Foundations of Psychology

Psychology research and studies have come a long way in learning more how the human brain affects the way we think, learn, and behave throughout the stages of life. Psychology first sparked a huge interest for further experiments and research when people were unable to recall memories that were tied to the response rendered following severe head trauma. According to (Kowalski & Westen, 2011) "Humans are complex creatures whose psychological experience lies at the intersection of biology and culture." In order to fully understand the brain and what makes people think, act, and behave in certain ways, we must learn and understand the schools of thought, the four perspectives, and who the major theorists were in each.

Schools of Thought (Structuralism and Functionalism)

William Wundt known as the "father of psychology" believed that there was more to psychology than just experiments, but rather a person's religion and language were also essential to understanding mental processes. He used objects which were presented to his observers to record their thoughts, sensations, and feelings and combined them together for a more meaningful perception on what manipulated those responses.

Structuralism was introduced by a student of William Wundt who was known as Edward Tichener. He was most interested in the structural makeup of the conscious and unlike Wundt he believed that psychology should be studied only by experiments. Eventually, sensations and feelings were named as unscientific because this method was immeasurable. Back in the day, structuralism was considered the most powerful schools of thought.

The second school of thought is functionalism, focused mainly on helping people to cope and adapt to their surroundings. William James a founder of functionalism believed that the study of psychology included many sources other than experiments, but rather thru the use of animals, children, and those considered mentally ill.

Functionalism was the trademark of Charles Darwin's theory of the evolutionary psychological thought which will be discussed later on in this paper. These two schools of thought were divided to offer more perspectives and assumptions of these theories.

Psychoanalytic (Psychodynamic)

The psychoanalytic perspective or also called psychodynamics' main focus is what is on the "inside the head" of people in order to explain their relationships, experiences, and their perspective on the world around them. Sigmund Freud' theory was people were clueless as to how their minds processed thoughts, so therefore they did not understand how they acted, behaved, or felt. All humans have a conscious dream and sense of purpose, however this sometimes have conflicting events with our unconscious intentions without the person ever being fully aware. Freud's style of psychology was to discover and disclose the real reasons why a person felt, reacted, and behaved in a certain way.

Behaviorist

The behaviorist perspective states that certain objects and/or events can cause a certain behavior. Ivan Pavlov a physiologist was a world known behaviorist in the early twentieth century. He believed that over a period of time animals could learn and behave by a particular sound or object. For example, training a dog to use the bathroom outside instead of inside thru the use of reinforcements, such as a treat, the dog would learn the rewards for good behavior.