Functionalism

General paradox Major figure in American psychology, yet

viewed by some colleagues as a negative force Considered by many scholars to be greatest

American psychologist Espoused mentalistic and psychical

phenomena (telepathy, séances, etc.) Not an experimentalist in attitude or deed

Did not found functional psychology, but did influence the movement

Espoused new goal of psychology: Study of people as they adapt to their

environmentFunction of consciousness:

To enable survival Interested in how brain (physical

structures) affect consciousnessStream of consciousness

Is a continuous flow, always changing Cannot be “reduced” to elements Is selective about what it attends to

Humans are sometimes nonrational

The principles of psychology - 1890

The then-current theory: Emotion precedes physical arousal/response We see a lion,

we feel fear (emotion) we run (response) James:

Physical arousal/response precedes emotion We see a lion,

we have a bodily response we run (response) we fear (emotion – an interpretation of bodily changes)

Bodily change is the emotion (increased heart rate, increased breathing, sweaty palms)

If no bodily change, then no emotion

The theory of emotions

Introspection

Experimentation

Comparative method

PragmatismThe validity of an idea must be tested by

looking at its practical consequences“anything is true if it works”

Very clear, interesting writing style

Opposed Wundt

Offered an alternative to Wundt

Functionalists’ central interest: how the organism uses the mind to adapt to

the environment

First uniquely American system of psychology

Deliberate protest against Wundt's and Titchener's systems

Interest in applying psychology to real world

Consciousness cannot be meaningfully analyzed into elements, it removes all meaning

Argued structure and function cannot be meaningfully separated

Behavior should be treated in terms of its significance to the organism as it functions in its environment

Proper subject for psychology: study of the total organism as it functions in its

environment

Functionalists did not mean to start a new school of though

Formalized indirectly when Titchener named it

Therefore, there was no single functional psychology, no leaders

American temperament Individualistic, independent, hard-working,

adaptable, practical Distinctive social, economic, and political

characterPioneering societyUS population census (1890)

Functionalism not clearly defined

Did not follow Titchener’s subject matter or methods

Applied to real-life situations

Opposition to structuralism Bridged move from study of subjective

mind to study of objective behavior Legitimacy of research on animal

behavior Inclusion of humans other than “normal

adults” as subjects Allowed applied aspects of research Development and inclusion of research

methods beyond introspection

By the end of the 19th century, evolutionary theory and functional psychology had a strong footing in United States

American psychology guided more by ideas of Darwin and Galton than by Wundt

Although Wundt trained 1st generation of American psychologists, few of his ideas accompanied them home

Strong interest in a useful, applied psychology

Applied psychology took hold in the discipline 1900: 25% of articles in American psychology

journals had applied focus Only 3% used introspection Even Titchener acknowledged the strong trend

toward application

Dominance in numbers 1903: more PhD's in psychology than in any

science other than chemistry, zoology, and physics

1913: United States had more of world’s leading psychologists than any other country

PopularityWithin 20 years of the founding of psychology,

America became undisputed leader of the field Required psychology courses included in the

undergraduate curriculum Burgeoning enrollment in psychology courses Increasing number of students engaged in original

research

Psychology in the US

1900: three times as many PhDs as laboratories

Pressure to prove psychology’s value

Opportunity