Major Schools of Thought in Psychology Essay Example for Free

study Schools of Thought in Psychology EssayWhen psychology was introductory established as a skill separate from biology and philosophy, the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began. The first prepare of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Al almost immediately, other theories began to emerge and vie for ascendancy in psychology. The following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our knowledge and understanding of psychologyStructuralism vs. Functionalism1) 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 Titchner.2) Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was firmly influenced by the work of William James. This school focused on the functions of human behaviors and not their structure. Major functionalist thinkers included magic Dewey and Harvey Carr. Evolutionary psychology is founded on the view that the function of all psychological phenomena in human phylogeny is a necessary perspective to their understanding.Gestalt Psychology3) Gestalt psychology is based upon the idea that we experience things as matching unscatheds. This lift to psychology began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the molecular approach of structuralism. Rather that breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest element, the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the whole of experience. According to the gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Max Wertheimer is often credited as the founder of this movement.PsychoanalysisSigmund Freud was the found of 4) Psychodynamic approach. This school of thought emphasizes the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Freud believed that th e human mind was composed of three elements the id, the ego, and the superego. early(a) major psychodynamic thinkers include Anna Freud, Carl Jung, and Erik Erikson.Behaviorism5) Behaviorism became the dominant school of thought during the 1950s. Based upon the work of thinkers such as John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner, behaviorism holds that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes, rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Theories of learning including classical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research.Humanistic Psychology6) Humanistic psychology create as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Humanistic psychology instead focused on item-by-item free will, personal growth, and self-actualization. Major humanist thinkers included Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.Cognitive Psychology7) Cognitive psychology is the divide of psychology that studies mental processes includ ing how people think, perceive, problem solve, remember, and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this weapon system of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics. One of the most influential theories from this school of thought was the stages of cognitive culture theory proposed by Jean Piaget. Later work in this field was pioneered by names bid Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck.