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The origin and growth of psychology as a branch of study can be attributed to several factors dated back to centuries. This discipline emerged and developed as a philosophical thought since the time of the Greek thinkers Plato and Aristotle and European thinkers like John Locke and Charles Darwin. The Greek philosophers discussed the innate abilities of human mind whereas British philosopher Locke considered human mind as a blank paper or slate on which every experience of an individual is permanently written (Schultz and Schultz 3). Darwin examined some adaptive abilities that are common in humans and animals. Descartes came up with a bit more advanced view called empiricism, according to which all knowledge one gains come from experience (Schultz and Schultz 31-34). This finding contributed to behavioral conditioning. The first psychology teaching institution was set up at Harvard by William James in 1875. Sigmund Freud, fondly called as The Father of Psychoanalysis, presented his great theory of Id, Ego, and Superego. His findings had profound influence on the growth of psychology.
Primarily, brain function research involved mapping of the brain, and the methods of mapping included Extirpation, clinical method, and electrical stimulation. They can be explained as follows;
Extirpation: removing a part of the brain to observe the changes happening
Clinical method: reviewing the damaged area of the brain after the patient’s death
Electrical stimulation: stimulating cerebral cortex through electric waves and identifying the brain’s response (Schultz and Schultz 47-48).
Brain mapping and related findings paved way for the study of mind and body interaction. Researches affirmed that the mind and body interact with each other in a way that affects a person's overall health (Baker & Morris 55). This influence is easily identified with the functions of the digestive system. Studies proved that anxiety, depression, and fear can seriously affect the function of the digestive system.
Wilhelm Wundt, the father of psychology, introduced structuralism in 1879 and used the introspection as a technique to examine consciousness. Hermann Von Helmholtz stated that the way human sense organs function is similar to the functions of a machine and this perception was termed as mechanistic approach to psychology. Guestav Fuchener introduced techniques for measuring sensory experience whereas Ernst Weber through his experiments proved that an individual’s perception does not have any direct correspondence to any physical stimulus.
Works Cited
Baker, Gordon and Morris, Katherine. Descartes’ Dualism. Routledge, 2005. Print.
Schultz, Duane P and Schultz, Sydney Ellen. A History of Modern Psychology. Cengage Learning, 2015. Print.
