| Early development | | | | such as beliefs, desires, or goals could be |
| | | | studied scientifically. In his paper |
| The first use of the term "psychology" is | | | | "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It" |
| often attributed to the German scholastic | | | | (1913), Watson argued that psychology "is a |
| philosopher Rudolf Goeckel (Latinized Rudolph | | | | purely objective [emphasis added] |
| Goclenius), published in 1590.[1] More than | | | | experimental branch of natural science," that |
| six decades earlier, however, the Croatian | | | | "introspection forms no essential part of its |
| humanist Marko Marulić used the | | | | methods", and that "the behaviorist |
| term in the title of a work which was | | | | recognizes no dividing line between man and |
| subsequently lost.[2] This, of course, may | | | | brute." |
| not have been the very first usage, but it is | | | | |
| the earliest documented use at present. | | | | Behaviorism reigned as the dominant model in |
| | | | psychology through the first half of the 20th |
| The term did not fall into popular usage | | | | century, largely due to the creation of |
| until the German idealist philosopher, | | | | conditioning theories as scientific models of |
| Christian Wolff (1679-1754) used it in his | | | | human behavior, and their successful |
| Psychologia empirica and Psychologia | | | | application in the workplace and in fields |
| rationalis (1732-1734). This distinction | | | | such as advertising. |
| between empirical and rational psychology was | | | | |
| picked up in Diderot's Encyclodedie and was | | | | Modern era |
| popularized in France by Maine de Biran. | | | | |
| | | | However, it became increasingly clear that |
| The root of the word psychology (psyche) is | | | | although behaviorism had made some important |
| very roughly equivalent to "soul" in Greek, | | | | discoveries, it was deficient as a guiding |
| and psychology came to be considered a study | | | | theory of human behavior. Noam Chomsky's |
| of the soul (in a religious sense of this | | | | review of Skinner's book Verbal Behavior |
| term) much later, in Christian times. | | | | (that aimed to explain language acquisition |
| Psychology as a medical discipline can be | | | | in a behaviorist framework) is considered one |
| seen in Thomas Willis' reference to | | | | of the major factors in the ending of |
| psychology (the "Doctrine of the Soul") in | | | | behaviorism's reign. Chomsky demonstrated |
| terms of brain function, as part of his 1672 | | | | that language could not purely be learned |
| anatomical treatise "De Anima Brutorum" ("Two | | | | from conditioning, as people could produce |
| Discourses on the Souls of Brutes"). Until | | | | sentences unique in structure and meaning |
| about the end of the 19th century, psychology | | | | that couldn't possibly be generated solely |
| was regarded as a branch of philosophy. | | | | through experience of natural language, |
| | | | implying that there must be internal states |
| Early modern era | | | | of mind that behaviorism rejected as |
| | | | illusory. Similarly, work by Albert Bandura |
| In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920), known as | | | | showed that children could learn by social |
| "the father of psychology", founded a | | | | observation, without any change in overt |
| laboratory for the study of psychology at | | | | behavior, and so must be accounted for by |
| Leipzig University in Germany. The American | | | | internal representations. |
| philosopher William James published his | | | | |
| seminal book, Principles of Psychology, in | | | | Humanistic psychology emerged in the 1950s |
| 1890, laying the foundations for many of the | | | | and has continued as a reaction to positivist |
| questions that psychologists would focus on | | | | and scientific approaches to the mind. It |
| for years to come. Other important early | | | | stresses a phenomenological view of human |
| contributors to the field include Hermann | | | | experience and seeks to understand human |
| Ebbinghaus (1850–1909), a | | | | beings and their behavior by conducting |
| pioneer in the experimental study of memory | | | | qualitative research. The humanistic approach |
| at the University of Berlin; and the Russian | | | | has its roots in existentialist and |
| physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who | | | | phenomenological philosophy and many humanist |
| investigated the learning process now | | | | psychologists completely reject a scientific |
| referred to as classical conditioning. | | | | approach, arguing that trying to turn human |
| | | | experience into measurements strips it of all |
| Meanwhile, during the 1890s, the Austrian | | | | meaning and relevance to lived existence. |
| physician Sigmund Freud, who was trained as a | | | | |
| neurologist and had no formal training in | | | | Some of the founding theorists behind this |
| experimental psychology, had developed a | | | | school of thought were Abraham Maslow who |
| method of psychotherapy known as | | | | formulated a hierarchy of human needs, Carl |
| psychoanalysis. Freud's understanding of the | | | | Rogers who created and developed |
| mind was largely based on interpretive | | | | Client-centred therapy, and Fritz Perls who |
| methods and introspection, and was focused in | | | | helped create and develop Gestalt therapy. |
| particular on resolving mental distress and | | | | |
| psychopathology. Freud's theories became very | | | | The rise of computer technology also promoted |
| well-known, largely because they tackled | | | | the metaphor of mental function as |
| subjects such as sexuality and repression as | | | | information processing. This, combined with a |
| general aspects of psychological development. | | | | scientific approach to studying the mind, as |
| These were largely considered taboo subjects | | | | well as a belief in internal mental states, |
| at the time, and Freud provided a catalyst | | | | led to the rise of cognitivism as the |
| for them to be openly discussed in polite | | | | dominant model of the mind. |
| society. Although Freud's theories are only | | | | |
| of limited interest in modern academic | | | | Links between brain and nervous system |
| psychology departments, his application of | | | | function were also becoming common, partly |
| psychology to clinical work has been very | | | | due to the experimental work of people such |
| influential. | | | | as Charles Sherrington and Donald Hebb, and |
| | | | partly due to studies of people with brain |
| Partly in reaction to the subjective and | | | | injury (see cognitive neuropsychology). With |
| introspective nature of Freudian psychology, | | | | the development of technologies for |
| and its focus on the recollection of | | | | accurately measuring brain function, |
| childhood experiences, during the early | | | | neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience |
| decades of the 20th century behaviorism | | | | have become some of the most active areas in |
| gained popularity as a guiding psychological | | | | contemporary psychology. With the increasing |
| theory. Championed by psychologists such as | | | | involvement of other disciplines (such as |
| John B. Watson and Edward Thorndike (and | | | | philosophy, computer science and |
| later, B.F. Skinner), behaviorism was | | | | neuroscience) in the quest to understand the |
| grounded in studies of animal behavior. | | | | mind, the umbrella discipline of cognitive |
| Behaviorists argued that psychology should be | | | | science has been created as a means of |
| a science of behavior, not the mind, and | | | | focusing such efforts in a constructive way. |
| rejected the idea that internal mental states | | | | |