- Psychology is defined formally as a science that studies mental processes, experiences, and behaviour in different contexts.
- Stimulus and Response: Both can be internal or external.
- Brain Imagining Techniques: These can study brain processes in real-time.
– fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
– EEG (Electroencephalogram)
| Name | Father | Place of Origin |
| Structuralism | Wundt/Titchner | Germany |
| Functionalism | William James | America |
| Gestalt | Max Wertheimer | Germany |
| Behaviourism | J.B. Watson | America |
| Psychoanalytical | Sigmund Freud | Austria |
| Humanistic | Carl Rogers | America |
| Purposivism | William McDougall | England |
1) Structuralism: Father of Structuralism & Introspection = William Wundt
- First school of psychology.
- Focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic form.
- Its goal was to determine the structure of the mind (consciousness).
- Supporter = William Wundt, Titchner, etc.
- Titchner gave the words ‘Structuralism’ and ‘Introspection’.
- Introspection = Mental Activities (Mind, Memory, Reflection): Introspection involves engaging in mental activities such as thinking (mind), recalling past experiences (memory), and analysing these experiences and thoughts (reflection) to gain insight into your own mental and emotional state.
- Started Experimental Method.
- Criticism– Less scientific because of its subjective nature; different observers provided different responses to the same stimuli; not helpful in case of children and animals; complex subjects like personality, mental disorders and development are difficult to study through this method.
- Margaret Washburn – Student of William Wundt
- First woman to earn a PhD in Psychology in 1894.
- Book: The Animal Mind.
2) Functionalism: William James
- Countered structuralism
- Focused on how mind functions to help humans adapt to their environment.
- Suggested psychology should focus on function or purpose of consciousness.
- Main Focus = Learning Process, Curriculum, Teaching Methods, Evaluation
- Influenced by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: Just as organisms evolve and adapt to their environments for survival, functionalism views societal elements as evolving and adapting to meet the needs of society and maintain stability.
- Supporter = John Dewey (Learning by doing), William James
- Mental activities are dynamic and functional.
- William James:
- Published Principles of Psychology
- Father of Modern Psychology & Father of American Psychology
- Mary Whiton Calkins:
- Student of William James
- First woman to become the President of the American Psychological Association (APA) (14th President)
- Book: An Introduction to Psychology
3) Behaviourism: J.B. Watson
- “Mind of a child is Tabula Rasa.” John Locke
- “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take anyone at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.” J.B. Watson
- Watson defined psychology as a study of behaviour and response to stimuli.
- By behaviour, he meant observable and measurable aspects of behaviour.
- Behaviorists believe that they can’t see the mind, but can see how people act, react and behave.
- They believe that environment plays an important role in shaping and influencing an individual’s behaviour.
Introspection→ Extrospection = Observation
Focused on observable (overt) behaviour and conditioning.- Focus= Understanding, Heredity & Environment
- Supporters: Skinner, Pavlov, Tolman, Hull, Thorndike, John Locke, etc.
4) Psychoanalytic School: Sigmund Freud
- Focused on the influence of the unconscious mind on behaviour.
- Analysis of forgetfulness, mispronunciation, jokes and dreams.
- Oedipus and Electra.
- Eros and Thanatos.
- Human mind is composed of three elements: id, ego, and superego
5) Humanistic: Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow
- Focused on individual’s free will, personal growth and self-actualisation.
- Emphasised on helping people achieve and fulfil their inner potential.
- Focused on helping people live a happier more fulfilling life.
6) Gestaltism: Wertheimer (Perception)
- Instead of breaking down thoughts and behaviour into their smallest elements, Gestalt psychologists believed one must experience them as a whole.
- Perception, creativity, thinking
- The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Supporters: Koffka (Memory), Kohler (Learning), Kurt Levin
- This school was developed in Germany in about 1912 AD.
- Based on insight:
Insight refers to a deep understanding or clear perception of something. It’s the ability to see and understand the true nature of a situation, problem, or concept. In simpler terms, insight is when you have an “aha!” moment and grasp something important or meaningful that wasn’t obvious before. - Perception is the way you interpret or understand the world through your senses. It’s how you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things, and how you make sense of those experiences. In simple terms, perception is how you perceive or make sense of what’s happening around you.
7) Cognitive School of Psychology
- In the 1960s, Miller and Jerome Bruner established the center for cognition.
- Studies mental processes.
- It involves thinking, understanding, memorising, problem solving, etc.
- Compares mind to computer meaning mind receives, processes, transforms, stores and retrieves information.
- Considers thinking as information processing.
8) Constructivism : Piaget & Vygotsky
- Piaget believed that the learners “actively” construct their own knowledge.
- Learners use their previous knowledge as a foundation and build on it with new things they learn.
- As the learner gain new experiences, they will continually update their mental models with new information and construct their interpretation of reality.
- Example- An interactive way of learning, where students are engaging in asking questions and sharing their views rather than just passively listening to the teacher.
