Psychology is a controlled study of awareness and conduct in individuals and animal species. Its derivation can be sketched back to early Greece 400 BC with great thinkers and philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle who looked into recollection, free will and desirability which are still subjects covered in contemporary psychology. Aristotle was an empiricist he believed that knowledge is acquired by experience observation and experimentation. His views created a basis for the approaches of empirical psychological exploration (Brett). Plato was a rationalist who believed that awareness is attained through reasoning and examining with the aim of understanding the world and the people and animals relationship to it. Plato’s view designed the grounds for the study of psychological procedures, actions that may result in a subsequent practical inquiry. Both views have merit today since theorizing needs empirical research to draw conclusions and empirical findings require theorizing to study and interpret their observations.
In the early year's psychology was developed and had two main perceptions. Functionalism was one of the themes that looked into the principal causes of behavior and thoughts. The psychologists argued that the mind is frequently transforming and it will be futile to study and draw conclusions from experiences (Brett). They concluded that focusing on the reason and consequences that influence action will derive more reliable outcomes. The second perception was structuralism which was based on taught reflection (Brett). In this study, related individuals were tasked with various activities, and their reactions and actions were recorded and compared, the method was later evidenced to be undependable since subjects had individual personality’s which influenced their actions.
In the year 1879, a laboratory enthusiastic to psychology was opened by Wilhelm Wundt where he was able to separate psychology from philosophy by scrutinizing the performance of the mind applying more unbiased and standardized techniques. Science uses an empirical methodology that argues that springs of awareness come through our five human senses. As science, each psychological theme is governed by assumptions about people’s preference and their priorities (Brett). Psychology took time to develop into a scientific discipline because there was the need to consolidate which took a long period. After years of assumptions psychology as a science began to materialize in the late nineteenth century, the lab created an environment for scientists to figure out a way of imposing scientific approaches to studying behavior.
The behaviorist psychologist were the pioneers of the lab centered tactic, and the cognitive psychologists later adopted the controlled experiments and rejected ant intangible forces that influence conduct (Brett).. Behaviorist psychologists intensely held the scientific standard of determinism and regulation which helped them derive fairly accurate and stable anticipations about how humans and animals were likely to respond. They applied these conclusions to regulate behavior for both animals and humans. Cognitive psychologist, on the other hand, adopted the scientific style to unobservable perceptual processes by advancing specific simulations and conducting tryouts upon behavior to endorse or dispute them (Brett). Psychological approaches are governed by similar acknowledged requirements as scientific methods although psychological findings are limited to a specific period and a specific group of people, unlike scientific findings. Philosophers such as Rene Descartes founded a physical model to explain the behavior of animals and human beings. Rene viewed the brain as the link between mind and body (Brett). The principles scientific study of psychology should be based on the understanding of biology.
Outcome 2
Psychologists argue that there is no one specific correct way to monitor how people reason and act. These led to the development of various schools of thought which shaped psychology and continue to mold the way psychologists study human activities. Some psychologists attribute human behavior and thoughts to biological factors like genetics while others say that behavior and reasoning are influenced by an individual’s childhood experiences and environment. Both perspectives are relevant since they apply emphasis on different areas in psychology in their study and scrutiny of behavior (James).
In the year 1874, a German scientist known as Ernst developed the psychodynamic theory. He stated that all creatures with breath are energy organisms administrated by the standard of energy preservation. The psychodynamic approach studies human actions, moods, and passions about childhood practices (James). The theory is specifically involved in the active affiliation among the conscious and the unconscious incentive and emphasizes that actions are the product of underlying struggles over which individuals often have slight awareness. The psychodynamic theory is based on two assumptions; one that a significant percentage of mental existence is unconscious and secondly previous experiences greatly influence the way an individual feels and acts throughout their lifetime. Freud proposed a cycle in which thoughts are suppressed but continue to function unconsciously in mind, and then resurface in consciousness when they are triggered by definite situations.
In the early twentieth century, the behaviorist approach came to existence as a reaction to the psychodynamic theory. The theory had challenges in making forecasts that could be verified using severe trials (James). The behaviorist perspective maintains that behaviors can be defined methodically without resort either to internal physiological happenings or hypothetical concepts such as opinions and views. The perspective focuses on recognizable behavior that individual absorb from their surrounding environment rather than underlying struggle. The major expansion in behaviorism was from the works of Ivan, John, Edward, and Skinners.
Ivan was a Russian physiologist who was broadly recognized for describing classical conditioning. In the year 1890, he conducted an experiment where he trained his dogs to associate the sound of bells with the delivery of food. The idea of training as a programmed procedure of education from his research became a crucial concept in the improvement of behaviorism. John was a psychologist with American roots who was known for his trial called known as little Albert (James). His study applied classical conditioning to train a less than one year old baby to fear a toy rat which was white in color by correlating the presence of the toy animal with an abrupt loud sound. His tryout verified in what way sentiments could become automatic reactions. Edward was a psychologist who was born in the United State and was famously known for his study on living creature’s activities in addition to their knowledge progression created the law of effect. The law states that responses that result in fulfilling outcomes have a higher probability of occurring again as compared to decisions with unpleasant consequences. Skinner, on the other hand, applied operant conditioning to define how replies are strengthened or damaged on its association with the expected results. Strengthening of a reaction transpires through reinforcement. Skinner split reinforcement to two; positive reinforcement where a positive consequence is introduced and negative reinforces which entails the removal of a negative consequence (James). Skinner concluded that human behavior is designed by test and mistake through strengthening and punishment without internal struggle or insights.
Outcome 3
Presently psychodynamic is a developing field that examines human thoughts, response outlines, and inspirations. Researchers in this disciple focus on understanding and anticipating reactions, exploiting the communicative nature of psychological signals and investigating the capability of the mind to affect physiological answers openly (Murphy). One of the most important trends in psychology today is the incorporation of esteemed personality characters such as sympathy, mindfulness, and tolerance in research since they play a role in influencing an individual’s behavior. Emotions such as cheerfulness, sorrow, concern, fault, and fury are reactions we experience and express to acquire the greatest probable consequence in a specified condition (Murphy). The research creates an insight on how to express feelings in an effective way allowing us to comprehend how to appreciate the full range of individual personalities and the best ways to confront challenges.
According to Scott, he states that significant work in psychology is the contemporary discovery of the default mode network. The default network is most active when we focus on the internal stream of consciousness, yearnings, and feelings. He states that the synchronized brain sections are crucial to compassion, perception and they deliver intuition in decision making and personal contentment. Art Markman seeks to design improved methods to influence people’s behavior by altering their priorities (Murphy). The studies conducted by John and Ivan have been used widely in the management of various mental disorders and addiction.
Modern behavior therapist applies Skinner's study on operant conditioning; they believe that by avoiding the reinforcement of certain behaviors those behaviors can be forgotten. Skinners work has advanced to a triple contingency model that explored the link between the mind, environment, and behavior (Murphy). This study influenced the analysis of applied behavior, in which operant conditioning procedures are utilized to underline desirable behaviors and discipline unaccepted conduct. This study has been instrumental in instilling disciple among children at home and also in school and has also helped in the governance of countries. The study has also been instrumental in the management of children with autism (Murphy). Autistic children get nervous when they are in a new environment, applying this study to create for them a daily schedule which helps them learn to be independent and build courage and self-esteem. They will learn to rely on the predictable nature of their surroundings.
Work Cited
Brett, George Sidney. A History Of Psychology. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014.
James, William. The Principles Of Psychology. [New York]: Dover Publications, 2012.
Murphy, Gardner. An Historical Introduction To Modern Psychology. Routledge, 2014.
