The Early Psychologies

The Early Psychologies

According to Carol Wade and Carol Tavris (2005), psychology is the discipline concerned with behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organismЎЇs physical state, mental state, and external environment. The term is often represented by ¦Ð§ the Greek letter psi (Wade & Tavris, 2005). As a result of the early decades of psychologyЎЇs existence as a formal discipline is when three schools of psychological thought became popular (Wade & Tavris, 2005). Two of those, structuralism and functionalism will be compared and contrasted, along with behaviorism which was a break from functionalism.

Structuralism, a school of psychology that Wilhelm Wundt began in 1870 and defended all his life was developed in the first school of psychology. It was a ÐŽostudy of the elements of consciousnessÐŽ± with an idea that a ÐŽoconscious experience can be broken down into basic conscious elements, much as a physical phenomenon can be viewed as consisting of chemical structures that can in turn be broken down into basic elementsÐŽ± (Psychology World, 2006). In order to do this ÐŽostructuralism relied on a method called introspectionÐŽ± which ÐŽohad a principle flawÐŽ± and was one basic reason that structuralism ÐŽocompletelyÐŽ± died in psychology (Psychology World, 2006).

The ÐŽosubject agreement and reliabilityÐŽ± was ÐŽonot consistent with mainstream views of experimental psychologists todayÐŽ± (Psychology World, 2006). It maintained that a ÐŽoconscious experience must be described in its most basic terms,ÐŽ± such as that of describing an object not as just what it actually is in its most basic form (Psychology World, 2006). Structuralism was also later criticized mainly by behaviorists stating that the ÐŽotheory dealt primarily with ÐŽ®non-observableЎЇ abstractionsÐŽ± and was thought to be un-observable ÐŽoelements of consciousnessÐŽ± as a result of ÐŽoun-observable theoretical constructionsÐŽ± that then placed ÐŽoemphasis on internal behaviorÐŽ± (Psychology World, 2006).

Functionalism, as the ÐŽosecond paradigm of psychologyÐŽ± just as ÐŽoimpliedÐŽ± by ÐŽoits name,ÐŽ± ÐŽothe primary interest in this approachÐŽ± was ÐŽoin the function of mental process, including consciousnessÐŽ± (Oxford Companion, 2006). Though not created by any one ÐŽoscholar,ÐŽ± William James was ÐŽoidentified as its early spokesmanÐŽ± (Oxford Companion, 2006).

The term ÐŽofunctionÐŽ± was described as being used ÐŽorather looselyÐŽ± by the functionalists and can refer to ÐŽohow a mental process operatesÐŽ± and ÐŽo how the mental process functions in the evolution of the speciesÐŽ± (Oxford Companion, 2006). Functionalism, ÐŽoas an individual approach lacked a clear formulationÐŽ± and was subjected to the same problematic aspects of ÐŽoreliance on introspectionÐŽ± as was structuralism (Oxford Companion, 2006).

The functionalism theory ÐŽoargued against the structuralism position that conscious can be broken into constituent partsÐŽ± (Oxford Companion, 2006). James believed in the ÐŽ®stream of consciousnessЎЇ ÐŽoproposing that mental life is a unity that flows and changesÐŽ± (Oxford Companion, 2006).

Just as structuralism was argued against by the functionalists, so then was behaviorism a break from functionalism. Behaviorism can be termed as an approach to psychology that delved into the study of behaviors that were observable, along with the role the environment played as an antecedent to the behavior (Wade & Tavris, 2005).

Behaviorism originated with the work of John B. Watson, who ÐŽoemphasized the study of observable behavior, rejecting introspection and the theories of the unconscious mind, and describing behavior in terms of physiological responses to stimuliÐŽ± ( The PSI CafЁ¦, 2006). B. F. Skinner, whose reputation was influenced by WatsonЎЇs work, went on in ÐŽogroundbreaking studies of operant conditioning, and had a major impact on the development of behavior therapyÐŽ± (The PSI CafЁ¦, 2006). Watson described his theory with the analogy of the tempting of Eve by the serpent with the apple; in that, the serpent ÐŽodid not ask Eve to introspect and look into her mind to see what was going onÐŽ± (Watson, 1929). She took what was before her and ate of it. Watson saw behaviorism as a return to ÐŽocommon senseÐŽ± (Watson, 1929).

Structuralism did not withstand the test of time and soon faded out despite an intensive program of research which relied on the contemplation of ones own thoughts, desires, and conduct (Wade & Tavris, 2006). Functionalism emphasized the function or purposes of behavior as opposed to its analysis and description, and soon disappeared as a separate school because it lacked the kind of exactness needed to facilitate its theory. Besides that,