The meaning of psychology has changed a lot over time. Let’s break that down:
Ancient Ideas: Long ago, thinkers like Plato and Aristotle wondered about why people act the way they do. They laid the groundwork for what we now think of as psychology.
Structuralism and Functionalism: In the late 1800s, a man named Wilhelm Wundt started using experiments to study the mind. This was the birth of structuralism. At the same time, another thinker, William James, focused on functionalism. He was interested in how our thoughts and feelings help us in everyday life.
Behaviorism: In the early 1900s, John B. Watson brought a new idea called behaviorism. He believed that psychology should focus only on what we can see: people’s actions. This approach stressed the importance of seeing things for ourselves.
Cognitive Revolution: In the 1950s, psychologists started to pay more attention to how we think, remember, and understand things. This led to the rise of cognitive psychology, which has grown a lot since then. Nowadays, over 90% of psychology researchers study different parts of how we think.
Because of all these changes, psychology is now defined as the scientific study of behavior and how our minds work.
The meaning of psychology has changed a lot over time. Let’s break that down:
Ancient Ideas: Long ago, thinkers like Plato and Aristotle wondered about why people act the way they do. They laid the groundwork for what we now think of as psychology.
Structuralism and Functionalism: In the late 1800s, a man named Wilhelm Wundt started using experiments to study the mind. This was the birth of structuralism. At the same time, another thinker, William James, focused on functionalism. He was interested in how our thoughts and feelings help us in everyday life.
Behaviorism: In the early 1900s, John B. Watson brought a new idea called behaviorism. He believed that psychology should focus only on what we can see: people’s actions. This approach stressed the importance of seeing things for ourselves.
Cognitive Revolution: In the 1950s, psychologists started to pay more attention to how we think, remember, and understand things. This led to the rise of cognitive psychology, which has grown a lot since then. Nowadays, over 90% of psychology researchers study different parts of how we think.
Because of all these changes, psychology is now defined as the scientific study of behavior and how our minds work.