...Modern Psychology reflects the discipline’s diverse history; the formation of psychology differs dramatically from modern-day conceptions of the field of study. To acquire a complete grasp of psychology, it is important to spend more time exploring the history and origins of this particular study in science. In this particular paper, the main concepts that is being explored is philosophers that historically relate to the beginnings of psychology as a formal discipline, major philosophers in the western tradition that were primary contributors to the formation of psychology as a discipline, and the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century. History of Psychology Psychology was not well known as a separate discipline until the late 1800’s, its initial history can be traced back to the era of the early Greeks. All throughout the 17th century, Rena Descartes, a French philosopher, introduced the first idea of dualism, which is the explanation that the mind and body are separate parts that work together to create the human experience. “Many other issues still debated by psychologists today, such as relative contributions of nature vs. nurture are rooted in these early philosophical traditions” (Citizendium, 2010). Psychology has been often mistakenly viewed as a young discipline, in all actuality Psychology has roots extending from ancient Greece. The father of psychology is known as Aristotle, he wrote his thesis “ De Anima, Parva Naturalia approximately...
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...History of Psychology Danielle Shank PSY/310 February 18, 2013 Kelle Daniels History of Psychology To understand psychology today, one must understand the past of psychology. Rene’ Descartes believes a person’s mind to have an ability to reason and the body to be a machine. However, John Locke believed a person’s mind to be a clean slate and it is filled from experiences. These are two amazing theories about the mind and body. However, if all of the theories were to be discussed this would not be an essay; this would be a book series. Psychology dates back to the 1900’s but the true history goes back to the Greek philosophers or even farther to the 17th century B.C. with Psamtik 1 (King of Egypt). He believed the Egyptians were the oldest race and was curious about how. The foundation of psychology starts with philosophy and medicine than later becomes its own category of psychology. Psychology gets broken down into smaller parts. This paper will go over different philosophers of the past that brought the start of psychology and then a man who was in the 19th century of psychology. Philosophers That Began Psychology Hermann Ebbinghaus states in his textbook called “Psychology An Elementary textbook”, “Psychology has a long past, yet its real history is very short” (Ebbinghaus, 1908, p. 3). When this statement is broken...
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...History of Psychology PSY/310 April 11, 2011 Jane Northrup History of Psychology As stated by Herman Ebbinghaus; “Psychology has a long past” (Goodwin, 2008). Although there is not much history on the actual science of psychology philosophers have long been asking questions pertaining to human behavior. Questions about humans and human behavior date back to the times of ancient Greek philosophers. A few philosophers who made great contributions are; Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes. Many believe that Aristotle may have contributed more to prescience psychology than any other individual. Aristotle was the first to believe in the importance of empirical observations. Observation is something that is widely used today in research and by many individuals in the field of psychology. He was also a great contributor to defining intellect and obtaining knowledge. (Daniels, 1997). Socrates believed that the goal of life was knowledge. Much of his knowledge was gained through questioning other philosophies. His biggest focus was on the problems related to human existence therefore he is thought of by some as the first existential philosopher. (Daniels, 1997). He was also the first to speak of the word “psyche” which he defined as ones type of intelligence and personality. (Daniels, 1997). Socrates had great influence on Plato. Plato was a rationalist who’s ideas led Freud and Marx to call their beliefs “scientific”. He also influenced many researchers...
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...History of Psychology University of Phoenix Psy 310 Interest in psychology is as old as the society, because man has always wanted to know people who surround him, to discover what do they think, how do they feel, and their intentions. In spite of that, psychology as an independent science is relatively young – it is old approximately 100 years. When discussing the origin and roots of psychology, it might be noted that they come from philosophy and natural sciences. Philosophic roots of psychology are associated with the philosophic thought of ancient Greeks and the word "psychology" is of Greek origin. In the translation, psychology is "a science about a soul." Until the second half of the nineteenth century, psychology was a part of philosophy and was used for explanation of certain philosophical hypothesis. In the past, there were philosophers who had a major influence on the later development of psychology such as Rene Descartes (1596-1650), Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) and John Locke (1632-1704). Rene Descartes is the most important representative of rationalism. His philosophical thoughts had a big influence on certain psychological branches, especially Gestalt psychology. According to Landrum, "Descartes suggested that whereas the mind is the source of ideas and thoughts (that he correctly located in the brain), the body is a machine-like structure to be studied and understood." Descartes acknowledged two substances: the soul and the body. On...
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...History of Psychology Janee Moore University of Phoenix History and Systems of Psychology PSY/310 Michael Hardin May 11, 2014 History of Psychology The history of psychology goes back thousands of years to the early Greeks. The roots of psychology are closely related to philosophy. Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. The early Greeks such as Aristotle believed “The heart was the seat of the mind”, and the brain was more so a filter to calm heat the heart produced. While the philosopher and physician Hippocrates believed “The brain was the seat of sensation as well as intellect”. Investigation and dissection of minds belonging to abnormal beings lead to many controversial beliefs. The beginning of modern philosophy is said to be led by Rene’ Descartes. Descartes was considered the father of modern philosophy, mathematics, physiology, and psychology. In 1633 Descartes wrote a book titled “The World”, demonstrating how various disciplines could be united through reason of mathematics. He failed to publish his book at that time to stay in good graces of the Catholic Church. Descartes’ Discourse on Method was not relevant until after his death. His Discourse on Method expressed to accept truth only to what could not be doubted. This begot the Cartesian System of Rationalism, Nativism and Mechanistic Interactionism. The Cartesian system simply meant to think clearly...
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...The foundations of psychology has been a mystery to many for quite some time. Psychology is the scientific study of mental and behavioral processes. Since ancient times, humans began trying to make sense of the mental process. The roots are traced far back in history to ancient philosophers. There was no hard evidence of how the mind works until early philosophers began scientific studys of the human mind and recorded their findings. In this paper you will read about early philosophers that related to the beginnings of psychology as a formal discipline. I will also identify some major philosophers in the western tradition who were primary contributors to the formation of psychology as a discipline. I will also be exploring the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century. Ancient philosophers is the where history bagan in the field of psychology. Although these philosophers all had an intrerst with how the human mind and body works, they all had different interests, studies and experiments. They may have shared similar standpoints but some had different views. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were three Greek ancient philosophers who had a major influence on psychological thought. “Know thyself” one of Socrates’ most famous quotes. This quote was used to emphasize how important it is to be aware of one’s self. Personal reflection and self- examination are key factors in psychology. Plato was one of Socrates’ most prized students. He believed...
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...History of Psychology As stated by Herman Ebbinghaus; “Psychology has a long past” (Goodwin, 2008). Although there is not much history on the actual science of psychology philosophers have long been asking questions pertaining to human behavior. Questions about humans and human behavior date back to the times of ancient Greek philosophers. A few philosophers who made great contributions are; Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes. Many believe that Aristotle may have contributed more to prescience psychology than any other individual. Aristotle was the first to believe in the importance of empirical observations. Observation is something that is widely used today in research and by many individuals in the field of psychology. He was also a great contributor to defining intellect and obtaining knowledge. (Daniels, 1997). Socrates believed that the goal of life was knowledge. Much of his knowledge was gained through questioning other philosophies. His biggest focus was on the problems related to human existence therefore he is thought of by some as the first existential philosopher. (Daniels, 1997). He was also the first to speak of the word “psyche” which he defined as ones type of intelligence and personality. (Daniels, 1997). Socrates had great influence on Plato. Plato was a rationalist who’s ideas led Freud and Marx to call their beliefs “scientific”. He also influenced many researchers, some of which are still influenced today. Rene Descartes...
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...History and Systems of Psychology History and Systems of Psychology The beginnings of Psychology seem to be up for debate. This is because it started off as as a totally different discipline. Philosophy is the true origin of Pyschology. In this paper these origins will be discussed along with the ideas, and systems that were put into play to allow Psychology to become its very own discipline. Psychology seems to be one of the oldest fields of science, and at the same time one of the youngest. This is because the main study of Psychology which is the mind, can be linked all the way back to Greek Philosophers of the 5th century B.C. People who view Psychology from this view see it as ancient. At the same time with the emergence of modern science, Psychologist began to use these new tools in Physical and Natural Sciences to take a more in depth and practical look at human behavior. People who take the latter into account view it as a very, very modern science. The first to delve into Psychology were the Ancient Greek Philosophers. These philosophers of the Old World stated that everything should be questioned. Socrates believed that the only thing he knows, is that he knows nothing. Being one of the first of the early philosophers to question everything including himself. He also believes what many Psychologist do today, that many people do bad things out of ignorance of knowing the bad that they are doing. Plato believed that humans are a body, which is material and mortal...
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...History of Psychology By Kris Patch PSY/310 May 17, 2010 Instructor, Patricia M. LaFountaine History of Psychology The work of the great Confucian philosopher Mencius is regarded as second only to that of Confucius himself. Mencius, like Confucius, was very saddened by the quality of life during his time. Mencius spoke of the deaf and the blind often and the terrible events that had happened to them. According to Mencius “the natural goodness of humans had become perverted by the circumstances that they had raised. Yet he also says that “A person has the potential to become perfect.” One cannot discuss Confucianism without at least mentioning the man the Chinese call "The Second Sage," Meng Tzu, or in Latinized form, Mencius (372-289 B.C.) Mencius, like Confucius and Mo Tzu before him, concerned himself entirely with political theory and political practice; he spent his life bouncing from one feudal court to another trying to find some ruler who would follow his teachings (Hooker, 1996). Looking at the philosophy of Mencius, One of the main concerns that some may have with his philosophy is the matter of the natural goodness of humans has become perverted. Mencius mentioned that a person also has the ability to become perfect. I don’t necessarily believe that any one person can become perfect. One might be able to call it perfect in their mind, but in the mind of another they would not be called perfect. To phase that a little different “I could see myself...
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...The History of Psychology Debi Pierce PSY310 February 13, 2012 Sharon Cohen The History of Psychology The study of psychology dates back as far as the Greek Gods and continues for centuries, which followed into present day. Many scientists, physiologists as well as psychologists are mentioned and play a role with the discussions, theories, and discoveries in which we have reached modern day psychology. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), a German psychologist, claimed that there is a long past when it comes to psychology but the history of psychology is short. Ultimately, he made this claim based on findings and theories that dated back to the Greeks, but the scientific portions of psychology were closer to the start of the twentieth century and continued to grow. Ebbinghaus was strongly influenced by such psychologists as Fechner and Helmholtz during his years at University of Bonn where he received his doctor of psychology in 1983 at only 23 years of age. He continued with his love and commitment to psychology at the University of Berlin. The many years spent studying, researching and training in the discipline of psychology eventually led him to be known as “the pioneer of memory research” (Fuchs, 1997). Afterwards, in the United States, college students were becoming aware of what has been termed as the “new” psychology shortly after 1870. This following had been led by Harvard University professor William James. James brought...
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...The History of Psychology Debi Pierce PSY310 February 13, 2012 Sharon Cohen The History of Psychology The study of psychology dates back as far as the Greek Gods and continues for centuries, which followed into present day. Many scientists, physiologists as well as psychologists are mentioned and play a role with the discussions, theories, and discoveries in which we have reached modern day psychology. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), a German psychologist, claimed that there is a long past when it comes to psychology but the history of psychology is short. Ultimately, he made this claim based on findings and theories that dated back to the Greeks, but the scientific portions of psychology were closer to the start of the twentieth century and continued to grow. Ebbinghaus was strongly influenced by such psychologists as Fechner and Helmholtz during his years at University of Bonn where he received his doctor of psychology in 1983 at only 23 years of age. He continued with his love and commitment to psychology at the University of Berlin. The many years spent studying, researching and training in the discipline of psychology eventually led him to be known as “the pioneer of memory research” (Fuchs, 1997). Afterwards, in the United States, college students were becoming aware of what has been termed as the “new” psychology shortly after 1870. This following had been led by Harvard University professor William James. James brought...
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...History of Psychology Gina Skolosh Kaplan University History of Psychology PS210 Allison Christine June 8, 2015 History of Psychology Philosophy is the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, especially with a view to improving or reconstituting them ("Philosophy," n.d.). The influences of philosophy and physiology were discovered by ancient Greeks such as Plato and Aristotle. When the seventeen century came around Rene Descartes introduced the concept of dualism. He believed that the mind and body existed as two separate entities (Schultz & Schultz, 2012, p. 31). He argued that the mind had only a signal function, and that was thought. What was important about this idea is that it allowed the emerging of the scientist of the Renaissance and the churches to co-exist (Landrum, n.d.). Now that the search of science had other avenues, other than philosophy, many different discipline and areas of study began to increase. There are two that impacted the beginning of psychology, phrenology, and psychophysics. Frank Josef Gall investigated the shape of the brain. He ventured into the debatable territory when he founded the movement called cranioscopy; later to be known as phrenology (Schultz, Schultz, 2012, p. 50). Phrenology believed that the skull was an accurate understanding of the underlining brain. It claimed that the mind could be divided into different functions, which a person’s unique characteristics could be...
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...History of Psychology Katrena Taylor PSY/310 October 11, 2011 History of Psychology Psychology at one time was just a branch of philosophy, it was 1000’s of years before it was known to be a formal discipline. It evolved from “ideas” of early philosophers into a science of its own. Centuries ago Western Philosophers began the formation of psychology as a branch of philosophy, but explored the subject in a more rationale scientific way throughout the years. Just as it took centuries for the science of psychology to implore, it was and still is, developing into the 19th century. Beginnings of Psychology Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physiologist, physician, philosopher, professor, and psychologist. He is well known as the “father of experimental psychology (Bringmann, 1975). At the University of Leipzig he founded the very first formal laboratory for psychological research in 1879. In the laboratory the exploration basically of the subconscious and conscience mind began. He studied the nature of religious beliefs and how they”conditioned” human behavior. Wundt also researched the damaged parts of the brain; he started identifying mental disorders and abnormal behaviors (Bringmann, 1975). With this research Wundt was able to separate psychology as a science from philosophy. In 1881, Wundt created the first journal for psychological research. Wundt also wrote, Principles of Physiological in 1874, which was very...
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...The History of Psychology Psychology 310 Judd Smutt November 23, 2010 The study of the human mind and psychology started in ancient philosophy. Greek philosophers such as Plato and Descartes marked the beginning of the science of psychology. Many years later Wilhelm Wundt founded scientific psychology including the first research laboratory in psychology at the University of Leipzig. Wilhelm Wundt’s Gestalts psychology never became mainstream even though it had greatly influenced the beginnings of American psychology. Philosophies Contribution to Psychology Greek philosophers such as Plato Galen and Descartes began to study thought and behavior and form ideas on their observations. Their ideas about human behavior were arrived at by the use of logic, common sense, reason and systematic use of observation. Plato believed that individual differences is evidence that humans possessed different strengths and weaknesses. Some individuals are known for courage other for intellectual abilities and other for motivation. This determined what role each person would play in society. The most fundamental distinction in Plato's philosophy is between the many observable objects that appear beautiful (good, just, unified, equal, big) and the one object that is what beauty (goodness, justice, unity) really is, from which those many beautiful (good, just, unified, equal, big) things receive their names and their corresponding characteristics. Nearly every major work of...
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...History of Psychology History of Psychology Paper Shirley L Nieves October 21, 2013 PSY/310 Prof. Kelle Daniels The roots of psychology date back to Egypt and the Egyptian mystery system. Psychology has evolved from philosophy, medicine, theology, and science. Psychology evolved out of coalescence of natural science, and also the branch of philosophy which is known as epistemology, which is also known in the theory of knowledge. Psychology in its early times was devote and mainly focused to understanding the mind, as well as measuring it. After this later on in time, psychology focused on understanding behavior. In the beginning the ancient Greek philosophers had learned a lot about their surroundings due to this they made an attempt to arrange the way they learn in a much organized way. As knowledge increased specialties were developed in the field. Psychology was then termed “Mental Philosophy”; this was concerned more with the principles in psychology. Psychology has evolved greatly in both the intellect and consciousness levels. It was in the late 19th century that psychology became an independent discipline which was divided separately. In Ancient Greek reasoning was referred to as rationalism which as we know is the search for the care essence of things. This is known today as the deductive method. In ancient Greek times they viewed the world in a macrocosm and man was viewed as a macrocosm. Amongst...
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