Women's Studies 1022F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Gestalt Psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, Empiricism

• School: Western University
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: Women's Studies 1022F/G
• Professor: Bipasha Baruah

Document Summary

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and the mind. The primary goals of psychological science are to describe, explain, and influence behavior and to apply psychological knowledge to enhance human welfare. Basic research is the quest for knowledge for its own sake, whereas applied research involves the application of knowledge derived from basic research to solve practical problems. Several perspectives have shaped psychology"s scientific growth. Each perspective views human nature differently and focuses on different causes of behavior. Psychology"s intellectual roots lie in philosophy, biology, and medicine. In the late 1800s, wundt and james helped found psychology. Structuralism, which examined the basic components of consciousness, and functionalism, which focused on the purpose of consciousness, were psychology"s two earliest schools of thought. The psychodynamic perspective calls attention to unconscious motives, conflicts, and defense mechanisms that influence personality and behavior. Freud"s psychoanalytical theory emphasized unconscious sexual and aggressive impulses and early childhood experiences that shape personality.