PSYC 1020H Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: 19Th-Century Philosophy, Abraham Maslow, Wilhelm Wundt
3 May 2018
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The Evolution Of Psychology
From Speculation to Science: How Psychology Developed
● Psychology’s intellectual parents included classic philosophy and 19th century
philosophy and physiology, which shared an interest in the mysteries of the mind.
Psychology was born as an independent discipline when Wilhelm Wundt
established the first psychological research lab in 1879 at Leipzig, Germany. He
argued that psychology should be the scientific study of consciousness.
● This structuralists believed that psychology should use introspection to analyze
consciousness into its basic elements. Functionalists, such as William James.
Believed that psychology should focus on the purpose and adaptive function of
consciousness.
● Behaviourists, led by John B. Watson, argued that psychology should study only
observable behaviour. Thus, they campaigned to redefine psychology as the
science of behaviour. Emphasizing the importance of the environment over
heredity, they began to explore stimulus-response relationships, often using lab
animals as subjects.
● Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory emphasized the unconscious
determinants of behaviour and the importance of sexuality. Freud’s idea were
controversial, and they met with resistance in academic psychology.
● Behaviourism continued as a powerful force in psychology, boosted greatly by
B.F. Skinner’s research. Skinner is his research emphasized observable
behaviour, and he generated controversy by arguing that free will is an illusion.
● Finding both behaviourism and psychoanalysis unsatisfactory, advocates of a
new theoretical orientation called humanism became influential in the 1950’s.
Humanism, led by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, emphasized humans’
freedom and potential for personal growth.
● The first experimental lab in Canada was established in 1891 at the university of
toronto by James Mark Baldwin. Rapid growth in Canada psychology has been
evident over the last century.
● Stimulated by the demands of World War 2, clinical psychology grew rapidly in
the 1950s. Thus, psychology became a profession as well as a science. This
Document Summary
Psychology"s intellectual parents included classic philosophy and 19th century philosophy and physiology, which shared an interest in the mysteries of the mind. Psychology was born as an independent discipline when wilhelm wundt established the first psychological research lab in 1879 at leipzig, germany. He argued that psychology should be the scientific study of consciousness. This structuralists believed that psychology should use introspection to analyze consciousness into its basic elements. Believed that psychology should focus on the purpose and adaptive function of consciousness. Behaviourists, led by john b. watson, argued that psychology should study only observable behaviour. Thus, they campaigned to redefine psychology as the science of behaviour. Emphasizing the importance of the environment over heredity, they began to explore stimulus-response relationships, often using lab animals as subjects. Sigmund freud"s psychoanalytic theory emphasized the unconscious determinants of behaviour and the importance of sexuality. Freud"s idea were controversial, and they met with resistance in academic psychology.
