A history of psychology and different schools of thought.
This paper looks at the growth of the science of psychology over time and the development of different concepts such as functionalism and structuralism. It discusses how psychology has its roots in philosophy and each school of psychology was formed largely as a reaction to the previous school, e.g., functionalism grew out of structuralism and humanism and cognitive psychology grew out of Gestalt psychology.
“Ancient Greek philosophers’ exploration of psychological topics such as epistemology, ethics and mental illness; the 17th century French Philosopher Rene Descartes and his theory of dualism; Thomas Hobbes and John Locke’s theories which later became known as monism, and the field of physiology have all contributed significantly to the emergence of psychology as a separate science. The “birth” of psychology, however, is often traced to 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt began the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, which also signaled the start of the school of psychology known as structuralism. Compared to earlier philosophers, Wundt’s approach to the study of mind was much more scientific.”