Waves of Psychology
• The science of psychology has gone
through about 5 different waves since
it started. Plus, a 6th newer wave as well.
• Waves are different ways of thinking
over time.
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Wave One: Structuralism
•Started with William Wundt’s
first psychological laboratory
and his concept of
structuralism.
•Basic structure of thought and
the brain.
•Edward Titchner: Use
Introspection, self reflection
to learn about yourself.
•What are your thoughts and
experiences as you look at a
rose?
2
Wave Two: Functionalism
• Focused on the function or purpose of
the conscious mind as well as behaviors.
• William James: Smelling is what the nose
does, thinking is what the brain does; why?
– These things develop because they have
adapted to help our survival and the
survival of our ancestors.
• Based heavily on Darwinist thinking.
3
Wave Three: Gestalt Psychology
• Led by Max Wertheimer, these guys focused not on
how we feel, but on how we experience the world.
• The whole of an experience can be more than the
sum of its parts.
This may seem like
one picture, but it can
be perceived as 3
different faces. Can
you find them?
Think for a moment of all the reasons that you love your mom.
If you add all those reasons up, do they equal your love for your mom?
Hopefully not!!! 4
Wave Four: Psychoanalysis
• This wave of thinking started
with Sigmund Freud
• How are unconscious mind
and childhood experiences
affect our behavior.
• In a nutshell, during this time
period people believed that
most of your feelings come
from a hidden place in your
mind called the unconscious.
• We protect ourselves from
our real feeling by using
defense mechanisms.
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Wave Five: Behaviorism
• During this time period (early to
mid 1900s), people started to
ignore how you feel inside.
• All that mattered was how you
acted.
• B.F. Skinner was forerunner of
Behaviorism.
• If you could change your behavior,
who cares how you feel.
• Very popular during the
conservative 1950’s when social
appearance mattered more than
self expression. 6
Wave Six: Eclectic
• We are now in wave six….which is about variety.
• Psychologists pick and choose what theories to use
depending on the situation and the client.
• Eclectic means a person who derives ideas, style, or taste
from a broad and diverse range of sources.
• IE – On your IPod you have rock, rap, gospel, and
country music. 7
Check for Understanding
Consider the following statements and identify the most
likely approach or early school of thought being
referenced
Structuralism, Functionalism, Gestalt, or Psychoanalytic
Example #1: Which early approach sought out the
evolved purposes of behaviors and mental process?
Example #2: “The whole of the conscious experience is
more meaningful than the sum of its parts” is most
closely related to which historical school of thought?
Example #3: Which early approach trained subjects to
describe their conscious experience to identify the
elements of thought? 8
Today psychologists pick and choose from
about 7 schools of thought to help you
with your problems.
Thus we have:
THE SEVEN SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY
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Behavioral Perspective
• Focuses on observable
Pretend that you
fail psychology
behaviors while putting
class. You feelings to the side.
become • Deals with how we learn
depressed. In
turn, you begin • We behave in ways
to binge and because we have been
gain weight.
conditioned to do so.
What do you think
a behaviorist may
• To change behaviors, we
do? have to recondition the
They would probably client.
ignore the fact that you
are depressed and just
• B.F. Skinner
focus on your • Ivan Pavlov
overeating. 10
Maybe make you run a mile every time you eat over 2000 calories.
Biological Perspective
• Its all about the function
of the brain and body
chemistry
• Sample Questions: How
are messages transmitted
throughout the body?
How is blood chemistry
linked to moods and
motives. 11
Cognitive Perspective
• Cognitive means
thought process or
thinking EVERY TIME
you see it
• Focuses on how we
She rejects you…don’t
think (or encode You meet a girl… even get a phone
information) Hopes are high!!! number.
• How do we see the How do you react to the rejection?
world?
• How did we learn to act
to sad or happy events?
• Cognitive Therapist
attempt to change the Some learned get back on Some learned to give up
the horse and live a lonely life of
way you think. And try again. solitude.
12
Humanist Perspective
• Peaked in the late 1960’s
and 70’s….so it focused on
spirituality and free will.
• We have to strive to be
the best we can be “self-
actualization”.
• Happiness is defined by
the distance between
our “self-concept” and
“ideal self”.
• Abraham Maslow
• Carl Rogers
13
Psychoanalytic Perspective
• Any time your see the If a man has
prefix PYSCHO it means intimacy issues
unconscious!!! and cannot form
• Focuses on the relationships
unconscious mind. with others.
What do you
• We repress many of our think someone
true feelings and are from this school
not aware of them. may think?
• In order to get better, Perhaps they may
we must bring forward delve into the man’s
the true feelings we unconscious and
have in our unconscious. discover that he was
bullied when he were
• Sigmund Freud younger. The bullying
• Carl Jung may have caused fear
in getting close to
others.
14
Social-Cultural Perspective
• Says that much of your
behavior and your feelings
are dictated by the culture
you live in.
• Some cultures kiss each
other when greeting, some
just bow.
• Does your culture place value
on individual or the group?
15
Evolutionary Perspective
• Focuses on Darwinism.
• We behave the way we do because
we inherited those behaviors.
• Thus, those behaviors must have
helped ensure our ancestors survival.
• How does evolution influence
behavior tendencies? Why do
men and women have
different mating
strategies?
16
Check for Understanding
Identify the most likely contemporary approach being
referenced.
Example #1: Researchers believe that individuals may
inherit genes from their parents that increases the
chances they develop an anxiety disorder.
Example #2: To help a child struggling at school, a
psychologist highlights how reinforcements and
punishments shape and change the child’s behavior.
Example #3: A psychologist proposes altruism and
aggression increased the chances of human survival and,
as a result, remain today in the human gene pool.
Example #4: A psychologist believes depression is the
result of irrational and excessively negative thoughts. 17
Check for Understanding- Apply
Ava is very involved in her high school, and she is the
captain of the soccer team, the president of student
council, and the most successful member on her
school’s debate team. Despite her success, she
frequently has trouble with relationships with both
teachers and classmates. She has a short temper and
often gets into verbal confrontations. Explain Ava’s
behavior with one contemporary psychological
approaches.
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