Psychology Perspectives - Structuralism, Functionalism and Behaviorism

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Let's look at Structuralism, Functionalism and Behaviorism.

1. These theories include: Structuralism, Functionalism, Gestalt Psychology, Behaviorism, Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Physiological, Evolutionary, Cognitive, Cultural and Diversity, and Environmental, Population, and Conservation.

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 introspection.

Specifically, early in the 19th century the founding father of (coined later structuralism by student Edmund Titchner) experimental psychology was Wilhelm Wundt tried to experimentally confirm his hypothesis that conscious mental life can be broken down into fundamental elements which then form more complex mental structures. Wundt was the founder of the first psychology lab. Specifically, Wundt was interested in describing the structures that compose the mind. He believed that psychology was the science of conscious experience and that trained observers could accurately describe thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a process known as introspection. However, Wundt made a clear distinction between introspection, which he believed was inaccurate, and internal perception. According to Wundt, internal perception involved a properly trained observer who was aware when a stimulus of interest was introduced. Wundt's process required the observer to be keenly aware and attentive of their thoughts and reactions to the stimulus and involved multiple presentations of the stimulus. Of course, because this process relies on personal interpretation, it is highly subjective. Wundt believed that systematically varying the conditions of the experiment would enhance the generality of the observations (http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/wundtprofile.htm). While Wundt's work helped to establish psychology as a separate science and contributed methods to experimental psychology, the structuralist school of thought did not last long beyond Titchener's death. ...