history of psychology

Introduction to

PSYCHOLOGY

Prepared by:

Rigen V. Maalam

La Salle University

College of Teacher Education

Overview

I. Psychology Defined

II. History: Timeline

a. Women in Psychology: Founding

Mothers

III. Branches of Psychology

a. Pure Branches

b. Applied Branches


• psy·chol·o·gy [sī kólləjee]

• (plural psy·chol·o·gies) noun

1. study of human mind: the scientific study of the

human mind and mental states, and of human and

animal behavior

2. characteristic mental makeup: the characteristic

temperament and associated behavior of a person or

group, or that exhibited by those engaged in an

activity


3. subtle manipulative behavior: subtle clever actions

and words used to influence a person or group

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


• Philosopher Plato (427-347 BCE) and French

Philosopher/Mathematician Rene Descartes

(1596-1650), who were against of John Locke,

believed that some knowledge was born in

humans.

• Late 19th century- the start of the formal

Psychology as a scientific discipline.


• Wilhem Wundt

-established the first experimental laboratory in

Leipzig, Germany, devoted to psychological

phenomena.

-a professor of Biology in Germany

-regarded as the “Father of Modern Psychology”

-his aim was to study the building blocks of mind

-he considered psychology to be the study of

conscious experience

II. Women in Psychology:

Founding Mothers

II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers

In early 1900’s, many universities would not even

admit women to their graduate psychology

programs. Social prejudices hindered women’s

participation in the early development of

Psychology.


• Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939)

-the fist woman to receive a doctorate in

psychology and she did important work on

animal behavior.


• Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886-1939)

-one of the first psychologist to focus on child

development and on women’s issues.

-collected data to refute the view that women’s

abilities periodically decline during parts of their

menstrual cycle.


• Mary Calkins (1863-1930)

-studied memory in the early part of the 20th

century and became the first female president of

the American Psychological Association (APA)


• Karen Horney (1885-1952)

- reads as Ka-ren Horn-eye

-focused on the social and cultural factors

behind personality


• June Etta Downey (1875-1932)

-spearheaded the study of personality traits and

became the first woman to head a psychology

department at a state university


• Anna Freud (1895-1982)

-daughter of Sigmund Freud who made notable

contributions to the treatment of abnormal

behavior.


• Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983)

-carried out pioneering work on how children of

color grew to recognize racial differences

III. Branches

of Psychology

A. Pure Branches

of Psychology

A. Pure Branches of Psychology

• Behavioral Neuroscience

-mainly examines how the brain and nervous

system—as well as biological processes—

determine behavior


• Experimental Psychology

-studies the processes of sensing, perceiving,

learning and thinking about the world

-typically involves laboratory research in basic

areas of the discipline


• Cognitive Psychology

-focuses on higher mental processes including

thinking, memory, reasoning, problem-solving,

judging, decision-making and language


• Developmental Psychology

-studies how people grow and change from the

moment of conception through death


• Personality Psychology

-focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior

over time and the traits that differentiate one

person from another


• Cross-cultural Psychology

-investigates the similarities and differences in

psychological functioning in and across various

cultures and ethnic groups


• Social Psychology

-study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and

actions are affected by others

-includes human aggression, liking and loving,

persuasion, and conformity


• Abnormal Psychology

-study of the etiology or cause of mental,

emotional or personality disorders, or the

individual’s behavior deviates from the norms,

thus abnormal


• Evolutionary Psychology

-considers how behavior is influenced by our

genetic inheritance from our ancestors


• Behavioral Genetics

-studies the inheritance of traits related to

behavior


• Clinical Neuropsychology

-unites the areas of biopsychology and clinical

psychology, focusing on the relationship

between biological factors and psychological

factors

B. Applied Branches

of Psychology

B. Applied Branches of Psychology

• Health Psychology

-explores the relationship between psychological

factors and physical disorders


• Clinical Psychology

-deals with the study, diagnosis and treatment of

psychological disorders


• Counseling Psychology

-focuses primarily on educational, social and

career adjustment problems


• Educational Psychology

-concerned with teaching and learning

processes, such as the relationship between

motivation and school performance


• Environmental Psychology

-considers the relationship between people and

their physical environment


• Forensic Psychology

-focuses on legal issues, such as determining

the accuracy of witness’ memories


• Industrial/Organizational Psychology

-concerned with the psychology of workplace

-applies psychological principles to improve

productivity in business, industry and

government organization


• School Psychology

-devoted to counseling children in elementary

and secondary schools who have academic or

emotional problems


• Sports Psychology

-applies psychology to athletic activity and

exercise


• Consumer Psychology

-deals with the consumer’s activities directly

involved in selecting, obtaining and using

products, services and ideas to satisfy needs

and desires, including decision processes that

precede and follow their actions


• Engineering Psychology

-concerned with man and machine system that

is fitting man and machine together so that both

can function with efficiency and effectiveness


• Community Psychology

-provides psychological services for unprivileged

client groups like homeless, poor and others

who have stressful conditions of life who need

help but tend not to seek it, and offers changes

for prevention from psychological disorders in

the community


• Psychology of Women

-focuses on issues such as discrimination

against women and the cause of violence

against women

Thank You!