major force. This is because man will slowly
come to realize the origin of bliss is in himself and man will turn to himself for truth, beauty,
happiness, success, and achievement. Neither Freudian psychology nor Behaviorism can be of
definite help in this stage (Raghunathan, 2001).

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Bibliography
Cherry, K. (2015, April 8). 7 of the Major Schools of Thought in Psychology.
Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/.
Hockenburg, D. H., & Hockenburg, S. E. (2014). Psychology Sixth Edition. New York
City: Worth Publishers. Retrieved January 21, 2015
Raghunathan, A. (2001, March 11). A Short History of Western Psychology.
Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.psychology4all.com/historyw.htm.
Robinson, H. (2012, March 21). Dualism. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/:
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/dualism/