Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have

changed over time. By an extension, the term "the etymology of [a word]" means the origin of the particular word. Structuralism and Functionalism Structuralism was the first school of psychology, and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Major structuralist thinkers include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. The focus of structuralism was on reducing mental processes down into their most basic elements. 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. Major functionalist thinkers included John Dewey and Harvey Carr. Instead of focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist thinkers were instead interested in the role that these processes play. Behaviorism 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 includingclassical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research. Wilhelm Wundt, in Germany, established the foundations of modern psychology in 1879. He wanted to study, experimentally, the conscious experience of individuals. As discussed earlier, the different schools of thought gradually emerged after psychology took this scientific turn. These schools were basically different ways of observation, description, understanding, and prediction of psychological phenomena; in the present context, mental processes and behavior EARLIER SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT The earlier schools that paved the way for further developments in modern psychology were STRUCTURALISM: focused on studying the conscious experience by looking into its individual parts or elements. FUNCTIONALISM: focused on what the mind does and how it does. GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY: focused on studying the whole experience of a person rather than breaking it into individual components. PSYCHODYNAMIC SCHOOL: focuses on the unconscious forces that drive/ motivate human behavior. BEHAVIORIST / BEHAVIORAL SCHOOL: focuses on studying the behavior that is observable and overt. PREVALENT APPROACHES / MODELS / PERSPECTIVES At present some of the earlier approaches still exist. Psychologists belonging to these sets of theories have contributed a lot to the body of psychological knowledge and practice. Today, we can see at least six approaches or models of dealing with the psychological phenomena. BIOLOGICAL APPROACH The psychological model that views behavior from the perspective of biological functioning. The role of brain, genes, neurotransmitters, endocrine glands etc. How the individual nerve cells are joined together, how the inheritance of certain characteristics from parents and other ancestors influences behavior, how the functioning of the body affects hopes and fears, what behaviors are due to instincts,

and so on. Psychologists using the biological model view even more complex kinds of behaviors such as emotional responses e.g. anxiety, as having critical biological components. PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH The approach that concentrates on the belief that behavior is motivated by the inner forces, over which individuals have little control. Founded by the Viennese physician Sigmund Freud in early 1900s, proponents of psychodynamic perspective give importance to the inner unconscious experiences and the forces that led that behavior. Freud believed that unconscious determinants of behavior had a revolutionary effect on 20th century thinking, not just in psychology but also in related fields a well. Although many of the basic principles of psychodynamic thinking have been highly criticized, the model grown out of Freuds work has provided a way not only for treating mental disorders but also for understanding everyday phenomena such a prejudice and aggression. BEHAVIORIST / BEHAVIORAL APPROACH The psychological model that focuses on the overt observable behavior. The model emerged as a reaction to the earlier approaches that emphasized the significance of hidden, underlying, predetermined forces. The behaviorists suggest that observable behavior alone should be the main area of interest to psychology. The Synonyms and Antonyms form an integral part of the English Language. Acquaintance with the vocabulary of the English language is a necessity for effective expression either in the written or in the oral from. Synonym is nothing but the similar meaning of a particular word or its semantic relation. So,it is a word or a phrase that means the same as another word or a phrase in the same language. Antonyms are the negative connotation of a particular word. An Antonym is a word or phrase that is opposite in meaning to a particular word or a phrase in the same language. This page is a the largest collection of similar as well as the opposite meaning of words with their usages. Reading this list is a great fun, while expanding your vocabulary at the same time. It is meant to help to improve the vocabulary of the visitors, the students (who are preparing for various examinations), the authors, journalists, literati and all other people who are interested in improving their language skills. Requirement of appropriate word for the appropriate occasion is inevitable because only with a good knowledge of words one can express the thoughts and feelings meticulously. So, this page, which contains a wide range of words arranged alphabetically with maximum number of possible Synonyms and Antonyms along with their usages, will prove to be a ready reckoner and reference for any person who requires words at hand for appropriate use. This site in general and this page in particular will certainly help the visitors to increase their knowledge of vocabulary in an exhaustive way. Whilst browsing through this list, at one full swoop you will pick up many words with the same or a related and the opposite meaning. We have tried our best to make this site as informative as possible. It will certainly help in broadening the horizons of knowledge of the visitors. We also apologize for the mistakes which are not deliberately committed. Both suggestions and criticisms to enhance the quality of this site are sincerely welcomed. Use our Contact Us form to submit both your suggestions and criticisms. So enjoy this list and then get around for preparing your own list of Synonyms and Antonyms. There is no better way of boosting your word power.