Eventually both of these schools of thought lost dominance in psychology, replaced by the rise of , , and . Structuralism Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Researchers tried to understand the basic elements of consciousness using a method known as . , founder of the , is often associated with this school of thought despite the fact that it was his student Edward B. Titchener who first coined the term to describe this school of thought. While Wundt's work helped to establish psychology as a separate science and contributed methods to experimental psychology, Wundt himself referred to his view of psychology as volunteerism and his theories tended to be much more holistic than the ideas that Titchener later introduced in the United States. Titchener's development of structuralism helped establish the very first "school" of psychology, but structuralism itself did not last long beyond Titchener's death. Major Structuralist Thinkers Edward B. Titchener Criticisms of Structuralism scientific standards, the used to study the structures of the mind were too By today’s subjective—the use of introspection led to a lack of reliability in results. Other critics argue that structuralism was too concerned with internal behavior, which is not directly observable and cannot be accurately measured. Strengths of Structuralism Structuralism is important because it is the first major school of thought in psychology. Structuralism also influenced experimental psychology. Functionalism Functionalism formed as a reaction to the structuralism and was heavily influenced by the work of and the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin. Functionalists sought to explain the mental processes in a more systematic and accurate manner. Rather than focusing on the elements of consciousness, functionalists focused on the of consciousness and behavior. purpose Functionalism also emphasized individual differences, which had a profound impact on education.
Eventually both of these schools of thought lost dominance in psychology, replaced by the rise of , , and . Structuralism Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Researchers tried to understand the basic elements of consciousness using a method known as . , founder of the , is often associated with this school of thought despite the fact that it was his student Edward B. Titchener who first coined the term to describe this school of thought. While Wundt's work helped to establish psychology as a separate science and contributed methods to experimental psychology, Wundt himself referred to his view of psychology as volunteerism and his theories tended to be much more holistic than the ideas that Titchener later introduced in the United States. Titchener's development of structuralism helped establish the very first "school" of psychology, but structuralism itself did not last long beyond Titchener's death. Major Structuralist Thinkers Edward B. Titchener Criticisms of Structuralism By today’s scientific standards, the used to study the structures of the mind were too subjective—the use of introspection led to a lack of reliability in results. Other critics argue that structuralism was too concerned with internal behavior, which is not directly observable and cannot be accurately measured. Strengths of Structuralism Structuralism is important because it is the first major school of thought in psychology. Structuralism also influenced experimental psychology. Functionalism Functionalism formed as a reaction to the structuralism and was heavily influenced by the work of and the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin. Functionalists sought to explain the mental processes in a more systematic and accurate manner. Rather than focusing on the elements of consciousness, functionalists focused on the purpose of consciousness and behavior. Functionalism also emphasized individual differences, which had a profound impact on education.
psychology.docx