Founding Fathers of Psychology
Descartes was known for being in the science and mathematical field. He believed that the mind and the body were two different entities and they interacted through the Pineal Gland; bringing about mental processes.
The two friends would discuss "Mathematical philosophy". And through this connection came Descartes' ventures into the mind and body and his philosophical writings.
Kant found himself in the middle of an idealist and a realist perspective; called a 'transcendental idealist'. He was referred to in functionalism. Kant says that there is a real physical world but humans, being imperfect, cant see the actual nature of it.
Often referred to as the Father of Psychology, Wundt was interested in the "scientific study of human consciousness". He opened the first psychological lab, studying aspects of human consciousness, and made psychology a separate, independent science from philosophy.
Wundt's school of thought was Structuralism. He would breakdown elements and study how they were all related. He would look at thoughts, sensations etc and examine them separately and closely. He would also use introspection to get his insight into people's thoughts and processes.
Wundt's relationship with Philosopher, Psychologist and Physiologist, Hermann von Helmholtz, was a big moment for Wundt's career. They worked in a lab together for 3years where Wundt really established his philosophies. He's remembered as a founding figure for modern Psychology.
Like Immanuel Kant, James was from the perspective of functionalism. Although he didn't break things down but studied the function or purpose of mental processes.
James offered the first course in Psychology in an American University. He broadened the study to include animal behavior, religious experience, adnormal behavior and human consciousness.
He wrote the book called "Principles of Psychology', establishing the core discipline of Psychology. A quote of his goes, "I never had any philosophic instruction, the first lecture on psychology I ever heard being the first I ever gave".
Ebbinghaus was strangely not connected to any school of thought but was known for his research in memory, remembering and forgetting.
Freud was known as the father of psychoanalysis; he would study unconscious experiences to understand behavior and mental processes. He also saw the impact that past experiences had on our development.
His lack of scientific experiments made his work questionable as he would mainly use personal reflections.
After Freud's father died, Freud had many dreams about it and dreams with mixed emotions about the death. This turned Freud to investigating dreams and looking further into unconsciousness. His work influenced all of Psychology, anthropology, and semiotics.
"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select--doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and, yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."
As is clear in this statement, Watson was involved in behaviorism. He focused on how behavior could be learned and controlled by experience.
In studying Psychology at university, Watson saw what he called "faults" in the way that Psychology was researched. He believed that to study something in a directly observable way, got accurate results. Causing him to turn to behavior.
Watson set the scene for behaviorism which is now a huge aspect of Psychology. His research is used in Therapy and changing people's problematic behavior's.
Rogers was involved in humanism. He was a believer in free will and saw that humans are all simply striving to be "good".
He first studied in Psychoanalysis but saw it as negative. Although humanism uses little scientific method, it is widely used today.
He believed for someone to "grow" they needed an environment of genuineness, acceptance and empathy. His disbelief in Psychoanalysis lead to his study in Humanism.
Carl Rogers
(1902 - 1987)
John B Watson
(1878 - 1958)
Sigmund Freud
(1856 - 1939)
1. Rene Descartes ... DUALISM THEORY. Mind and body interact in the Pineal Gland.
Hermann Ebbinghaus
(1850 - 1909)
2. Immanuel Kant (Functionalism) ... Concluded how 2 people can perceive things differently.
He created the "forgetting curve" and found that meaningful information was easier to remember.
3. Wilhelm Wundt (Structuralism) ... The "Father of Psychology". Welcomed first psychology lab and Psychology separate from Philosophy.
4. William James (Functionalism) ... FIRST Psychology Course. Looked at Function and Purpose of mental processes.
William James
(1842 - 1910)
5. Hermann Ebbinghaus ... Forgetting Curve! No school of thought.
6. Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalysis)... Studied Unconsciousness.
John B Watson (Behaviorism) ... Believed in being able to directly observe and confirm.
Carl Rogers (Humanism) ... FREE WILL. All people just trying to reach "goodness".
Wilhelm Wundt
(1832 - 1920)
Immanuel Kant
(1724 - 1804)
His research started the measuring of memory and thought and explained how two people can see the world so differently. Kant's dislike for his religious schooling had an impact on his love for philosophy, as he loathed the forced soul-searching and reliance on grace. He argued that reason is the source of morality.
Rene Descartes
(1596 - 1650)
He called this theory Dualism and this was his school of thought. His theory gave the modern explanation for the mind-body problem in the development of psychology and he was famous for the saying "I think, therefore I am." A minor contribution to Descartes' career in philosophy/psychology was meeting Isaac Beeckman in Breda where Descartes was a gentleman soldier.